What's on my phone as a digital minimalist.

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Hi there 👋 If you're new to my videos my name is Matt D'Avella. I'm a documentary filmmaker, entrepreneur and KZbinr. I've made a couple documentaries for Netflix. I also teach courses on everything from filmmaking to habit change. If you like to nerd out about self-development as much as I do, you can subscribe for weekly videos.
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🎬 CREDITS
Directed by Matt D'Avella
Edited by Zach, Matt, & Spencer

[@purenatural5736]

To be honest, from the day I got an iPhone 14 Plus I use phone less and less generally. It’s not about the processor or the screen size. It’s all about why and how you use the phone. I don’t have many apps and I barely use most of them. All started by deleting Instagram. My life became much much better.

[@mollyflayer13]

recently i’ve starting minimizing everything in my life. i deleted pinterest, facebook, instagram, tiktok. i still have snapchat but i use it for communication. not mindless scrolling. i feel youtube gets me the most now that those apps are gone. but if i don’t have the time to sit down and watch the video, then i don’t. with all those other apps i used them even when i didn’t necessarily have the time. that was an issue.

[@trilogy1623]

Matt, sorry to break it to you but from a violin player, you are not learning the violin in 30 days

[@markozacka1571]

This will only motivate him. Let's go Matt! We believe in you.

[@heyjay737]

Just because you can't MASTER something in 30 days doesn't mean you can't LEARN it in 30 days. He may suck at it but he will LEARN it.

[@yezsir715]

@@heyjay73730 days of violin learning is like only enough to learn how to not hurt yourself while holding it

[@slackreal]

@@yezsir715 when I played the trumpet I learned my first few tunes within weeks. Why y'all gotta be such downers anyways? Yaint helping.

[@OscarRosen]

@@slackreal trumpet's so much easier than violin though😂

[@armandosalayojr]

Yeah! 13 mini master race! Been a year waiting for my iPhone 7 to take its bow (because of battery performance). This 13 mini has the perfect size. Too bad, Apple didn’t continue the mini to 14.

[@mindlight9517]

Can I just say how well you integrate your sponsors into your videos. Others completely just stop the video to talk about unrelated sponsors but you always manage to integrate it into your video and it just works seamlessly! It’s really appreciated as a viewer. Also, Congrats on you and Nat’s purchase of a house in Sydney!! 🎉

[@Ethiopianraver]

With one the recent iOS updates, you can set up custom home/screens for different “focus” modes. This has been super helpful for me. I have a work, gym, personal one. My phone is much cleaner, I have the apps I need for the task at hand readily available but out of the way when I don’t (shouldn’t) need them.

[@thomasmaherault4156]

I've pushed this a little further with an app called Jomo that can block access to some apps based on my current focus mode (in addition to hiding them from your home screen). I am using this with my "Work" and "Sleep" focus modes and it works really well!

[@Ethiopianraver]

@@thomasmaherault4156 Thanks I'll give it a try! I know when I have downtime at work or even between sets at the gym I mindlessly end up on social media apps smh lol.

[@annaspeaks373]

My phone is everything for me. I use it as a laptop for studying and as a camera for my channel. And it’s too important organise my phone in minimalistic way.

[@jippalippa]

One of the few aspetcs I'm a minimalist at. The reason why I do it though it's privacy. The fewer the apps, the less the tracking or occasions for privacy invasion. I try to use the stock apple apps on my iPhone, and only download somethinf if no stock alternative is available.

[@alexhnd552]

check iodé phones out ;) one of the best custom Android-based systems to protect privacy. Their built-in adblocker is just amazing

[@kaylamoon730]

If anyone is looking for a great organizational/note taking app, I would recommend Notion. I used to be super into bullet journal to be productive, but eventually it took too much time to be worth the investment. Now I do everything on Notion and it's helped me so much. I have my own business so I track all my expenses, plan out new projects, and set goals in there. I'm still in college so I take all my notes and track assignments. Plus I track all of my habits, journal daily, and plan out trips on it. It's basically an open notebook that's extremely customizable and user friendly. I can't not recommend it

[@EllaCharlotteJones]

I've experimented with a flip phone, iphone 5s and back to my smartphone and this has really helped me with checking my phone usage and ensuring what is on there is useful!

