Digitally decluttering with Melanie Leslie

Book Blogger Melanie Leslie accepted Cal Newport's 30 Day Digital Detox challenge. She found it so inspiring she has been sharing her experience and helping others take on the challenge for themselves. Here are a few quotes about the book from Leslie on the Book Insights Podcast:

"I knew I wanted to reduce my phone usage and I want to use social media in a way that's healthy but not a lot of books are out there that tell you exactly how to do that... I read Digital Minimalism and use my blog as a way to show my progress and what I learned."

"My relationship with my phone was bordering on unhealthy. I knew I needed a digital declutter...Now whenever I start to notice that I get too wrapped up on likes, comments or the algorithm - that is a sign that I need to take a break and remind myself of what life is about."

"Your time is their money. Is my time with my family, with myself, with those I care about really worth the money of these large corporations that I'm feeding into when I'm scrolling Facebook, Instagram or all those apps?"

"It's scary. It sounds terrifying when somebody tells you 'you're going to delete all the social media apps from your phone'... People feel like 'if I didn't post it on social media, did it actually happen?"

"We're in a society where being bored is almost nonexistent... Before detoxing I said I am going to have to be ok being bored. So I replaced my low quality leisure time with high quality leisure time. Things that fill me up but don't drain me are reading, journaling and art."

"I set app limits and told myself that I'm deleting the apps I don't absolutely need.I told myself that at the end of the declutter if there's an app that I need I'll re-download it... But honestly, I didn't miss most of them at all."

" I found that by only using email and checking the news on my computer instead of my phone, I wasn't checking constantly. I would only check once a day or once every other day. That cut down on my phone usage a ton."

"The human connection piece is critical. Commenting on a friend's post versus going out with them for coffee are very different. The quality of connection is so much richer when you meet in person."

"Everyday, minute by minute the temptation is so real when your cell phone is sitting right there. It's something I'm always working to improve on."