I can feel myself turning into that next stage of my life. Taking a step back to think about where I am and where I want to be. I’m not throwing out all my computers and changing all my interests. But I am thinking of lots of things I have in a new light.

It started small and it has been growing in my sub conscience. I have started to take some of these feelings and turn them into actions changing my day to day habits.

One example is taking time to just have some silence and stillness. Not meditation but just doing regular life things with some quietness. I feel like I haven’t let my mind just have some peace and quiet. It’s always got some music, a podcast, or something else bugging it. Introducing some quietness into my life has made such a difference for me. It doesn’t even take much but if your reading this and often feel very online this can be important to try.

Another example is deleting Twitter on my phone. Twitter has always been the go to place for iOS developers and Apple fans to hang out. Despite other parts of it being bad the Apple community is a bright spot on the social media platform. With WWDC it was really refreshing and exciting seeing people at an in person event. And for the majority of people who didn’t go to that they were able to chat and share their excitement.

But despite these nice things being in my timeline. There is still lots that Twitter and social media in general gets in the way with. And if I am honest with myself I have just been feeling like I am too addicted to it. I check it often even when I know there’s no new tweets.

More and more I feel uneasy about how good algorithms and apps have gotten at making us reliant on them. It often feels like the app is using me not the other way around. This is also how I feel about YouTube and many other social networks. TikTok is the most visible example of this where the algorithm is at the forefront of the app. Building out the modern equivalent of changing the tv channel constantly but never really watching anything. But I hate TikTok so its not an issue for me.

These feelings have also manifested in other ways like in my new mechanical watch. Further separating myself from being always online or tied to my tech. I still wear my Apple Watch but its more times than not where I have a beautiful dumb watch on my wrist.

All these things were giving me an unsettling feelings. I was worried that I might turn into not wanting anything to do with technology. I have long been certain of my desired career path and for that to change is a very scary thought. But the more I have been with these feelings and ideas I know its not a drastic change as I have feared. I know now I want to change my relationship with technology not walk away from it.

My iPhone 12 mini in all of this has helped me. It’s the perfect size and one of the best iPhones I have ever had. Its small size makes it feel like a more focused device. It probably doesn’t make sense I know but its how I feel about it. Taking Twitter and other social media apps off my phone felt good and therapeutic. There is no cognitive load of checking things if its off your device.

Now I haven’t deleted everything but I do have a better balance now. The only social media I have is: Glass, YouTube, and Discord. Discord is mainly unchecked I can’t ever seem to get into it but I still have it. It’s mainly for Relay FM’s Discord since I listen to lots of their podcasts regularly. YouTube for some shows I only see on YouTube or iOS tutorials. And Glass for a really nice paid social network that feels like the modern Instagram where you actually have cool photos at the focus.

My phone feels way better for me now. I am still a tech focused person but I want to use these devices more mindfully. I want to take a more focused approach. To have separation as to what role they have in my life. Thinking now I probably should have kept my iPad for some things but often unused I am happy to have let it go. Again another cognitive load taken away.

There has been so many things I have done over the last few months to change how I use and see my tech. Im probably not making any sense but I hope there is some through line that makes sense of my feelings. This blog is something I’m trying to keep posting to and I want to share whats going on in my life.

All of these things have also changed how I see my future. I still want to be a professional iOS developer one day that hasn’t changed. But it’s something I haven’t put too much time into in the past. My life had been going through lots of transitions. Moving, finding a new job, and getting married to my soulmate. These were all things that had made my life so much better and I don’t know where I would be if those things hadn’t happened to me when it did.

I have started coding regularly again and it feels good. Im really far from shipping anything but it’s my goal. In the past I shipped an app called Lockne that lets you have a camera app for taking the perfect Lock Screen or Home Screen wallpaper.

I need to make a new app and something that has legs and I can work on continuously. Getting featured on 9to5Mac and other sites with Lockne was surreal. But I never put in the work to continue on with it. I regret that and won’t make that mistake again. With iOS 16 and the new Lock Screen its probably time to take that app off the App Store. But I need to replace it with something. This has been on the forefront of my mind and now I just got to put this into action.

I know where my focus lies and I have to make it a reality. I have a day job with lots of long hours and little time during the day to code. Getting rid of distractions on my phone or letting other projects go like my podcast has been hard. But I am only one person. I have only so much time in the day I have to make some sacrifices to get what I want.

So going forward a new app is my north star for my creative endeavors. To balance my personal life, day job, this blog, and app development. Refining what computers I have and how I use them so they aren’t using me. My love for technology won’t ever go away its a part of who I am. But in the same way a computer changes its form factor and ports I want to change as well. Like the 30 pin connector going to lightning I want to keep my connection to technology but refine it. To make it more focused, efficient, and better.