I took the 90s summer trend seriously and got a flip phone

An analog living experiment update and a reflection on navigating digital minimalism as a busy mom of two

Photo by Tasha Kostyuk on Unsplash

Since January, I’ve been trying to live a more analog life as an experiment (see here for my original post on that) after seeing “analog living" trending on social media and approaching it with a very cynical skepticism (I write more on my heart change towards that here).

At that time, I was coming off an intense yearlong content-creation journey. What started as my wanting to replace content consumption with content creation and keep my dusty marketing resume up to date as a stay-at-home mom turned into a borderline obsession with analytics, growth, and monetizing everything to justify the time I spent online. It was a slippery slope, albeit a little slow.

So when analog living came across my feeds, I was intrigued. I loved what I saw and knew it was worth trending, but I also knew how things could be chopped and stitched together to create a false narrative of a certain lifestyle on short-form content platforms, so I was skeptical about how authentically the people I saw on Instagram and TikTok were actually living. Then God did a big heart check on me, and I decided to just try to live more analog myself.

So, Christmas 2025, I took a break from constant posting online as much and trying to 1) turn my phone back into more of a tool and 2) build a life I love online.

And while I always generally posted about living intentionally, this is where true Intentional Motherhood was born for me.

I honestly didn’t know how addicted to social media and my phone I was, and the last 6 months have been a very slow and rocky road in detangling myself from the grip of my addiction while also replacing it with things that bring me joy in my offline life (something I do want to write more in depth on soon).

I feel like I hit this post last week, though, where the things I was doing to decrease the noise and addiction just weren’t enough, so I fully deleted everything (more on that here).

And honestly, I feel like deleting everything last week and reaching that point of being plain FED UP with myself and the noise kick-started something in me.

I’ve been reading Digital Minimalism. I’ve been reading other people’s experiences with decreasing tech/social media use.

I GOT A FLIPPIN’ FLIP PHONE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

Could this just be my new ADHD hyper fixation? Sure.

But I’ve stared at the little bright screen of my phone for so long, for so many years, and it feels like a mirror. And I don’t like what I see in its reflection.

So for the next month, I am trying to see how far I can push the boundaries of my developing digital detox. My loose plan is to reframe my phone in my mind as more of an iPad/landline that stays at home, and my flip phone is my travel phone. When I think back to how my parents used cell phones when I was in middle school, this was it. We had a home computer in the living room, a landline, and then my parents had simple phones for calling and texting. It worked for them, so why not try it on for size? That sounds like a legitimate 90’s summer to me, don’t you think?

I still rely on my phone for synced calendars and lists with my husband as well as features and communications from my gym, church, and kids’ preschool. I use Siri heavily to add reminders to my lists and the Notes app to log ideas and information. I know I can use paper and pen, but how much does that actually make sense for my particular situation of being an ADHD mom of 2 sweet girls who love to confiscate any journal or notepad I have to write and make art?

Where is the line between the smartphone being a useful tool for our accessibility or a usurping tyrant of our attention?

I think that is a balance we all have to find and make for ourselves and our families. While I try to tell my kids what I’m using my phone for in the moment (“Mommy is trying to text Daddy about dinner plans/Mommy is looking up if the play place is open,” etc.), they still see my face on the phone.

On the other hand, I’ve noticed that even with the increased separation from my phone, there is always something my kids see me doing instead of giving them my full attention, whether it’s laundry, dishes, packing for us to go somewhere, or getting their sibling a snack. Even when I am giving them my undivided attention and uninterrupted eye contact, it can sometimes feel like it’s not enough, even as I am actually being as present as Iong as I can be before life has to be for as long as I can do the next thing. So, how can I teach that time spent together with intention does not always equate to constant, undivided attention?

I don’t have the answers, but I am enjoying the process of figuring it out! These were not things I was necessarily pondering 6 months ago.

Please also note this, sweet friend: I am sharing my journey. I am not advocating for anyone to get a flip phone, delete social media, or anything like that. I’ve been inspired by others’ journeys, and if I can inspire anyone to be more intentional and biblical in their motherhood, that’s all I hope to achieve. My addiction to my phone and social media has also been extreme, and so I am taking more extreme measures for myself with the hopes of determining a more moderate, sustainable, long-term approach as I not only handle things on a surface level but also on a soul level.

We have been so conditioned that this is just how the world is, that it is impossible not to have smartphones or social media. That’s what I have told myself. But I am starting to wonder if I’m using “impossible” and “inconvenient” interchangeably. There are people who need tech and platforms for their jobs or for accessibility. I am not one of those people. I have also started to notice just how much we are trying to bring God online instead of bringing people offline to talk about God (myself included).

Has our focus been more on consuming gigabytes of the Gospel instead of actually reading or sharing it? Has my energy gone more into packaging God into palatable pixels for my “target audience” rather than into building genuine relationships with my neighbors and friends that actively demonstrate the love of Jesus?

These are all questions I am mulling over now that I am finally gaining the bandwidth to do so. I also want to document my experience because, in my search to hear other people’s stories, I haven’t heard from many who are moms.

Thank you for being on this journey towards intentional motherhood with me. I am so appreciative of everyone who reads, connects with me, encourages me, and advises me.

I leave you with this question, sweet friend: what is one thing you have done or can do this week to be more intentional with either making your phone into a tool again or creating a life you love offline?

Love,

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