[@Granola226]

Im using the app called “One Sec”. Been a big game changer for me. It puts a hold screen on or asks you for an intention before you enter the app. Should give it a look and see If it changes your habit with Reddit

[@maryk6000]

I love my 13 mini!! Favorite phone that i've owned in years

[@GTheepicguy]

I also have an iPhone 13 mini and it’s the best phone I’ve ever had! I absolutely love the size and the battery life doesnt bother me as all I do is watch KZbin and listen to music anyway

[@maryk6000]

Same. So many reviewers complain about the battery life but if you're mindful about how much time you spend on your phone and what devices you're using to do what it can easily get through an entire day

[@Arctis34]

Same! I hate apple for butchering it lol

[@Dennis-kd3on]

Had one and really tried to love it, but battery life keeps killing me. Love the form factor, love the one handed usage, but I keep having battery anxiety with that phone. My use case is incompatible I guess, but I demand whole day battery life including GPS mapping. Moved up to a 13 Pro but boy do I miss the 13 mini!

[@lifewithjown]

Contemplating on which one to get iPhone 13 or 13 mini?

[@ikhan920]

I love LOVE loooooooveeeee my #iPhone13Mini !!! It’s the best #phone ever made. For reference, I’m 5’11 195lbs with average to large hands. I recently had a daughter. I had the iPhone 13 Mini 128gb which I bought in 2021. This year upgraded to another iPhone 13 Mini with 256gb. Having a baby and taking pictures really takes up storage fast. Which brings up a great trait about the phone, it’s the perfect point and shoot phone. #Apple really messed up by discontinuing it, unless of course they have other secret plans for it. I really hope they do. Because I have the privilege to be able to upgrade to any the iPhone every year or other year, but I will use the iPhone 13 Mini as long as I can or until they release the next Mini.

[@DontStopReadin]

I love Dailyo. I've used it for over a year and it helped me get out of a depressive episode to being happier than I've been in years. I'm glad you mentioned it and can't wait to see your video on it.

[@AK47_.]

Is it free, or subscription?

[@ByronWrightJr]

I love these type of videos because I am always trying to see what other digital minimalist have on their phone so that I am able to adjust and reevaluate myself.

[@arreza253]

I just got my new phone from the holidays and as a bday gift, this comes so timely !

[@hnnhml]

I'm a big fan of digital minimalism, so thank you very much for this matt 🙏

[@Draconicrose]

Glad to see there are other fans of smaller phones out there! Personally I just do not vibe with anything over 6.2 inches at the absolute maximum! The Nexus 5X was pretty much my perfect phone and was only replaced due to the battery dying.

[@penultimaparada]

TickTick is the app that I love the most. I combined tasks, notes and calendar in one single app and that was a life changer!!! If you never tried, you should at least once.

[@lucian_73]

Yo Matt, you the man for sure. I have gave up social media I just have KZbin and Snapchat to talk to my children and now I am going to delete apps unless I need them and THANK YOU!!! I already feel better 😊

[@ISEEKSPACE]

As a minimalist, the last thing I have on my iphone is 50 apps floating around on the home screen. That look gives me anxiety. For widgets, I use an app called Lockflow to keep them only on my Lockscreen for access to my favorite apps. Widgets are too bulky and clunky so Lockflow (its free) allows me to keep the look of the phone essentially minimal. I have the apps I use on a daily basis separated into two folders: one folder for important stuff like my bank apps, contacts, clock, maps, messages, etc. and a second folder for my streaming services. They're neatly placed on the bottom bar of the home screen. This clears all my home screen clutter allowing whatever wallpaper I place on the background to show nicely and keeps my phone extremely organized. All the other misc. apps I've removed from my home screen cause I have them by default on the Apps Library anyway. So to keep the phone looking clean, that's pretty how much I keep it without having to jailbreak the phone or anything crazy like that lol.

[@ricardomeira5561]

I have my homescreen clean. Just have on bottom whattsapp, call and iMessage. The rest I call siri to open or just pull up search bar. Also, only social media I have is KZbin and for professional reasons :-) I barely pick the phone with my apple watch and on end of day I consume some media on my Ipad

[@maricela0090]

Lofi beattsssss 🙌🏼 best work focus playlist.

[@maxba9882]

Hey ! Aren't you afraid that the will to control everything in your life could make it less enjoyable because too tidy ? Furthermore, have you ever thought about the fact that wanting to control/monitor everything could be bad for your mental health ? I have the feeling that the more i want to track everything in my life, the worst I feel. I find some kind of comfort and joy in unexpected events. Love from France

[@bhsprinkle]

Really? That's interesting. I feel the opposite. My life could use more control. More planning. More life.

