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The Art of Bitfulness: Keeping Calm in the Digital World
In this short, practical book, Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani describe a framework to tune out the overwhelming noise of the internet. They empower you with tools to take back your time, attention and privacy from those who want to capture and sell it. They reveal their own personal systems, and how they stay on top of a constant flow of information. This book doesn't believe our excessive screen time usage is a personal failing. The internet creates winner-take-all market conditions, which in turn create an attentional race to the bottom. It doesn't have to be this way. The book covers how we, as a collective, can take back control of our future. The authors even analyse the promise of web3 & cryptocurrencies to see where that alternative will take us. The reason to read this book is If you don't design your technology around your life, someone else will design your life around their technology. 'Unlike many other books written about this toxic relationship, however, this one is by two people who love technology very much and are fascinated by its power to do good-and yet, are cognizant of the ways in which technology can overwhelm us.'
236 pages, Hardcover
Published January 17, 2022
58 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Nandan Nilekani
12 books74 followersNandan Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur, bureaucrat, and politician. He co-founded the IT services company Infosys in Bangalore, India.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 4, 2022
Truth be told there is a lot of content out there warning against too much use of social media and digital devices. But most of it focusses on how social media is evil and how we need to detoxify ourselves.
This book is unique because is focuses more on us, the reader, how our behavior and psychology has ensured we get addicted to social media and lose track of important tasks in life. This book clearly explains what the problem is instead of just preaching the solution.
Additionally, it lays out clear actionable small steps to gradually improve our "work-mobile" balance.
This book is not just another self-help book, but an honest attempt to understand the underlying causes of low productivity due to social-media/device addiction, and how we collectively can come out of that.
Last thing, despite being so rich in content and references from the greatest minds, authors and scientists out there - it is such an easy read.
If you have to read a book this year, let it be this!
This book is unique because is focuses more on us, the reader, how our behavior and psychology has ensured we get addicted to social media and lose track of important tasks in life. This book clearly explains what the problem is instead of just preaching the solution.
Additionally, it lays out clear actionable small steps to gradually improve our "work-mobile" balance.
This book is not just another self-help book, but an honest attempt to understand the underlying causes of low productivity due to social-media/device addiction, and how we collectively can come out of that.
Last thing, despite being so rich in content and references from the greatest minds, authors and scientists out there - it is such an easy read.
If you have to read a book this year, let it be this!
November 4, 2022
A wonderful book, which is a need of the hour for all of us, both individually and collectively.
It discusses how technology should be such that we use it and not such that it uses us. Overall, the book is structured quite well-- firstly the core problem of technology and its effects are discussed, next the authors elaborate different ways in which we, individuals can curate our tech environment such that it aligns to our objectives and finally, technology and its impact on the collective society as a whole is discussed.
The current tech scene sometimes looks bleak with fierce, cut-throat competition among organizations, each fighting for people's attention and market share. This book gives hope that it is indeed possible to create a future which collectively belongs to all of us, aligned to our interests.
This line from the book beautifully summarizes-- “Trading control over our data and our digital infrastructure in exchange for services may have been how the internet was built. But it cannot be how it sustains.”
It discusses how technology should be such that we use it and not such that it uses us. Overall, the book is structured quite well-- firstly the core problem of technology and its effects are discussed, next the authors elaborate different ways in which we, individuals can curate our tech environment such that it aligns to our objectives and finally, technology and its impact on the collective society as a whole is discussed.
The current tech scene sometimes looks bleak with fierce, cut-throat competition among organizations, each fighting for people's attention and market share. This book gives hope that it is indeed possible to create a future which collectively belongs to all of us, aligned to our interests.
This line from the book beautifully summarizes-- “Trading control over our data and our digital infrastructure in exchange for services may have been how the internet was built. But it cannot be how it sustains.”
April 21, 2022
I don't read self-help books that often but when I came across this book by Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani I had to read it.
We live in a world where all of our time is consumed by us indulging in the usage of multiple devices.
