Category: Analogue activities

I think most of us will agree that we spend far too much time on our mobile phones, scrolling social media on apps such as Facebook and Instagram, watching endless YouTube or Tiktok videos and reading emotive ‘news’ content which has drawn us in through the usual click bait titles or pop ups. And, if we took the time to really think about what we want from life, reading random content and wasting hours on our phones does not feature on our mental or physical list of priorities for 2026. 

So, for today’s blog post, I’m sharing lots of ideas for alternative activities that will actually make you feel good and won’t waste precious minutes (or more likely hours) of your day. I’ve tried to include something for everyone and hopefully you’ll be able to pick out a few from each category which sound good and are easily actionable. Without further ado, let’s dive in:

Meditative and mindful activities

I’ve talked about the many benefits of engaging in mindfulness and flow state activities before but importantly they include a reduction in stress, anxiety and depression, plus improved concentration, attention and decision making, all of which support better wellbeing. Here’s some activities to turn to when you find yourself reaching for your phone a little too much.

• Try a spot of journalling – e.g. stream of consciousness (i.e. whatever comes into your head and out on paper), gratitude, favourite things about the current season, intentions for your morning / evening / weekend, goals for the month
• Do a short meditation or sit/lie doing nothing for 10 minutes, focusing on just your breath (and don’t worry if you get distracted or your mind bobs about)
• Engage in mindful movement such as yoga or tai chi. Or, why not dance around your kitchen or the bedroom to an upbeat song or piece of classical music
• Work on a jigsaw (my favourite are 1000 piece ones because they’re challenging enough to really get you ‘in the zone’)
• Drawing, painting or colouring – or a combination of all 3
• Find a cosy corner of your home (or make one using cushions and blankets) or a quite space in your garden and read a few chapters of a book
• Grab a puzzle book and do a crossword, wordsearch, sudoku or other personal favourite to get your brain really working
• Buy or borrow a glossy magazine and find a peaceful space to read / flick through
• Pick a photography genre e.g. landscape, wildlife or nature, pet, street, macro, abstract and explore. You can use your phone for this but make sure you put it on ‘do not disturb’ first as you don’t want to get distracted.
• Tend to your houseplants – check for signs of destress and evaluate care, wipe dust from leaves, remove decayed parts, check moisture levels of the soil, feed them, decide if any need repotting, rotate to ensure balanced growth, prune if required
• Watch a cartoon you used to love as a child and really immerse yourself in it (phone in another room) – can you remember what you particularly loved?
• Make a cup of tea or coffee and really take your time to appreciate it – use your senses to explore the sound of the kettle being boiled and the water filling the container, aroma, colour, warmth of the mug or cup, taste etc. Be grateful by thinking about the processes and effort involved in the production to ensure a quality product.
• Declutter your handbag – empty it out and then decide what you want to put back in and what is fit for the bin or needs filing.
• Check in with your vision board for the year or goals for the month or quarter. Have you forgotten about some of them? What are your next actions? Have your priorities changed? etc.

Outdoor fun

You can enjoy spending time outdoors at any time of year but as we’re having some lovely weather at the moment, here are some activities to engage in whilst it’s fine:

• Make a paper aeroplane and see how well it flies in your garden, backyard or local park – there’s various instructions online if you need them (I did this as a Finch App challenge last week and had such a laugh!)
• Try something else you enjoyed as a child – frisbee, hoola hoop, ball in a bucket, skipping, hopscotch, ring toss etc.
• Fill a picnic bag with fresh summer fruits (e.g. strawberries, peach, watermelon, mango, raspberries or cherries) and some dainty sandwiches (cut into little triangles) and enjoy an impromptu picnic in your garden or yard or go a bit further a field and pop to a local park. Take a picnic rug or blanket and choose an area in the sunshine or under the shade of a tree depending on your preferences.
• Take a short drive or walk to an area of your city or town that you’ve never visited before and explore. We did this a few nights ago and walked across a new bridge over the river and found some new bars and eateries, plus gorgeous park which is soon to open.
• Go to a local nature area and engage in observation and exploration e.g. do bird or wildlife spotting, take a short hike to a water feature such as a pond, stream, river or waterfall, or go armed with a field guide or app (okay you’ll have to look at your phone for this one, but it’ll be more purposeful) and identify insects, trees, wildflowers, grasses, fungi or lichens.
• Try out a new art or craft in the garden or at a picnic bench somewhere – I bought a cyanotype “sunography” kit from a National Trust shop and had great fun experimenting with it on a sunny afternoon in the garden. I also took my watercolours out and did a mini painting session.
• Lie on a blanket on the grass during the day and do some cloud gazing or, find a clear night and do some star gazing. You could even print off a constellations map and see what you can spot.
• Take a brisk, short walk round the block to get some fresh air (whatever the weather)
• Grab a sketchbook and have a go at drawing something in nature e.g a wildflower, a leaf, a tree, a stream, mountains or hills in the distance etc.
• Enjoy a short bike ride around your local area.

Sensory / hands on

Sensory activities have a great many benefits including stress and anxiety relief, better connection with emotions and ability to process difficult feelings, improved cognition, memory and attention and opportunities for much needed self care. They can also encourage a sense of curiosity, creativity and playfulness.

(N.B. Many of these ideas are mindful and meditative too)

• Spend half an hour tending to your garden – weeding, pruning, setting seeds, mowing the lawn etc.
• Make a refreshing mocktail or smoothie as a fun drink to enjoy supping.
• Create a vision board using photographs from magazines.
• Bake a tasty treat in the kitchen.
• Try out origami or balloon modelling.
• Buy a small chocolate bar then mindfully and slowly savour every single bite.
• Do a sensory check in – notice 5 things you see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste.
• Try out different teas or flavoured coffee syrups.
• Visit your local library and spend time browsing the books.
• Buy a packet of air dry clay (or make playdough) and use it to create animals, patterns or simple shapes.
• Declutter or re-organise a drawer, cupboard or shelf in your home (okay, this might not be fun but you’ll feel so good afterwards).
• Have an at home spa evening with soothing essential oils, scented candles, face or body masks, luxurious hand and foot creams or maybe a manicure or pedicure.
• Grab a mirror, paper and pencils and doodle a quick self portrait (and if you draw faces and people like I do – laugh or smile at the results!)
• Go to a local park or cafe and do some people watching.
• Spend quality time with your pet – obviously what this looks like depends on the animal but it could include grooming, playing a game, giving treats, enjoying snuggles etc.
• Fix something that is in need of repair – sew on a button, replace sealant, tighten up a handle somewhere, unclog a plug hole, touch up paint, fill in a hole in a wall etc.
• Try out calligraphy or hand lettering -there’s lots of practice sheets available for free online.

Final words…

A lovely idea which I saw on YouTube a few weeks ago (yes, I was randomly watching videos that popped up at the time, you caught me!), was to create a hobby basket full of items to reach for when you’re in need of some me time. However, I think this could be adapted to an anti-scroll basket full of resources for some of the above ideas. You could add things like a small colouring book and pencils, a deck of yoga pose cards, a project you’re working on such as knitting, crochet, cross stitch or embroidery, a sketch pad and pencil, a poetry book you can dip into, a print out of some recipes you want to try, or even an anti-scroll menu or list (which could include pictures for inspo too.

Once you start reaching for analogue activities instead of your phone, you’ll begin to realise how long you actually wasted on scrolling and discover that you have plenty of time to try out new activities or engage in those which already bring you so much joy but that you never seem to fit into your busy schedule.