Digital minimalism for your calendar

I've been thinking about something Cal Newport wrote in Digital Minimalism.

He argues that the problem isn't technology itself. It's how we use it. We adopt tools without asking what they cost us. We add apps hoping they'll fix something, and end up with more noise, more notifications, more things demanding attention.

This is especially true for calendars.

Over the years, I've tried more scheduling tools than I'd like to admit. Booking links. Calendar syncs. Availability widgets. Each one promised to "save time" and "reduce back-and-forth."

And technically, they did. But they also did something else.

They made me more available. Easier to reach. Simpler to book.

My calendar filled up faster than ever.

"The key to living well in a high-tech world is to spend much less time using technology." — Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism

Here's what I've realized: most scheduling tools are built for the person booking, not the person being booked.

They optimize for access. For speed. For removing friction.

But what if friction is the point?

What if the goal isn't to make scheduling easier, but to make it more intentional?

That's the philosophy behind Intervals.

It's not another tool to stack on top of everything else. It's a different posture entirely. Instead of "here's my calendar, grab whatever's open," it's "here's when I might be available, but I'll decide if and when we actually meet."

Protection by default. Access by exception.

I've been sharing ideas in this newsletter for a few weeks now. The philosophy of time wealth. The 4,000 weeks reality check. The efficiency trap.

But ideas only matter if you act on them.

Your time is not a public resource.