For example, I am writing this review on a device and you're reading it on one as well. From the moment we wake up to the sound of the alarm coming from our phones to the moment we sleep after watching some show on our TV screens, We have become so used to the technology that surrounds us that it has become impossible to function without them.
The book has a lot of tips on how we can unplug from time to time and not let these devices be the center of our entire existence but just some tools that we use as we go on with our day.
In spite of being a self-help book, I finished this one in no time because of the writing style that is simple and straightforward .
There are a lot of things in here that are really important and something we need to consider in order to live a healthy lifestyle.
I recommend this book to people who struggle when it comes to screen time or are looking for ways to have a healthy balance between staying online and offline.
We live in a world where all of our time is consumed by us indulging in the usage of multiple devices.
For example, I am writing this review on a device and you're reading it on one as well. From the moment we wake up to the sound of the alarm coming from our phones to the moment we sleep after watching some show on our TV screens, We have become so used to the technology that surrounds us that it has become impossible to function without them.
The book has a lot of tips on how we can unplug from time to time and not let these devices be the center of our entire existence but just some tools that we use as we go on with our day.
In spite of being a self-help book, I finished this one in no time because of the writing style that is simple and straightforward .
There are a lot of things in here that are really important and something we need to consider in order to live a healthy lifestyle.
I recommend this book to people who struggle when it comes to screen time or are looking for ways to have a healthy balance between staying online and offline.
Read
July 30, 2022nice
December 31, 2024
Let me start with some context. Growing up, I was a heavy internet user. I still remember getting my first iPhone in 2010, followed by an iPad soon after. Over the years, I began consuming more and more products and services on my phone, tablet, PlayStation, TV, and other devices—primarily playing games and watching content. Social media hit especially hard. I used to be a very social person, changing schools multiple times within the same city and easily connecting with many people.
However, when social media entered the picture, I now realize it took the “social” out of me. I started indulging in a lot of content created by others, and more often than not, my engagement became one-sided.
By 2019, I started noticing early signs of a significant problem with my technology usage. This realization marked the beginning of my journey to curate my relationship with technology. I wanted to use it to enhance my thinking, learning, and productivity. But by then, the tech industry and its architecture had evolved to keep users perpetually engaged.
This led me to a simple but profound question: What do we use technology for, and what do we expect from it?
I never seriously considered this question until I read a book by Nandan Nilekani. I initially discovered him through his other book, Rebooting India, which left me deeply impressed by his contributions to the country. Naturally, I sought out more of his work, leading me to this book.
It was a surprising read, offering a clear perspective on our relationship with technology—both individually and collectively. What surprised me even more were the practical recommendations it provided for addressing these issues. I found myself adopting many of its suggestions.
As a knowledge worker, I’ve often struggled to distinguish between work-related communication, creation, and consumption. The book introduced a simple framework for managing these: divide your time into Create (deep work), Curate (focused reading), and Communicate (messaging and email).
On a broader scale, the book also delved into issues like privacy and the immense power organizations wield in shaping the internet—and by extension, our behavior. The solution presented was the “India Stack.”
I had been aware of India Stack for some time and wanted to explore its roots and future implications. As I understand it now, India Stack is an incredible achievement—a suite of products and organizations working together harmoniously. It’s remarkable to see something so complex implemented at such scale, and it fills me with pride and faith in our country.
This book was an unintentional discovery that ended up among my top five reads of all time.
However, when social media entered the picture, I now realize it took the “social” out of me. I started indulging in a lot of content created by others, and more often than not, my engagement became one-sided.
By 2019, I started noticing early signs of a significant problem with my technology usage. This realization marked the beginning of my journey to curate my relationship with technology. I wanted to use it to enhance my thinking, learning, and productivity. But by then, the tech industry and its architecture had evolved to keep users perpetually engaged.
This led me to a simple but profound question: What do we use technology for, and what do we expect from it?
I never seriously considered this question until I read a book by Nandan Nilekani. I initially discovered him through his other book, Rebooting India, which left me deeply impressed by his contributions to the country. Naturally, I sought out more of his work, leading me to this book.
