If you know me at all, you’re aware that this has been a cornerstone topic I’ve written about at this time of year. September carries a special kind of energy. The air shifts, school is back in session, and routines start to reappear after the long, unstructured days of summer. I’ve often called September “the new January” because it naturally feels like a reset button for our lives. This year, I’d like to invite you to consider one more reset: not just for your goals, but for your relationship with technology.
Enter digital minimalism. It’s not about ditching your phone or living off the grid — it’s about creating a more intentional relationship with the screens, apps, and notifications that constantly demand our attention. Instead of technology using us, we choose how to use technology. As Cal Newport indicates in his book Digital Minimalism, he says it’s not about disconnection but rather “choosing a focused life in a noisy world,” and boy, is it noisy these days!
Why Digital Minimalism?
Most of us don’t realize how much of our time and energy is swallowed by screens until we step back. Studies show the average person checks their phone hundreds of times a day, often without realizing it. Think about how you start your morning. Do you wake up with your own thoughts, or do you immediately reach for your phone and let a stream of news alerts, emails, and social media set the tone?
Digital minimalism is about reclaiming those first — and last — moments of the day. It’s about noticing when the phone is a tool that helps you, and when it has crossed into the territory of distraction, stress, or even control. As Mel Robbins talks about in her book The Let Them Theory, “It’s not the phone that’s addicting; it’s what’s on it.”
A September Approach
Fall is the perfect time to experiment. Just as kids walk into classrooms with fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils, we can walk into September with a fresh philosophy about technology. Instead of waiting for January resolutions (and their inevitable burnout), September offers a quieter, gentler reset. No pressure, no cultural noise — just your own choice to realign.
Here are three ways to bring digital minimalism into your September reset:
- Audit Your Screen Time: Look at your phone’s screen-time stats. How much of that is energizing — connecting with loved ones, learning, creating? And how much is just endless scrolling? Be honest about what’s serving you and what isn’t. Then, choose one habit to shift.
- Notice the “Why” Behind Your Scrolling: Often, we pick up our phones not out of need, but out of emotion: boredom, anxiety, avoidance. This September, challenge yourself to pause before you tap. Ask, “What am I really looking for right now?” Sometimes the answer isn’t on the screen. Sometimes we use it as an excuse because we had a busy day and got a lot of things done. The book The Dose Effect discusses the dopamine-driven reward cycle. We had a great day and accomplished a lot, so we feel entitled to do something mindless on social media. That platform is designed to provide unpredictable, small bursts of dopamine, “a feel-good” brain chemical, with every swipe or new post. So, we get stuck wanting more.
- Try a Mini-Detox: It doesn’t have to be dramatic. Start with one tech-free hour a day — during lunch, before bed, or in the morning. Or experiment with a weekend afternoon “phone drawer,” where you tuck it away and let yourself be fully present. For those of you with high school, you may be aware that schools have implemented “phone hotels” for students’ phones during class: a place to put your phone so that it doesn’t distract themselves or the teacher during the class.
Small Shifts, Big Energy
September is about beginnings, and beginnings don’t have to be grand. You don’t need to toss your phone in the ocean or delete every app. Instead, try small but powerful shifts: Unsubscribe from newsletters you never read, turn off notifications that make your heart race, or buy an old-fashioned alarm clock so your day starts with you — not your device.
The gift of digital minimalism is presence. By creating intentional boundaries, we create space for the things that matter most: conversations without distraction, mornings without anxiety, and evenings without the endless scroll.
So, this September, while you’re sharpening pencils, setting new routines, or simply craving a little structure again, consider making digital minimalism part of your fresh start. It might just be the reset your mind has been waiting for.
Sara Caputo transforms how individuals, teams, and small businesses navigate workflow and increase workplace efficiency. Her work has been featured in Working Women, Success, and Forbes, as well as other national and regional publications. She can be reached at sara@saracaputoconsulting.com.
