Low Tech Life: A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism

by José Briones

In our hyperconnected 21st century, where screens often dominate our lives, Jose Briones' 'Low Tech A Guide to Mindful Digital Minimalism' emerges as a beacon of hope. This insightful guide invites you to reassess your relationship with technology and offers practical steps to declutter your digital life.

Briones expertly weaves together personal anecdotes, research insights, and actionable strategies, equipping readers with the tools needed to navigate the digital landscape mindfully. He challenges the notion of "more is better," advocating instead for a 'less but better' approach to technology use.

'Low Tech Life' leads you through a transformative journey, starting with an honest assessment of your digital habits. It then helps you to identify what's essential, what's nice to have, and what's merely a time-waster. Briones encourages you to quit digital platforms that don't serve your well-being and happiness, offering practical advice on how to implement digital 'time zones' in your daily life for a more balanced, productive lifestyle.

Lastly, 'Low Tech Life' underscores the significance of regular reassessment and adjustment of your digital habits. It promotes an iterative approach to digital minimalism, encouraging readers to embrace trial and error as they work backwards from their desired lifestyle to set achievable digital usage goals.

Whether you're feeling the strain of constant connectivity or seeking strategies to manage your screen time better, 'Low Tech Life' will guide you towards a more mindful, fulfilling relationship with technology. This book is not just about cutting back—it's about building a digital lifestyle that aligns with your values, bolsters your productivity, and boosts your well-being.

Start your journey towards a low tech life today. Unplug, declutter, and discover the joys of mindful digital minimalism with Jose Briones' 'Low Tech Life.'

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Technology

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2023

Reviews

[Lachy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 (rounded to 4)

This book has value to be found in it, although those who have already transitioned into a low tech life may find less, there is certainly still reason to read it. There were sections that I questioned - such as the term "addictive personality" and its possible negative connotations.

Another example is here:

An on a more practical level, switching to a dedicated music or video player can greatly enhance our listening and viewing experiences. Whether it is physical records or mp3 players, curating a specific playlist will create a more intentional and personalized media library that truly resonates with us.

The problem I have with this phrase is the omission of the fact that this is entirely possible on a smartphone. Creating playlists on Spotify to suit specific activities, days or moods is one of my favorite things to do, and now there are more advanced features such as an AI DJ (although to be fair to Jose, I don't believe this existed at the time of writing and publication) as well as "Made for you" playlists by Spotify. While the latter is unarguably less personal, I don't believe it to be irrelevant enough to warrant ditching Spotify's features completely. It's very possible I missed the point here, and that Jose was referring to the physical act of collecting music, rather than simply adding it to a playlist.

Overall, I would recommend reading if you are looking to switch to a dumbphone and lower your screen time. There is valuable advice, especially about the hoorahs of using a dumbphone such as carrier compatibility and suggested phones, and Jose also promotes his excellent dumbphone finder app in the book, which is what I used to find my own phone.

[Xan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jore Briones’ Low Tech Life is a great read that I’d happily recommend to anyone beginning their journey into digital minimalism. While many of the principles in the book were already familiar to me, I found it genuinely valuable to revisit them—it’s always helpful to reaffirm and strengthen the habits that matter.

For friends or anyone curious about being more intentional with their technology use, this would be my go-to starting point recommendation. It lays the groundwork in an accessible, relatable way, and for those who find the philosophy resonates, it naturally opens the door to deeper explorations—perhaps with Cal Newport or other thinkers in the space.

[lsmoura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of Briones's work, I was quite excited to read this book, but I found myself disappointed with its content.

The book begins very well, aligning with the author's proposition: to be a guide to mindful digital minimalism. We are introduced to concepts and technologies while Briones shares his personal experiences in our hyperconnected world and explains why he decided to adopt this lifestyle. However, at a certain point, halfway through the book, he veers away from the "guide" aspect and starts padding it with random and unuseful stories. I understand that his target audience may include people unfamiliar with the digital minimalism style, but instead of enhancing the book, these diversions make it boring. The third part of the book attempts to return to where the first part began and is as solid as the initial section.

If the book had adhered to the proposition of being a guide, rather than filling some pages with random stories that contribute very little to the primary argument, it would have been much better.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not entirely pointless, but could be reduced to 5% of the total word count. Unfortunately reads like Cal Newport fan-fiction.

[Rachel Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ideas in here are great and the technical execution is meh. Still it’s a helpful book for those interested in reducing dependence on tech, especially smartphones.

[Madison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this book is a bit all over the place and bounces around. In the first chapter, the author highlights how it is not always what device/type of phone we use, but our relationship with media that is the problem. In the second chapter, the author starts out with: "So should I buy a dumb phone? Yes!" and goes into a lot of detail on carriers, LTE bands, etc. Then in the third chapter, recommends that you can use your current phone as a transition phone and just delete what is unnecessary (more in line with the first chapter).

The author mentioned he has a YouTube channel and I feel like the contents of this book kind of read more like a collection of scripts from a few separate YouTube videos. It just didn't seem to translate as well to a book format in this case.

[Gary Thaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good book to get me thinking about how much I use tech.

[Shamelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

def a great, practical guide to not using gadgets or using gadgets in a different way

unfortunately, i still need tech in every waking moment

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gran libro acerca de la desconexión digital, cómo nos afecta y los mejores tips para volver a establecer un equilibrio.

[Ori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, Low Tech Life is a great book with solid pockets of useful information. I liked how José blended personal stories with reflections on life before and after simplifying his tech use. The middle slowed down a bit, but I appreciated his suggestion to jump to the chapters that fit your lifestyle. A thoughtful, practical read.

[Isaiah Fonville · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some of the things mentioned over the course of the book I was already familiar with, or even well past implementing in my life, reading another persons principles behind it were very thought-provoking. Very pleasant short read, even if I’m not the exact target audience.

[Jesseaedon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great short read on a subject matter that is growing for good reason.