It was a surprising read, offering a clear perspective on our relationship with technology—both individually and collectively. What surprised me even more were the practical recommendations it provided for addressing these issues. I found myself adopting many of its suggestions.
As a knowledge worker, I’ve often struggled to distinguish between work-related communication, creation, and consumption. The book introduced a simple framework for managing these: divide your time into Create (deep work), Curate (focused reading), and Communicate (messaging and email).
On a broader scale, the book also delved into issues like privacy and the immense power organizations wield in shaping the internet—and by extension, our behavior. The solution presented was the “India Stack.”
I had been aware of India Stack for some time and wanted to explore its roots and future implications. As I understand it now, India Stack is an incredible achievement—a suite of products and organizations working together harmoniously. It’s remarkable to see something so complex implemented at such scale, and it fills me with pride and faith in our country.
This book was an unintentional discovery that ended up among my top five reads of all time.
March 14, 2022
The Art of Bitfullness
Inferno, Purgatory and Paradiso for Technology
I was pleasantly surprised, when in an interview, Nandan mentioned that he opted for telephonic calls and "arcane" SMS on a daily basis. His co-author, Bhojwani, preferred WhatsApp which was more atune to current times
The cover of the page uses Futura PT Light font. Peter Reinner, of Paratype, has been designing, developing and distributing digital fonts since the 1980’s. The letters show a certain unpredicability at irregular intervals depicting that it is not governed by rule driven science. Bitfulness has a blue backgound and the page is white denoting the Sky indicating calmness
Many years ago, Mr. Naryanamurty mentioned that every sixth person he met in the world knew Nandan. That was before Nandan entered Politics and later started working on Aadhar, and founded Non-Profit organisations, and Venture Capital Firms etc. Nandan now straddles many aspects of society within India and abroad. His contact list must be mind boggling. Hence, I set out to find out whether there was any cure for my malaise, though I operated on a far minuscle scale compared to others in this book, including the authors.
I have found that I am seriously challenged by Social Media. It has been an acute liability to say the least: I have lost touch with the number of times I have exited out of WhatsApp and Facebook, I even exited Linkedin. I use truecaller and answer only those who are listed in my contacts. In chess parlance that is called building a "fortress", for those unfamiliar, a position that is impregnable.
However, there is a cost to be paid for the missed interactions and oppurtunities it brings. I was all along bewildered by my myopic behavior in this digital world. Many friends too thought my behaviour was toxic and wrote me off.
Rephrasing B B King's song
I have been down one time
I have been down two times
Right now I am drowning, drowning in a Sea of Information
The book has three broad parts. One constituting the The Problem, the second constituting The Individual and The Collective.
The book is basically an approach to spend time on our devices better. In the process the authors bring in their vast experience in the software field, also backing up all material in the book with a wide array of fileds like psychology, therapy, cognition, addiction, tennis palyers, etc
The book is well researched and at times throws up facts which can be best described as Truth is stranger than fiction the people with the smartphone in another room outperformed those with the smartphone in the same room.
The authors, like Virgil, guide many to Paradiso
Inferno, Purgatory and Paradiso for Technology
I was pleasantly surprised, when in an interview, Nandan mentioned that he opted for telephonic calls and "arcane" SMS on a daily basis. His co-author, Bhojwani, preferred WhatsApp which was more atune to current times
The cover of the page uses Futura PT Light font. Peter Reinner, of Paratype, has been designing, developing and distributing digital fonts since the 1980’s. The letters show a certain unpredicability at irregular intervals depicting that it is not governed by rule driven science. Bitfulness has a blue backgound and the page is white denoting the Sky indicating calmness
Many years ago, Mr. Naryanamurty mentioned that every sixth person he met in the world knew Nandan. That was before Nandan entered Politics and later started working on Aadhar, and founded Non-Profit organisations, and Venture Capital Firms etc. Nandan now straddles many aspects of society within India and abroad. His contact list must be mind boggling. Hence, I set out to find out whether there was any cure for my malaise, though I operated on a far minuscle scale compared to others in this book, including the authors.
