False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

To prevent the symptoms of solitude 
deprivation, practice leaving the phone at 
home and walking more often.
The problem with a lot of “life hacks” and quick 
fixes is that they don’t set you up for sustainable 
change. They might prompt you to start a 
healthy new habit, but once you hit a snag or run 
into a problem, it’s all too easy to give up and 
say the fix didn’t stick. This is why digital 

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minimalism has a variety of recommended 
practices that align with the lifestyle and are 
proven to have the kind of meaningful and 
rewarding value that is missing from a lot of 
digital-based 
activities. 
The 
first 
recommendation is solitude – a valuable 
commodity that new technology often takes 
away.
If you were born before the mid-80s, you 
probably have clear memories of life before the 
smartphone. But people born between 1995 and 
2012 essentially grew up with smartphones, and 
now spend an average of nine hours a day on 
these devices. World-renowned generational 
researcher Jean Twenge noticed a shocking 
uptick in psychological health issues with this 
group, dubbed the “iGen,” with a higher 
percentage of depression, suicide, eating 
disorders, homesickness and, above all, anxiety.
Another term for what iGen is suffering from is 
solitude deprivation, a lack of time away from 
screens and input from outside sources, which is 
crucial for processing emotions, reflecting on 
relationships and what’s important in life, and 
giving the brain a chance to find some calm 
clarity.
The silver lining is that solitude is easy to find. It 
can be experienced in a crowded café or 
subway train, just as long as you’re free to be 
with your thoughts and your thoughts alone.
So the next time you go out, try leaving your 
phone at home. If you remember the days 
before smartphones, you know that this isn’t a 
dangerous or crazy thing to do. However, if 
you’re worried about an emergency, you can 
compromise by putting it in your glove 
compartment or somewhere where it isn’t readily 
accessible.
Likewise, long walks are one classic source of 
solitude, with many of the great thinkers in 
history extolling its virtues. Thoreau was perhaps 
its greatest champion, but Arthur Rimbaud, 
Jean-Jacques 
Rousseau 
and 
Friedrich 
Nietzsche 
also 
considered 
walking 
the 
inspiration for their best ideas. Of course, this is 
to be done without earbuds or a screen in sight.