If I had read this book at another time I might have hated it. Newport has Gladwell moments – where he extrapolates from a single source (trend, personal anecdote, book, historical event) a grand theory of something, or some kind of timeless wisdom. Those parts of the book are the weakest.

It’s still one of the best tech books I’ve ever read.

At its’ core this book is fantastic. He’s not advocating anything drastic. Use technology with intent (hint: use Facebook like you did when you were new). By focusing our time on where we can draw the most benefit from each technology engagement (i.e. stop following brands, meme pages and high school friends on Facebook), you’ll naturally find that you get a lot more value out of each usage, and a lot more free time back to do things of other, longer-lasting, equally high value.

Looking at some of the more critical reviews here, it seems a lot of people rushed to judgement of this book without actually digging in. Newport isn’t advocating doing away with any tools that we need for our professional or personal lives. Rather, he suggests we revisit the reasons why we signed up for these technologies, and make sure that’s what utility they serve in our lives, and nothing more.

Short read. Good advice for both me and my teenage kid. Will certainly change the way I use technology.