I have found that I am seriously challenged by Social Media. It has been an acute liability to say the least: I have lost touch with the number of times I have exited out of WhatsApp and Facebook, I even exited Linkedin. I use truecaller and answer only those who are listed in my contacts. In chess parlance that is called building a "fortress", for those unfamiliar, a position that is impregnable.
However, there is a cost to be paid for the missed interactions and oppurtunities it brings. I was all along bewildered by my myopic behavior in this digital world. Many friends too thought my behaviour was toxic and wrote me off.
Rephrasing B B King's song
I have been down one time
I have been down two times
Right now I am drowning, drowning in a Sea of Information
The book has three broad parts. One constituting the The Problem, the second constituting The Individual and The Collective.
The book is basically an approach to spend time on our devices better. In the process the authors bring in their vast experience in the software field, also backing up all material in the book with a wide array of fileds like psychology, therapy, cognition, addiction, tennis palyers, etc
The book is well researched and at times throws up facts which can be best described as Truth is stranger than fiction the people with the smartphone in another room outperformed those with the smartphone in the same room.
The authors, like Virgil, guide many to Paradiso
January 13, 2024
This book is not anti-tech, it is pro-you.
The above sentence is one my favourites in the book. The authors start with the different world that we are living in currently from that of what it was about two to three decades ago. Given the gadgets that surround us and the digital world that we live in, there is plethora of changes in our daily lives that we have encountered over the past few years.
The book offers a perspective on the changes that we have all seen and then what are the challenges that we are facing and the authors present a view on how to mitigate them by various measures. However, it is not a one stop shop solution and neither is it a one size fits all kind of a solution. For eg., one suggestion that the authors give is to bifurcate your time zone in different modes such as focus mode, creative mode and others but depending upon each individual's lifestyle and profession, it may or may not be possible. Say a doctor or a sales/marketing professional could be interuppted in the middle of their work by an emergency or a client query and they would need to attend them.
Nonetheless, there are suggestions that the authors provide that could be put into practice depending upon each individual's lifestyle and goals. Next, the book also takes the reader through the ways and means of social media and the manner in which it impacts us. After the backdrop of all these, the authors give a glimpse about some ways and means to tackle the constant bombarment of pings, messages and notifications. While it simply offers several ways to improvise the digital usage, it ultimately resides on the individual on how to practice depending upon his/her schedule, preferences and lifestyle.
Finally, the last part talks about the larger picture.. What next? What and why the large tech companies do what they do... and finally, is that the only way out? Or can there be some other possible use case that could leverage the same infrastructure but one that offers interoperability and democratisation for the benefit of the masses at large? For instance UPI..
In all, while offering us the intricacies of the technologies and how we can make more constructive use of the same, it also tells the reader about the effects of social media and how it impacts the psyche of human. At last, it mentions the role of technologies that could be leveraged by both private and public sector for the benefit of great good and something that could require evaluation and development of new laws and frameworks for the future by the public sector in collaboration with private sector.
The above sentence is one my favourites in the book. The authors start with the different world that we are living in currently from that of what it was about two to three decades ago. Given the gadgets that surround us and the digital world that we live in, there is plethora of changes in our daily lives that we have encountered over the past few years.
The book offers a perspective on the changes that we have all seen and then what are the challenges that we are facing and the authors present a view on how to mitigate them by various measures. However, it is not a one stop shop solution and neither is it a one size fits all kind of a solution. For eg., one suggestion that the authors give is to bifurcate your time zone in different modes such as focus mode, creative mode and others but depending upon each individual's lifestyle and profession, it may or may not be possible. Say a doctor or a sales/marketing professional could be interuppted in the middle of their work by an emergency or a client query and they would need to attend them.