[@Luisonj3]

Everything in life needs a balance

[@maxba9882]

@@Luisonj3 of course but my struggle is to find this balance ahah

[@maxba9882]

@@bhsprinkle To me, too much planning kills the planning. For example when I go on a trip, I like to have only one or two things a day to do (to visit, to taste, to do...). And for the rest, I explore and let the unexpected do the work, and I've never had such good holidays since I do this !

[@_rks]

I removed the KZbin app after spending hours watching random videos on my phone. Now I spend hours on Youube on my TV. There is no escape.

[@LTVelvet13]

Who said YT was just for fun? Loved the info about adding your DL to the Service NSW app. As a fellow Sydney-sider, this tip was gold. Thanks Matt.

[@franciscosanchezhdez]

I feel like you would be fascinated if you try Notion to organize tasks/work/projects 🙃

[@vl5215]

Hahaha I'm exactly like your wife! I think it's more efficient to have all of the alarms preset, so all I need to do is toggle the alarm on!

[@Methylglyoxal]

Not even that, I just set up a new alarm every day for every sleep/nap I take. So I don't have to bother looking for and editing a pre existing one. There's virtually no upside to cleaning up the menu for me.

[@TheJimmybob6]

I clean up the alarms so I actually set the alarm for the time I want to get up. If I have a load of presets and I wanna wake up at say 6:50, I will tempt myself to click 7:00 cause it’s right there. Probably stupid but one of the little things that helps me is having no presets

[@salamista]

As someone who uses Siri to set alarms, I have no clue what this screen looks like on my phone. I let my personal digital assistant deal with that mess 💁🏼‍♀️

[@exomosi]

On Android you can use the Drive Widget to Scan directly into G Drive, don't know if iOS can do this. Notion could replace Asana and Teudeux All the best for 2023 Matt :)

[@nineteenninetyeight]

I just use the notes app for scanning documents, actually really like it!

[@goudendynamiethd2117]

Streaming is 1000 times better than social media. It might be distracting, but so was television in the 80's.

[@ikhan920]

I love LOVE loooooooveeeee my #iPhone13Mini !!! It’s the best #phone ever made. For reference, I’m 5’11 195lbs with average to large hands. I recently had a daughter. I had the iPhone 13 Mini 128gb which I bought in 2021. This year upgraded to another iPhone 13 Mini with 256gb. Having a baby and taking pictures really takes up storage fast. Which brings up a great trait about the phone, it’s the perfect point and shoot phone. #Apple really messed up by discontinuing it, unless of course they have other secret plans for it. I really hope they do. Because I have the privilege to be able to upgrade to any the iPhone every year or other year, but I will use the iPhone 13 Mini as long as I can or until they release the next Mini.

[@sunshine72699]

I love daylio! I've been using it since late 2020 and it's really cool.

[@thomasmaherault4156]

Love the video! I think you sum it up at the beginning : view your phone as a practical tool and configure it in a way that works for you and keeps distractions away. I've used the app Jomo to help manage my screen time for a few months now. I use it primarily to limit my social media use to 15 minutes a day (I can't ask for more time like Apple's Screen Time - it was a game changer for me). I also use it to block KZbin until I manually check an habit (right now, it's reading something but I change it from time to time).

[@Tropicalistico]

I have a 13 mini too and its the beat phone I ever have

[@akashgrover7827]

Thanks for giving idea of Teux Deux I use it daily 😊

[@akashgrover7827]

@Mattdavella45.... Hi Where is your Id

[@Pien000]

Matt, 8:08, you can use iphone notes to do the same without additional app 👌👌

[@gabekirsh]

In the US (NJ). I want an ID app so bad. The amount of times I’ve needed it and haven’t had it because I use my phone for paying is significant.

[@agustinmoctezuma9432]

The ad transition tho 😮

[@DavidDavisDH]

I mainly use my phone to watch minimalism/simple living youtube videos, music for the drive to/from work, check my finances, selling stuff online and that's about it. I use to have Instagram, but that got old fast.

[@moltonlava]

Potentially good news, the iPhone 14 Plus seems like it's been even less popular than the mini, so maybe we'll get the mini back with the 15?? One can dream...

[@bhavs5038]

asana is my ride or die project management tool i adore it so

[@ancientastronauttheorists]

I use binaural beats brainwaves which is helping focus a lot if the place that i study is little bit noicy. Also if isn't, i use it to relax my self i open cave sound with fire sound and hope into grind. Also for podcast i use google podcast. No ads no distractions just the best and first podcast app I've tried.

