"Digital minimalism is a philosophy that helps you question what digital communication tools (and behaviors surrounding these tools) add the most value to your life. It is motivated by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing away low-value digital noise, and optimizing your use of the tools that really matter, can significantly improve your life."
– Cal Newport
There’s not a parent alive who doesn’t remember the day their child becomes a parent. I don’t mean the day you overhear your son or daughter lecturing their own child. I mean the day they start lecturing you about your behaviour. I’ve had more than a few of those moments in the past year, usually over AI, and usually…
Mad. Sad. Bad. That’s what the news does to me within minutes. In that exact order. Mad about the state of the world. Sad about the behaviour of my fellow human beings (including my own unwillingness to shut it all out). And ultimately very bad about myself. At this particular moment in history, as a…
The other day, I received an automated e-mail response from an editor at a major Canadian newspaper. Along with the paper’s writing guidelines, it came with this warning: “Please confirm that no AI was used at any stage in the creation of the article.” No AI. At any stage. In the creation. Think about that for a…
Over a decade ago, I was taken to the ancestral home of British playwright George Bernard Shaw. There, tucked away in the garden, was his writing hut. Ever since that visit, I’ve wanted one of my own. Like Shaw, I want to escape the noise of a troubled world. My own hut would serve as…
It’s next to impossible these days to avoid the panic being generated, no pun intended, by AI writing tools. One day, a book is reportedly sent to the chipper after software decides it was generated by AI. The next, a writer is being scolded for publishing too much and too quickly, thanks to the help…
I tried to do something simple a few days ago. I treated myself to a cappuccino at a café a little farther from my usual haunt. I intentionally left my phone behind at home and brought only a novel I was trying to finish reading. It was a small act of rebellion, my own quiet…