A few weeks ago at Riv, I talked about the importance of recognizing the cycles and seasons of life so we can live in rhythm instead of pursuing the ever elusive “balance” people always talk about (a concept I stole liberally from Bruce Miller).

July is an important part of my personal rhythm.

For the seventh year in a row, I will be taking the month of July off of all social media, most email, and most of the internet.  This month will be full of family, baseball, a few out of town trips for work, and (hopefully) some rest.  I have a bunch of books I want to read and a bit of planning I want to do.

Here are my rules of engagement for the month:

Wiping my iPhone and iPad – I am going to do a factory reset of my devices and only install the programs I need (Logos Bible Software, GPS, etc).  When I get back online in August, I will install apps only as I need (or want) them back.

Very Little Email – I’m gonna let my assistant handle all my email except one account I will use to communicate with family, the Riv pastors, and my direct reports.

Low Tech – Instead of watching movies on planes and drifting toward the TV when I am bored, I am going to try to read and carry around a pad of paper and a pen instead of my devices.

That’s about it.  I’ll see you all in August!

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