Seven years ago, I got rid of my smartphone for the first time. And I remember vividly what those first few days felt like. Like I had lost a limb.

I know that sounds dramatic, but that was the exact thought that I remembered having. And it was so very weird to me to realize how dependent I had become on that device. It had been in my hand or within reach for every red light, every brief in-between moment while dinner was in the oven, or when the children were playing and didn't need me. The habit had become ingrained, and sadly, those minutes added up and wasted so much precious time.

When I had the phone, I was not good at ignoring that itch. Like, at all. My heart was in my home, but my head was everywhere else. And that is a very unnatural tension (our heads and hearts are meant to be connected, not have this constant tension pulling opposite directions).

Because of that, I knew I had to do something. Time is precious, and we don’t get it back. I became determined to war against the pull and to find a way to stay connected out of necessity, but without being pulled away from my home and family.

Hence, the willingness to “lose a limb”along with any discomfort that initially came from that. I’m happy to say, the discomfort and empty feeling fades– because what fills it is far greater, and is the part I actually want to tell you about. When we find a way to rid ourselves of the pull of a device, the benefits abound.

We are more free to embrace the moment.

Imagine yourself in a log cabin in the middle of the woods, no technology, no wireless, no screens. What would you do with yourself? It might feel a little awkward at first, but my guess is– you would find yourself enjoying what is right in front of you a bit more.

When we have no option but to be present with our families, our souls slow down. We meander. We notice the beautiful flowers and the little details therein. We see and wonder (from afar, perhaps) a spider spinning its web at dusk. We see (I mean reallysee) the twinkle in our children’s eyes, and are more inclined to listen to their little stories. Treasure their hugs. We slow down, and snuggle up and settle in a little closer to our spouse. The idea of a game or a book seems pleasant.

Our souls can just be so very busy. But when nothing else is vying for our attention and we are free to simply be in the moment, our bound up souls find sweet release. And we are better able to treasure the simple day-to-day moments that we will always look back on with fondness. We can enjoy the life God has given us, and better embrace each moment.

It becomes easier to thoughtfully & wisely steward our time.

We all have the same amount of hours in a day, but one person’s day can look very different from another person based on how they manage that time. When we are pulled in ten different directions, it’s very easy to be pulled by the tyranny of the urgent. Many times, we find the dayhappening to usrather than moving through the day with intentionality. As homemakers, we can find ourselves at the end of the day exhausted and wondering what in theworldgot done.

But when we are focused and present in the moment, we are more attuned to the life in front of us. It becomes easier to honestly assess how we spend our time and recalibrate our lives according to our God-given priorities. When we are not frantic and disoriented by the felt “emergencies”, and the noise settles down, we are better able to discern how to be prudent with the time that we have. And to use those minutes and hours much more fruitfully.

There is less fodder for anxiety.

I’ll state this plainly- we werenevermeant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and in our heads. Never. That is what God does. He orders and knows all things, and sovereignly rules over it all. There are multiple different avenues of media at our fingertips per day (if we let it), and we consume it as if knowledge gives us some semblance of control. But it’s a mirage, and all of that extra noise has great potential to lead to unnecessary anxiety.

Be anxious for nothing,but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,think about these things…-Phil. 4: 6-9

When the weight of the world is no longer at our finger tips, there is less fodder for anxiety. And it becomes much easier to think about things that are true, honorable, and lovely– and to remember that God is on His throne.

The mind is nourished (not malnourished).

There is a term floating around out there that is becoming more popular, and it is fitting to the subject at hand: BRAIN ROT. Yes, when we sit there and stare at a screen, thumb flicking up, mouth open, and with the attention span of a gold fish, it’s no wonder our brains are rotting!

But on the other hand, when we don’t give in to this modern temptation and find ways to live in the moment and in the present, it becomes very natural to live in a way that actually nourishes our brains (without a whole lot of extra effort). Rather than picking up a phone, we might choose to pick up a book. Rather than getting distracted during dinner prep and allowing the evening to spin out of control, we can clean up as we go, use those minutes well, and maybe even have a little extra time at the end of the day to sit down and enjoy being with family. Our attention span grows, and doesn’t shrivel up to nothing. Our minds are nourished with the constant input that comes from simple everyday life, because we are going with the grain of how God designed and created the world to operate.

Life becomes more interesting, and so we become more interesting.

I don’t know where I heard the quote, but I read somewhere that “bored people are boring people”, and I would say yes, and amen to this. When we are bored and are uninterested in the world around us, we lack substance and gravitas. Why is that?

Well, let’s consider the other side of the coin. Think about an interesting person that you know. What makes them enjoyable to be around? My guess is that they are engaged with the world around them. They think and appreciate the sights, smells, and happenings that permeate their life. They feed their minds with good things, and they know how to think. Perhaps they have skills that you find interesting and inspiring. Well, they were not born with those skills. Learning to bake the sourdough bread took time, effort, and thought. The intricacies that you see and love in their craft came from many hours of practice (and failings). That naturally means that they said yes to engaging with the world around them. Yes, to paying attention for long spans of time. And no to instant gratification (at least much of the time). They are interested people, and so they are interesting people.

Life is so much more enjoyable, when we can learn to be interested in it.

Basically, put the phone away and stop and smell the roses. And enjoy God’s good gifts on this earth.

In this day and age, we have to be intentional about this. If we go with the grain of society, and look like everyone else, we will get swept up and sucked in. But if you’re reading this far, you are probably with me on this. You covet being present. You love time with your family. You hate being pulled in 100 different directions, and sometimes you find yourself desperate to be free again. Free to just be where you are in the moment, with your family and home.

Well, there is one way that I have found to help, and that is to separate myself from full immersion in the smart phone world, and to learn how to have a device that can serve as an actual tool. I’ve spent seven years (at least) on this quest, and in today’s episode, I talk about this a bit more about what I’ve learned (including the pros and cons of using a dumb phone) along with my verdict on what I’ve found to be super helpful in today’s day and age. Spoiler alert, it’s actually NOT a dumb phone :)

You can find the episode, as usual, on YouTube. But for those of you who are wanting to get away from the screen, all episodes are now going to be posted on The Rooted Home podcast. You can find that here:Spotify|Apple

A Little Surprise...

Speaking of managing time, I’m so very excited to share something special with you :)

I had some content inside my Collective that was meant to take you through a process that helped you layer rhythms and habits to help you manage your time and home. And it did! BUT, so many of you voiced that you were torn between buying the course vs. being a part of the community.

And SO after some time thinking this through,I’ve decided to add the full Rooted Rhythms Method course (including the home management binder that you build along the way) as a part of the Collective membership.I'm tossing the old content, and Rooted Rhythms will take you through the whole process.

Yes, you can still buy the course outright and be an owner without being a part of the membership! That option is available to those of you who would prefer that.

But now, you can work through the full course as a Collective member, alongside other women who are doing the same. And I'm in there too :)

The web page is still being updated to reflect this change, but I wanted to let you in on the details. You can join below!

Join the Collective→https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

Get the Course→Rooted Rhythms Method