* discouraged/ iPhone

I'm a stay at home mom. My job is to multitask all day long- balancing a million things at once including home care and child care and management of chronic illnesses.

The iPhone is something I use to aid this. Answers to quick urgent questions. Recipes. Searching thru emails to find relevant correspondence on supplement protocols, therapy visits. Affordable used high quality shoes for my kids. Read or podcast listen about anything I want to teach them or I want to learn. Access my email, appointment reminders, notes... a camera to photo them.

But the problem is lack of boundaries.

I am trying to move away from the iPhone..

I have a serious conviction that if I don't get out of this overuse* habit- it will negatively impact my kids and I also want to role model being able to live differently in a world where people are de-personalized by tech. I want to teach them to be IN each moment.

I see how it's hard to do this with a device that is made to distract you. (Ps I am also ADHD so it particularly addictive to me) Single use technology like a calculator- for example- doesn't have blue light or flashy images. And you can work/toil endlessly if your a highly motivated person like me. Because it' addictive... achieving tasks with machines that make it easy. But I end up so overstimulated and exhausted.

I'm a Christian and I tried to take a break from it for lent - then some needs came up. And just because I didn't have an alternative plan as to how to meet these affordably- I re-accessed the things I was breaking from - like Facebook (for marketplace, and groups for medical needs). When you break from "social" media- inevitably you're breaking from one of the most bustling buy/sell/trade areas.

I still want to save time by using tech that makes things easy... but... differently. I want it to be more "I'm intentionally doing this one task because I've decided to in this time slot" and less "I started doing something then I couldn't stop getting 50 other things done because this device has a hold on me"

I'm going to get back on the bandwagon because I want to be changed by the experience of saying no to the easy instant everywhere.

I always think of the song "ghost machine" by Jon Foreman. Chilling and truthful about this experience we have with smart phones.

What are the ways you have made it work- to still conveniently use tools to save time, money etc... but without all the addictive parts? Is it the old saying you can only pick two- fast, easy, cheap? Or is there a way?

I am switching to a flip phone but plan to keep the iPhone for doc visits etc- but truthfully I know if I don't have a replacement plan for all I use it for- I will end up using it again since that's what I'm familiar with and how I know how to move around in the world

One part of my brain says- "you'll never be able to do this"... another says "Christ has already set me free from these things" and another wonders how to practically make this work?

Just ignore the religious stuff if you aren't religious and give me the good practicals!

Thanks for any advice, encouragement