Perhaps you’ve read the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, or maybe you’ve heard the term bounced around in your professional life. Many have put their own spin on exactly what digital minimalism means for them, but there’s no shortage of professionals who will tell you how it’s positively impacted their lives, and loan officers are no exception. Digital minimalism is about knowing how much technology is enough. It’s about knowing when to take a break from screen time. It’s about knowing exactly where to invest your energy and not wasting it elsewhere. So, how can this help loan officers?

Increase Productivity

Digital minimalism first and foremost helps professionals rule out countless distractions. While technology is a great tool, it’s also become one of the biggest time wasters. Digital minimalists use technology with a clear purpose, and they don’t stray from that. This focus supports optimal productivity. Even more, digital minimalists tend to keep their digital lives clutter-free. So, the next time you need to find that email from last week, looking back through your messages is a breeze.

Improve Work-Life Balance

So many of us feel that we need to be attached to our devices to succeed. And while being accessible to your clients and committed to your business are no doubt important, when taken too far, they can start to backfire. Instead of moving full-steam-ahead, you start to experience symptoms of burnout that slow you down. Digital minimalism helps break the addiction to our devices. Even if you don’t want to go as far as calling it an addiction, digital minimalism helps professionals establish clearer boundaries between their professional and personal lives. They know the role they want technology to play in their lives, and they don’t let it bleed into other areas and steal their attention.

Lower Stress

Too much technology can increase stress. Whether it’s because that quick post to LinkedIn turned into an hour of scrolling or because you’re never completely “off”, overuse of technology isn’t great for our health. When you become more intentional with how and where technology fits into your life, you take control. You use it as a tool to accomplish what’s most important, and you don’t let it dictate the rest of your time, allowing you to better take the time to decompress and recharge.

Fuel Connection

Whether you’re talking with a prospect, meeting with a client, or connecting with a colleague, being present is key. So often, we talk with someone and see their eyes continue to dart to their phone on the table, or we’re distracted by our own device alerting us of notifications from our pocket. Digital minimalism helps professionals to break from technology when engaging with others so that they can give them their undivided attention. This makes for stronger connections and faster relationship building.

What do you think about digital minimalism? Does it appeal to you? Is it something you practice already? I’d love to hear your thoughts!