[@roisingrant]

*Structured* is a FANTASTIC app for organising/"structuring" your days/weeks. You can integrate your calendar and reminders, and it can send you notifications (to your phone, FitBit or smartwatch) when it's time to move on to the next task. As an autistic/time-blind individual it has SERIOUSLY helped me with time management and productivity. I could have only 3, 4, or 5 things on my to-do list but putting down the first task will be so difficult sometimes that I may as well just forget about the last one. Structured has been helping me get out of that perfectionist mindset, allowing me to just call things "done" and not "perfect". It's very liberating. My gym is closed for renovations at the moment so I've been finding *FitOn* to be extremely useful. It's full of great free workouts and short meditations, but a membership allows you access to high-protein and plant-based recipes and certain workout challenges etc. First years' membership is only $33 iirc. *STEEZY* gets an honourable mention here for fitness as I've been learning to dance at home. The only thing better than this app would be private online classes which I simply can't afford (I'm a student). Classes are varied and engaging, as well as easy to follow, even for me, who could barely balter before starting. Last one! *Opal* is a nice addition to your phone if you find yourself easily getting distracted. Like Matt, I tend to use my notes app (but unlike Matt, even when I'm not supposed to). I end up coming up with too many good ideas all at once, and then I fall behind on my work. Instead, I decided to allow the Opal app to block access to specific apps at certain times of the day, freeing me up to be more focused. I also now use a physical notebook to jot down what I consider a "lead" for my flourishing ideas and then I close it and shove it away in my drawer or bag until I get my work done. Then I can take it out at the end of the day and bring it home to brainstorm a little further, if I have the energy. Hope someone might benefit from these apps the way I did!

[@RolandKoller90]

I’d gladly get another mini if they included the 120hz refresh rate. Having the 13 pro and now the 14 pro, the refresh rate is something I don’t want to revert from. Maybe a few years from now they’ll release a mini again with the high refresh rate.

[@Gomera_]

Did you know you can scan documents with notes app? You don’t have to have an other app to do it

[@habibullovalijonov1854]

Finally brother your video is come out to the modern world

[@Jo24Park]

I'd suggest having a First Aid facilitator app installed. You never know when it would come in handy and then the information you need urgently is there

[@miguelmaal]

Looking forward to watching that DAILY MOOD video!!

[@ryanbeckett536]

Newton Email is fantastic - I think you'll love the Zenbox settings. Also, Look into automations with your watch face and iPhone screens eg. In the morning I have my Todoist widget front and centre, at night time I have that widget hidden and only have a few apps on my night time phone screen.

[@wm1364]

2:52 So smooth into the ad😂

[@jefribezos7468]

Matt your biceps getting dope man...👁👁🦾🦾

[@f9fad]

so Matt use True Tone? Raise to Wake off? 1 minute Auto-Lock time? Background App Refresh all on?

[@pawe5560]

I would love to see Apple Watch edition!

[@rayallinkh]

I'd argue that there are two types of people in the world: those who keep a lot of alarms for convenience, and psychopaths

[@mikevanoverbeek]

Great video man🙌🏼

[@devarni]

Very cool! I like your minimalist approach! Small question: where do you have all your recurring tasks with reminders (things that are only due every month or maybe every year) in Google Calendar or in your Task Manager?

[@bisierinyangeri2643]

Try Day one for journaling.

[@VitasLoWang]

ad Scannable - you can also use Office Lens to do basically the same

[@JOA169]

Stocard - stores all the rewards cards digitally eg. Flybuys, Everyday Rewards and any other you may have. Freed up so much space in my purse!

[@ferdifauzan]

We go with the same type of iPhone, bro. One thing that I hate from iPhone 13 Mini is the battery. Dang! Facetiming for 30 mins really drains the battery.

[@iamphilipmac]

DEFINITELY try Gentle Streak !!!

[@dustinolan1083]

Lorde's Melodrama! What a taste! ♥👌🏻

[@SingaravelInbanathan]

I was legit looking at your channel , and thinking why no new videos for the past three weeks.

[@surya13j]

You should make a video on "how to make different content with same context"

[@note4nv]

Mat wife : stop making me looks dumb. Mat : yes

[@veysilex]

I recently found loop habit tracker and it is really smooth it is ad free and I think you should give it a try

[@hkervyn]

Although I have deleted my KZbin app, I still find myself spending too much time on KZbin via the browser of my phone. It's so hard to avoid this 😖

[@theaimboy18]

Dank Line "She's a psychopath" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@SNivash]

Hi Matt how about Bring app, you can note down the groceries you want to bring home and you can also collaborate with your family.

