When I first started this phone experiment, it arose from a sheer lack of time. (And a few other things, which I plan on writing about in the coming weeks).

One of our human limits is time. There are only 24 hours in a day, and we cannot add to them. So, being the intelligent (though not always wise) human beings we are – we are always finding ways to stretch the minutes within those 24 hours. Most forms of technology do that in the way of time-saving. The invention of electricity and the light bulb removed the limits darkness placed on our social and work lives.

But no invention in the history of man has ever attempted to cram our 24 hours more full of activity than the smartphone. (Name one, I’ll wait!)

Once I tried to make a list of every electronic device the modern smartphone has been able to house and the number was mind-blowing. Think camera, GPS, television, telephone, voice recorder, boombox – to name a few. And not just the abilities these devices have – but the power of proximity, what it would take to have all of these devices within reach at all times. (I’m picturing hauling a trailer with my computer, television, cordless phone, and boombox to a park where my kids are playing – with miles long extension cords).

The convenience, proximity, and power of the smartphone should be saving us massive amounts of time, right? Think of the hours we have spent connecting to dial-up internet, CONFINED TO A SPECIFIED SPOT IN THE HOUSE!

So why are we overstretched, exhausted, and busier than we have ever been? Just grasping for one more hour in the day to get it all done?

Because we are limited by nature.

Because when God designed 24-hour days, he intended us to sleep and rest when it got dark. And he created us imago dei – to be creators and laborers, not incessant consumers and boundary pushers.

The time our smartphones save us in convenience is infinitesimal compared to what it demands in return. Its like picking Product A because it arrives today, even though it is 1,000x the price of Product B.

Social media. Videos. Games. Endless places to scroll and stream.

I think of all the things I didn’t have time for last year – reading, writing, cleaning my house (bleck!), sitting on the floor and playing with my kids. Yet, why was it these things I didn’t have time for?

According to my screen report, I was spending an average of 3 hours and 40 minutes a day on my phone.

How did it never occur to me I didn’t have time for that?

So I decided to see what would happen if I got rid of this “time-saving” device.

Within the first 6 weeks I:

• Planned and booked two summer vacations
• Got 30 people at my church to join me in reading the Bible in a year
• Sold 60 books on eBay
• Read 12 books
• Wrote and sent out a bunch of Christmas (okay fine, March) cards.
• Lost 10 pounds
• Started a book project

I am not claiming I’ve optimized my life (sorry Dr. Oz!), but I found the time for many things I cherish without sacrificing sleep, family time, or consuming mass amounts of caffeine.

I’ve had lots of conversations about the flip phone I carry and my encouragement is always for people to make sure their priorities are their priorities. There is no doubt in my mind I was a smartphone addict and the right decision for me was to trash it. But I don’t advocate that as the best or even right decision for everyone.

But if you lack time, let your smartphone hours be the first thing to be chopped. You can do this in a number of ways:

• Set app limits, and stick to them! And be stingy with those limits! Do you need more than 15 mins on Instagram?
• Put your phone to bed an hour (at least) before yourself
• Set morning routines that need to happen before you engage your phone
• DO NOT SLEEP WITH YOUR PHONE! (Unless you’re a doctor, then you should probably do that)
• Pick a Sabbath day and try to not use your phone for an entire day each week (or at least limit it to texts or calls from family)
• Don’t bring your phone with you when you leave the house unless you need it

If you have done all of these things and still feel like a slave to your phone, then maybe it is time to consider a bigger step – like getting a flip phone or just a really slow old smartphone that doesn’t entice you in the same way your current phone does. (Youtube is wayyyy less fun if videos take forever to load or buffer every 10 seconds).

Time is a precious commodity – something we were never meant to rush or fight. It is often best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, filled with the kinds of things God gave us in the beginning.

I just had to step away from this blog for a few minutes to let my 14-month old dance on my lap to a folk song on the radio, while he giggled like the little boy he is.

There is no app for that.

Note: if I could ever implore you to buy a book, please read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. He has researched and written on these things in a far better way than I probably ever will.