Podcasts / Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Why Do Digital Detoxes Fail? What Works Better? | Monday Advice

Jul 27, 2026 · 1h 11m · YouTube

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asr · 13,103 words · docs

0:00So, here's a mystery that has long interested me.

0:04Back when I was working on my 2019 book, Digital Minimalism, I ran an experiment where I recruited around 1,600 people and I had them do what I called a digital declutter.

0:16So, the idea was they would spend 30 days abstaining from the use of what I called optional digital tools.

0:22And then at the end of the 30 days, they would reflect on which tools they really missed and which ones they actually wanted to add back into their lives.

0:29I was inspired by Mary Kondo when I did this.

0:32You know, she said, if you want to clean out a closet, take everything out and then only add back in the stuff that you really need.

0:39And I figured we should try to do this with our digital lives as well.

0:43So this was a fun experiment.

0:44It even ended up being reported on in the New York Times.

0:48But here's the mysterious thing.

0:50There was a real division in the outcomes of the people who participated.

0:55Some people had great success in moderating and controlling their digital behavior going forward, while other people really failed and fell back almost immediately into their old habits.

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