[@RejectedJedi]

I love Asana!!

[@stanley5830]

I'm curious if and how you use Apple's new focus mode feature to make your screens more personalized to your current situation. nice video though!

[@80l08]

Weirdly enough I have more minimalist phone than you have, that’s shocking to me I have the same phone as you do for the very same reason you said in this video

[@musicbydemarcus]

I love that you listen to Melodrama by Lorde! That album is amazing

[@CarlosLalonde]

I love my iPhone 13 mini too 😊

[@katarzynapersona1460]

I'm happy user of refurbished iPhone 13mini for 3 weeks and I picked it as (I hope) minimum 3 years investment for the exactly same reasons as you did :) We even have Spotify in the same spot on the main screen :D Lofi and sleep playlist are the best oness as background music! My alarms still look just as your wife's xD As I tried to organize my apps by the colour I noticed it's not actually working (however looks satisfying as hell) so I'm trying to verify how often I use some on them and this might be the key... Thanks Matt for showing some cools apps! :)) I can recommend Trello but it's simillar to the ones you already have to store and categorize your daily tasks and topics however I find it very helpful ;) Maybe you could make a separate video on how to organize and keep your gallery neat? I know there are some apps to clean this up but I have in mind other ways while taking picture process to be more aware of it?

[@lukemcdonald4447]

Curious what your thoughts are on Notion as a note taking/planning app

[@Akella1986]

The most interesting topic

[@priyankatanvashi5378]

Love how you casually got Taylor Swift playing on Spotify :)

[@J3ssiGurlVlogz]

Also, iPhone 13 Mini is the best phone out there … just saying!

[@HendrikAtzevanDoezum]

Logic baby!

[@burakelbuga4373]

This Man knows good music listening to logic

[@thezachdelusion237]

I love small phones. It's the reason I still use an iphone SE

[@jazzman69420]

12 mini here 👋 Brave Browser is great 👍

[@professionalpharmacist8759]

Hey Matt how you doing.. im following minimilistic lifestyle since last 2 yrs...and its because ofyou as you explained in a very easy way . thank you for the content you produce... love from pakistan

[@fabromp]

Can a minimalist collect things?

[@luwjournals]

Hahaha don’t call me psychopaths 😅yea, when I set alarm clock, I set by minutes 🤣🤣🤣 but if I can, I wish can set by seconds 🤣🤣🤣 yea, so hard especially use the alarm clock to wake myself up 😂

[@jaredweiman2987]

It’s not more or less difficult to be mindful if you just close your social media accounts. All I use on my phone is the phone itself, music, and podcasts. That’s how I’ve lived since 2011.

[@DavidRoig]

iphone mini 13 the minimalist phone, is the one I have

[@SMSharesLife]

Great video man !!!

[@m.963.m2]

what if you don't have a story to tell to the world? how to make a story with the world that has to be shared? I really struggle with this, I have the feeling that I don't have anything to share. Do you guys feel the same or am I the only one?

[@peterhulce]

What are your thoughts on Notion? Have you ever tried it? Especially since you manage a team, that is a great way to have shared notes and documentation. I've tried to switch from Notion to Apple Notes but found Apple Notes to be just too limiting in formatting options.

[@MatiasRijoM]

Amazing video! I crazily did a video similar to yours! We organize it similar, but mine looks better! haha

[@jelleschotanus1842]

Great video Matt! What's your screen time? 😏

[@kennedym5486]

I looooove my iPhone mini

[@daniel_8181]

I have an iphone 13 mini !!!! love it!!!

[@tauriqafrika7789]

Great vid 👌

[@tesha8202]

I recommend to you: dropbox, shortcuts, free form. I think Twitter is good to get things quick and the app is minimalist , just don't go the hashtags (:

[@donaldwisor3031]

By using a phone for your credit cards and ID the thing you're trying not to depend on has become a tool you HAVE To depend on.

[@adrian.eduardo]

Where can I buy that wallet? I know I love it just by seeing in that pretty short shot

[@whatsagodtoanonbeliever]

When i think we cant me more similar... WE HAVE THE SAME PHONE AND COLOR!!!

[@ilovefilm365]

Lol I also have an iPhone 13 Mini!