Life has a way of coming full circle. Just five years ago, when I was young, free, and single, I was obsessed with technology. My phone had over 100 apps in the early days of the App Store and I was constantly looking for life hacks. I had this impetus to be more productive by using only the best tools. Like my conversion to Jazz (and now Classical) music, I blew up over the weekend and deleted almost every app from my phone. Why did I feel this need to be free? It all started with a song.

I’ve been a solid Relient K fan since 2007. I love their tongue-in-cheek lyrics and the great messages that they convey through their lyrics. In fact, I always buy the CD whenever they release a new album. After subscribing to Apple Music a few months back, I went through and added their entire catalogue to my library. They released an EP earlier this year called “Look On Up.” The song is about how we live our lives through pictures and filters when we should really just be experiencing our lives. It’s a profound piece of art.

My life has been crazy these past three months as I’ve adjusted to caring for a toddler and an infant. Just Friday I sent an email to my subscribers about how overwhelmed I felt and how I was giving myself the grace to take a day and get everything reset. (I did, by the way, and it was amazing!) As a part of that reset, I took a look at my commitments and my technology, and I started quitting.

I have a number of websites that I maintain that I’m no longer going to work on. I also sat down with my devices and deleted nearly all of my apps. My passion for the latest and greatest app has subsided to being content with many of the Apple stock apps. My phone no longer has Twitter or Instagram, so there’s no longer an impulsion to graze. Instead, I’m going to be in the moment with my family.

I made one other change. I wake up at 5:30am to help better manage my migraines. It’s quiet and still that early in the morning and I relish those precious minutes. When I start my day with prayer, everything just goes better. I cut more work time and gave myself that first hour of the day, a tithe if you will, to be free to pray. I put on a soundscape (I’ve been using the Calm app), pull out my latest edition of the Magnificat and just enjoy the peace and coffee.

Our brains were not designed to be always on and our lives are meant to be lived, not archived. Clear out the clutter, focus on today, and live a day that’s worth remembering.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)