Digital Minimalism at Work: Boosting Productivity by Removing Tech

I will always have a dilemma with today’s technology. On one hand, there is so much you can do with it. There are so many ways technology can help you to be more productive. Ironically, we can also get stuck on our devices with all the tools and apps that exist and lose productivity again. That’s why in some cases I love to use my products and in some cases I like to be off my devices.

In this post I want to explore all the ways that do not rely on any tech to increase your productivity and why it sometimes makes sense to do something the old way and stay analog.

Obviously, at our workspaces, we will always have some devices on, but it does make a difference whether you plan your day on a piece of paper or your online to-do list.

Digital minimalism at work became super important to me. I just realized for myself that I generally work better and much more effectively if I limit the way I use my devices. For example, at the moment I love working in the library of the university with only my laptop, leaving my phone at home for this time.

Productivity isn’t just about doing more things faster—it’s about doing the right things with focused attention. Digital minimalism can help you increase your focus significantly and thus increase your workplace productivity.

What Digital Minimalism Means in the Modern Workplace

I think we all can imagine something when we hear the term digital minimalism. Sadly the term is often quite missunderstood, many think of it as to denounce all possible devices and use it as little as possible. This is only true to some extent. To me it means, that I criticaly evaluate where my devices are needed / increase my productivity and where they are not needed, and then eliminate all screens where they do not serve me.

Only when you are honest and true about this, you quickly realised that they actually don’t serve you much more often than you think. For example I love to connect with my friends via social media, but to be honest 95% of the time I spend on those apps is a waste of time. Completely deleting those apps for some time increased my well-being and my workspace productivity by a lot.

So, what I want you to get here is that digital minimalism in the workplace isn’t about rejecting technology or going back to paper filing systems. It’s about being ruthlessly intentional with every single digital tool you allow into your work environment. Think of it like curating a toolbox—you wouldn’t carry around seventeen different screwdrivers just because they exist, right? Same principle applies here.

The core philosophy boils down to this: every piece of technology should serve a specific, well-defined purpose that you can articulate in one sentence. If you can’t explain why you need that project management app in ten words or less, you probably don’t need it. it’s dead simple.

Another way of looking at this is: Every app software or device you use, as wonderful as it might be, comes with a price, it will steal attention, energy and time from you. Sadly because of the way most programs are designed they cost you more than you think. So even though they add value, you should be careful to overload your system. One of the biggest productivity “tools” out there is when you enter flow state, you will get shit done quickly. But you can’t enter flow if your distracted by emails, to-dos and other tools.

Another crucial aspect is understanding the difference between digital convenience and digital necessity. Just because a tool makes something slightly easier doesn’t mean it belongs in your minimalist workspace. They key message I am trying to convey here is that, the simpler you will organise your workspace the more effective you as a human will work. So only use the tools that you actually need.

It’s the 80/20 rule again, 20% of your apps give you 80% of the results. Try to stick to the 20% which matter.

The Hidden Productivity Costs of Digital Overload

The attention residue from constant task-switching is brutal. You know that foggy feeling when you’re trying to write a report but part of your brain is still processing that email you just read about quarterly projections? That’s your prefrontal cortex struggling to shift gears. Research from Dr. Sophie Leroy shows how interruptions mess up our focus and productivity.

Multitasking is a myth; lots of research has shown that we are much more productive when we are only focusing on one task instead of trying to do three at the same time. It might feel like you are more productive, but it certainly is not.

It was repeatedly shown how digital overload reduces work output. This is just another reason to keep your usage of devices and digital tools as low as possible. Because in the end, too many tools and devices will just put an unmanageable pressure on your brain.

You will, in the end, increase your productivity by miles if you manage to design your workspace in a way that allows you to focus on one task only for a prolonged amount of time. Any device or tool you use works against this. I think this makes sense intuitively as well, don’t you feel much better if you manage to focus on one task for 2,3 hours and just get stuff done??

Designing Your Minimalist Digital Workspace

So, now is the time to look at specific tools and apps and decide which ones that you are going to keep on using and which one you are going to delete from now on.

Let me walk you through some essential changes that I made to my workspace. This is not to show you which ones you should delete or keep but just to give you an insight into my personal decision-making.

I have the advantage that when I am writing on my blog, I do not need anyone to be able to reach me, so I usually leave my phone in my apartment and work somewhere else. Because I know that my phone is stealing my attention, now, obviously only very few can do this, and for those who can not work without a phone, maybe think about the option to get a different phone for work, so that at least the only interruptions are work-related and no Instagram notifications.

I love to plan my weeks on paper, no digital to-do list, no project management systems. I know those are great and once my blog is bigger, I might use them. Right now, I have the advantage of staying on paper, where I plan once a week and then usually stick to that plan without 10 new tasks arriving every day.

I also decided to work at the university, only carrying my laptop and Remarkable note taker. When I work at home, there are just too many distractions. For this, I had to say goodbye to my wonderful ultra-wide curved screen at home.

As you see, my main thought just goes into first recognizing and then removing all the distractions. This is what I recommend you do as well: before you change anything, try being mindful about all the digital distractions that occur in a day of work. Then, once you have a list, start thinking about how to remove that.

There are so many different problems and so many solutions, everyone’s workspace and tasks are different. The good thing is that there are also lots of different solutions. If you, for whatever reason, have two calendars, there are tools to merge them. If you answer your mail all the time, maybe say that you will only answer emails in the morning so you can concentrate better in the afternoon.

The thing is, you probably don’t have to change a lot, there are specific tools you use that eat up all of your time. My productivity has skyrocketed since I removed my phone from my workspace. For many to put some boundaries around their email will do wonders.

Conclusion

You know what? After spending the better part of three years wrestling with digital overwhelm at work, I can honestly say that embracing digital minimalism has been one of the most game-changing decisions I’ve made for my productivity. And I’m not just talking about feeling less stressed—though that’s definitely a bonus.

I just feel better and work better the less tech I use, so I keep only the most necessary tools.

Digital minimalism at work isn’t about becoming a technology hermit—it’s about becoming a more intentional professional who uses technology as a tool rather than being used by it.

Start with one area, whether it’s email management or app consolidation, and gradually build a workplace environment that supports your best thinking and most productive efforts. The goal is to create space for the work that truly matters while reducing the digital friction that exhausts your mental resources.

Trust me, in the end, there is no better tool for productivity than your brain, let it work, and don’t clutter it with a hundred tools.