Nonetheless, there are suggestions that the authors provide that could be put into practice depending upon each individual's lifestyle and goals. Next, the book also takes the reader through the ways and means of social media and the manner in which it impacts us. After the backdrop of all these, the authors give a glimpse about some ways and means to tackle the constant bombarment of pings, messages and notifications. While it simply offers several ways to improvise the digital usage, it ultimately resides on the individual on how to practice depending upon his/her schedule, preferences and lifestyle.
Finally, the last part talks about the larger picture.. What next? What and why the large tech companies do what they do... and finally, is that the only way out? Or can there be some other possible use case that could leverage the same infrastructure but one that offers interoperability and democratisation for the benefit of the masses at large? For instance UPI..
In all, while offering us the intricacies of the technologies and how we can make more constructive use of the same, it also tells the reader about the effects of social media and how it impacts the psyche of human. At last, it mentions the role of technologies that could be leveraged by both private and public sector for the benefit of great good and something that could require evaluation and development of new laws and frameworks for the future by the public sector in collaboration with private sector.
May 12, 2022
This book is majorly dedicated to improve our life and make it easier in this digital world. This book is immensely helps you to boost productivity
5 points which I would like to mention about this book that imminently covers it.
⏳ Productivity
⏳ Digital minimalism
⏳ Time management
⏳ Living stress-free life through organized lifestyle
⏳ Mindful use of social media platforms
Above mentioned topics discussed about how to get productive on and through digital platforms.
This book shows how to calibrate our skills to use devices in a mindful way.
There are numerous psychology researched cases presented by authors of the book which shows how these apps are designed to make us hooked on it.
Our life has built up around digital platforms and getting on detoxing won't add any positive factors in our life so we need to learn the Art of Bitfulness that describes us how mindfully and productively we should use gadgets.
It also discussed the "flow" state of mind and its important implications while doing any work.
Authors have brought various anecdotes from different walks of personalities who share profound information in building healthy lifestyle and working memory.
We have also got to know how journaling helps us to declutter our thoughts and make us more organized. I found this book quite productive and effective in grooming our perspective towards digital well-being.
There are insightful illustrations that depict the best possible use of smart phones.
YOUR TIME IS MONEY, SPEND IT ON YOURSELF FIRST.
⏳ Do the important tasks first, not last.
⏳Block time on calendar
⏳After working live with the remaining time guilt free.
Nuggets of wisdom have been shared by both the authors which is quite explicit in nature and great to implement.
After reading this book, I have experienced a drastic change in organizing my work and studies. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
5 points which I would like to mention about this book that imminently covers it.
⏳ Productivity
⏳ Digital minimalism
⏳ Time management
⏳ Living stress-free life through organized lifestyle
⏳ Mindful use of social media platforms
Above mentioned topics discussed about how to get productive on and through digital platforms.
This book shows how to calibrate our skills to use devices in a mindful way.
There are numerous psychology researched cases presented by authors of the book which shows how these apps are designed to make us hooked on it.
Our life has built up around digital platforms and getting on detoxing won't add any positive factors in our life so we need to learn the Art of Bitfulness that describes us how mindfully and productively we should use gadgets.
It also discussed the "flow" state of mind and its important implications while doing any work.
Authors have brought various anecdotes from different walks of personalities who share profound information in building healthy lifestyle and working memory.
We have also got to know how journaling helps us to declutter our thoughts and make us more organized. I found this book quite productive and effective in grooming our perspective towards digital well-being.
There are insightful illustrations that depict the best possible use of smart phones.
YOUR TIME IS MONEY, SPEND IT ON YOURSELF FIRST.
⏳ Do the important tasks first, not last.
⏳Block time on calendar
⏳After working live with the remaining time guilt free.
Nuggets of wisdom have been shared by both the authors which is quite explicit in nature and great to implement.
After reading this book, I have experienced a drastic change in organizing my work and studies. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
March 10, 2022
We all are nowadays addicted to our devices, specially smartphones. Anything happens we use our smartphones, we need to study we go on YouTube search the topic start watching the video, and after 5-10 minutes we end up watching completely unfruitful stuffs and when we realize how much time we have wasted we go on a guilt trip and to overcome it we again use our smartphones. Relatable? If the answer is yes this book is gonna be really helpful for you too.
