Digital Essentialism Tools - Podcasts

4 simple steps to think deeply about your podcasts

There are a lot of great podcasts and videos out there, but the tools we have to find out about and manage them default us into the hyperactive hive mind approach and soon the signal is lost in the noise. This happened to me with podcasts. Inspired by Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, but extending it into my own Digital Essentialism, I use this simple 4 step technique to maximize the value and minimize the harms of the podcast ecosystem on my ability to make my time flow.

1. Differentiate between discovery mode and clarity mode
2. Set a strict show budget in clarity mode i.e. max 3 podcasts
3. Set a time-value budget for yourself and review the value you get (your time always has value, don’t give it away to low value activities).
4. Turn off auto-play and auto-recommendations - use your own lists, and search, which lets you be more intentional with your time.

You can read more about this in the longer article here.