The authors of this book has picked up the most common problem that today everyone faces. This book not only discusses how we are getting addicted to our devices and how to overcome it, but also that how they are shaping our minds, our thought chains. Even when we are not online we talk what they want us to talk about. Now you must be thinking that there many other self help books out there on the similar problem so why should I pick this? The answer is that this book doesn't focus on how devices manipulate us to be addicted to it but more on how we psychological or emotionally tends to use it. It focuses more on the users.
And I am a big addict of Instagram, everything I read in this book was relatable and for the first time I feel like, yes I can reduce my screen time and focus more on doing productive things. The book works on ground level and nothing like doing any harsh things to yourself kind of stuffs, like uninstall social media platforms and etc etc.
I think this book is a much read because if not before Covid, but after that we all are addicted to our devices and as in a survey provided in the book an individual's screen time in a day may range from 6.5 to 8.5 hrs. So we need to reduce the screen time and focus more on productive things.
The authors of this book has picked up the most common problem that today everyone faces. This book not only discusses how we are getting addicted to our devices and how to overcome it, but also that how they are shaping our minds, our thought chains. Even when we are not online we talk what they want us to talk about. Now you must be thinking that there many other self help books out there on the similar problem so why should I pick this? The answer is that this book doesn't focus on how devices manipulate us to be addicted to it but more on how we psychological or emotionally tends to use it. It focuses more on the users.
And I am a big addict of Instagram, everything I read in this book was relatable and for the first time I feel like, yes I can reduce my screen time and focus more on doing productive things. The book works on ground level and nothing like doing any harsh things to yourself kind of stuffs, like uninstall social media platforms and etc etc.
I think this book is a much read because if not before Covid, but after that we all are addicted to our devices and as in a survey provided in the book an individual's screen time in a day may range from 6.5 to 8.5 hrs. So we need to reduce the screen time and focus more on productive things.
July 17, 2024
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that most of us are hooked to our phones and screens for a better part of the day for reasons as meagre as a quick act of escapism or for some significant search on social media/ internet. Whatever it is, a lot of us trip down the rabbit hole only to find ourselves out after a lot of time has been wasted rather than purposefully utilised.
The Art of Bitfulness, is simply the awareness driven environment design and habit change that has been described and elaborated meticulously by the authors of this important book. A sincere attempt that successfully lays the causes of the dangerous addiction to the mobile screen/social media.
Supported by insightful experiments and research the reader acquaints oneself which the harm that’s caused to the mind and life in totality. This book isn’t one that prevents the readers from using technology but one that helps the reader use it better. It’s offers guidance and solutions rather than inducing fear, it’s brings hope and optimism for the necessary change that would lead to well-being.
The Art of Bitfulness, is simply the awareness driven environment design and habit change that has been described and elaborated meticulously by the authors of this important book. A sincere attempt that successfully lays the causes of the dangerous addiction to the mobile screen/social media.
Supported by insightful experiments and research the reader acquaints oneself which the harm that’s caused to the mind and life in totality. This book isn’t one that prevents the readers from using technology but one that helps the reader use it better. It’s offers guidance and solutions rather than inducing fear, it’s brings hope and optimism for the necessary change that would lead to well-being.
March 13, 2022
Bitfulness means being effortlessly mindful about the time you spend on your devices. It is a play on the words bit and mindfulness. So it's something like digital mindfulness. The goal isn't to spend less time on our phones, it is to spend time better.
It's not a surprise that we are addicted to technology and it usually gets the best of our time. We love to indulge ourselves into technology, where we know that this all is not good for us.
Of course, it is impractical to disconnect completely, even cutting down on screentime is hard. This is where this book 'The Art of Bitfullness' comes into picture, with the idea of how to spend our time on our devices better.
Every single sentence in the book is relevant and meaningful. I simply can't jot down every single thing from the book but I can guarantee that it is phenomenal and a must-read because it holds some amazing concepts and beneficial strategies.
It's not a surprise that we are addicted to technology and it usually gets the best of our time. We love to indulge ourselves into technology, where we know that this all is not good for us.
Of course, it is impractical to disconnect completely, even cutting down on screentime is hard. This is where this book 'The Art of Bitfullness' comes into picture, with the idea of how to spend our time on our devices better.
Every single sentence in the book is relevant and meaningful. I simply can't jot down every single thing from the book but I can guarantee that it is phenomenal and a must-read because it holds some amazing concepts and beneficial strategies.
July 9, 2022
Written in a simple easy to understand manner.
If you are someone who are exploring the world of mindfulness for some time, you may feel that this book has only a few new thoughts to offer.
The book suggests many practical tips, but the question is up to what level you can implement those. At some point we may feel that the book is a mix of mindfulness ideas and GTD (Getting Things Done) ideas. Though the book title may suggest it's mainly about mindfulness, it discusses about other topics also. Some interesting thoughts/ideas from book
1. Procrastination is an emotional management problem. Fear to work on something difficult.
2. Writing is thinking (I'm writing this review to tryout this idea ;))
3. Once you caught yourself procastinating asking 'why we are doing this now instead of doing task X' would help to bring insights to our internal state (Excellent thought but difficult to implement;))
If you are someone who are exploring the world of mindfulness for some time, you may feel that this book has only a few new thoughts to offer.
The book suggests many practical tips, but the question is up to what level you can implement those. At some point we may feel that the book is a mix of mindfulness ideas and GTD (Getting Things Done) ideas. Though the book title may suggest it's mainly about mindfulness, it discusses about other topics also. Some interesting thoughts/ideas from book
1. Procrastination is an emotional management problem. Fear to work on something difficult.
2. Writing is thinking (I'm writing this review to tryout this idea ;))
3. Once you caught yourself procastinating asking 'why we are doing this now instead of doing task X' would help to bring insights to our internal state (Excellent thought but difficult to implement;))
March 5, 2023
You can directly jump to the Appendix if you want to read the summary of the book. The practices mentioned in the book are nothing new. You would have already come across these, on internet. Book is written in simple language. That's one of the plus points.
The author does not leave any opportunity of bragging of Aadhaar's "success." But what the author needs to understand is that without digital literacy, technology will turn out to be bane to the common man.
I am surprised that the book does not contain bibliography. Though it was not related to the subject of the book, the authors go on to explain the evil practice of monopoly in the market economy.
The author does not leave any opportunity of bragging of Aadhaar's "success." But what the author needs to understand is that without digital literacy, technology will turn out to be bane to the common man.
I am surprised that the book does not contain bibliography. Though it was not related to the subject of the book, the authors go on to explain the evil practice of monopoly in the market economy.
October 23, 2025
Highly recommend reading this book. It provides clear framework on how to embrace technology in a thoughtful way without getting overwhelmed by it.
My favourite chapter: How to make it a tool for better thinking
The focusing illusion (Daniel Kahneman): nothing is as important as you think while you’re thinking about it. Technology encourages avoiding thought; instead, it can be used to support thinking.
It has clear, actionable, tiny steps that one can adopt to embrace technology that enables us to lead more purposefully. It talks about creating a system, an environment and practices to make tech an enabler of purposeful life.
My favourite chapter: How to make it a tool for better thinking
The focusing illusion (Daniel Kahneman): nothing is as important as you think while you’re thinking about it. Technology encourages avoiding thought; instead, it can be used to support thinking.
It has clear, actionable, tiny steps that one can adopt to embrace technology that enables us to lead more purposefully. It talks about creating a system, an environment and practices to make tech an enabler of purposeful life.
February 2, 2025
Some good productivity hacks in the first half. Quick read. The working memory idea is obvious but sounds promising. Has ideas from other books like the deep work. The authors claim that it’s something that they personally follow and works for them.
The second half is a general overview of the India Stack. The transition from 1st to the second half uses privacy as a bridge which is interesting, but the switch feels a little forced.
The second half is a general overview of the India Stack. The transition from 1st to the second half uses privacy as a bridge which is interesting, but the switch feels a little forced.
February 10, 2022
🥀A very thoughtful and thought provoking read which I read in just two sittings. This is a handy guide that makes you realise so much and more importantly I liked how modern-day technologies and the woven web is showcased in the book. It's divided into major parts and I liked how quick and precise it is. You will understand what bitfulness is and how to implement it. Go for it.
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Rating: 4⭐️
August 19, 2022
Great job on the practical tips to handle our usage of technology. After that it got somewhat random on data privacy, how advertisements work etc.
Nandan then adds details about India's progress on creating digital infrastructure which makes me want to dive deeper into the implementation of Aadhar and UPI.
Nandan then adds details about India's progress on creating digital infrastructure which makes me want to dive deeper into the implementation of Aadhar and UPI.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2022
Information is overwhelmed in our daily lives with the enchantments in technology. Till now technology used me as a product after reading this book you can use better technology that works for you. There are multiple examples and reference apps as well which will work for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2023
A simple narrative on a crucial topic! Loved the ideas presented and urges you to try it out. The context based notes taking is something which comes in so handy - removed the stress of remembering everything. One of my fastest reads as it kept me hooked on!
September 7, 2025
The ideas about separating digital contexts as much as possible were helpful for me personally. The last few chapters on alternatives to the common startup blitzscaling approach were also interesting.
April 12, 2023
Absolutely fabulous read. Must read to move mindfulness to digital self.
Appendix itself easily covers the cost of book. Very good pointers.
Appendix itself easily covers the cost of book. Very good pointers.
May 22, 2023
Actionable advice, but not realistic. Too much effort when you can just use a dumbphone instead.
May 9, 2022
The Art of Bitfulness is a book that will help you live with technology rather than without it. It focuses on way and tips to unplug and reset while also emphasising the positive of using technology. Technology is growing and it will keep growing so we need to recognise our using habits to make the best of our devices.
The book is a self help read that's been calling my name, for obvious reasons that I need to aware about my technology usage. Written in a crisp and clear style, the book provides the tools and resources with many anecdotes and stories. I took my time with this book, reading it in the morning over weeks, each chapter opening my eyes more towards practicing mindfulness while using technology. The book is a must read for all in this technology centred era.
The book is a self help read that's been calling my name, for obvious reasons that I need to aware about my technology usage. Written in a crisp and clear style, the book provides the tools and resources with many anecdotes and stories. I took my time with this book, reading it in the morning over weeks, each chapter opening my eyes more towards practicing mindfulness while using technology. The book is a must read for all in this technology centred era.
February 5, 2022
Extremely practical advice with well researched explanations. I love how it made me reassess and actually think about my relationship with my tech.
March 29, 2022
Digital detox is the most used catchphrase these days. Reason being we all are addicted to our smartphones. And we all want to spend time off the screens. Weaning off is difficult and so we put ourselves on strict detox diet! But Nandan Nilekani and Tanuj Bhojwani in their book The art of bitfulness help us cope with this addiction in an artful manner.
Come to think of it, devices are really our extended mind. And if we put them to the right use we can change the way we think and behave. The book gives us practical strategies that will enable us to put our digital time to good use. This is backed by researches conducted world over and is even presented diagrammatically. ©
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July 12, 2022
The authors have clearly used some inspiration from self improvement leaders such as Darren hardy , James clear and Cal Newport.Nandan Nilekani have gone one step ahead in adding some realistic tools for productivity and methods which I did implement ,it works but not as strong as the way the book delivers.Digital security and ethics clearly is a concern the fundamental theme of this book is just giving us examples to become aware of possible breaches and addictions.
May 20, 2022
Might be biased knowing one of the authors, but this is a go-to book for learning to be being mindful with your tech.
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