This trend has really caught some steam!
I’ve read some posts chatting about the analog trend and while I didn’t know it was a trend at that time, it put words to something that I felt shift inside of me sometime ago.
A yearning for pen and paper versus typing on a keyboard, a telephone call versus a text, a face-to-face chat versus a zoom meeting, ultimately just genuine interactions that didn’t take place with a screen in-between me and someone or something I was connecting with.
That’s where analog living thrives! It gives us space to slow down, be more intentional with our time, and truly make an impact with where we’re putting our energy into.
Grab your coffee (or fave beverage!) and let’s dive into the analog trend together, I’m really excited to share this one with you!
Make Offline A Priority
This heading could almost be its own blog post (maybe I’ll do that soon!).
Back in the day, living most of our lives offline wasn’t that difficult. Social media didn’t always exist, dial-up connections got disrupted when the phone rang, and using AIM was the closest we had to texting one another. Wow, am I dating myself, friends? I’m a 90’s girl and consider myself really blessed I remember what it was like just when the internet was more of a startup situation.
While this makes it more difficult to pry away from technology, it is definitely not impossible!
Some ideas for making offline a priority:
- Take a walk on a beautiful day without looking at your phone. Fresh air and sunshine are super healers; mentally and physically.
- Grab some paint and create your own watercolor mini masterpiece, or even a cute coloring book with some good quick-dry markers.
- Work on a project you’ve wanted to get done around the house (or outside!)
- Jot down ingredients for a new recipe you’d like to try and make it when you have time
Try choosing to spend a little bit of your day on analog activities instead of getting stuck in the doomscrolling loop and see if you feel less drained at the end of the day!
Find Small Things That Make a Big Difference
It doesn’t take an all or nothing approach when it comes to the analog trend. It can be the simplest, tiniest swaps that make the biggest difference in your daily life.
A few small things that can make a big difference:
- Use a standard alarm clock instead of your phone!
- Put pen-to-paper in your daily planner, notebook or even sticky notes.
- Read a chapter of a book you started (or pick up one from your TBR pile).
These small swaps don’t take a lot of time, energy or space, yet still help you be productive and less overwhelmed/overstimulated.
Monitor Your Energy Levels & Stress
Pick up a takeout coffee, curl up in your coziest cardigan and have a little weekly check-in with yourself!
This helps to see where your energy levels are, what your week was like (to find the things that gave you a boost or zapped any energy you had left), and name the things that have been living rent-free in your head.
Something that I find so helpful is to take five or ten minutes to do a brain dump where I jot everything down on paper and then I can see all the things jumbled in my mind a little more clearly. It is such a therapeutic release! While it’s certainly not necessary, I absolutely love my Cultivate What Matters Brain Dump Journal!
That’s a wrap on this analog living post, sweet friends! I had a lot of fun with this one and already have a few more related posts lined up to share with you soon. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I appreciate you being here with me today!
The brain dump journal is such a good one. Sometimes I feel like once I empty all those cluttered thoughts from my brain, I can organize them better. Or just come back to them later. I love taking walks! It is just so refreshing! And I’ve been getting into buying physical books again versus reading on my iPad! I’m much more likely to stop and ponder or underline stuff in a physical book!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
I know you loved your brain dump journal too!! I think it helps being able to go back to the previous week too and see maybe what happened since then, if I got something done or if it was even something I was praying about and it worked out, etc. I love that about buying physical books, I think that’s how I feel with physical planners too, it just gives you a better understanding and focus sometimes I think, and less distractions if you have notifications on your iPad when reading.
These are great ways to slow down. My husband and I have a one-hour no electronics rule when we get home from work so we can just relax and catch up.
Jill – Doused in Pink
Oh my goodness Jill, I LOVE that rule! What a great way to spend time together and not have all those distractions right away when you both get home!
Lovely post as always, Ashley. Going offline is something I’ve been doing of late. I switch of the Wi-Fi, open a book or just relax with my thoughts.
Annie,
https://www.anniesfooddiary.com
Thank you SO much Annie, I truly appreciate you!! I love that you switch off the Wi-Fi, that’s such a smart idea. Taking some time just to be with your thoughts can be so therapeutic, I need to do that more myself!
I love these suggestions! I need to do a digital detox soon. Thanks for the reminder and love that you bring up the word analog. The good old days!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks so much my dear friend! A digital detox is hard, but good for the soul!! Yes, I so agree with you, things were so much more simple back in the day!
Loved this—such a refreshing reminder. The idea of slowing down and choosing more “analog” moments really resonates, especially in a world that constantly pulls us to screens. It’s so true that those simple, hands-on activities help us feel more present and grounded.
I’m so happy you loved this one Laura! It really is wild how there are screens everywhere, no matter what we are doing or where we are – it’s just very much the world we live in. But it’s so nice to be able to retreat and do some of those off-screen things too! 🙂
I love these ideas. I was a 90s kid as well and I think we were just on the cusp of the digital era. I remember sometimes spending my evenings on MSN Messenger or adding custom music to my MySpace profile, but being connected wasn’t in any way as consuming as it is now. My summer holidays as a kid were spent cycling or playing outside – and I used to just drop by my friend’s house assuming she was there without calling her.
I do try to disconnect sometimes – especially just going on a walk and actually observing things around me. I could be much better at it though, my phone app says I spend far too much time on it!
Sarah x | http://www.oomphlondon.co.uk
So happy you loved these, Sarah! 🙂 I can so relate, I remember MSN Messenger too and wasn’t it just a time to be alive to pick your top friends on MySpace? Haha! I’m with you, I think it’s hard when screens consume our day no matter what it seems like we need to do, but I think consciously making time to be out in fresh air and look at the beautiful nature really does help and makes a difference! Thank you so so much my friend!
Ashley, I absolutley love this post and the idea of “analog living”-it came at the perfect time for me! I’ve been doomscrolling so much these past couple of weeks and wasting so much time! It often starts as an innocent way to get my mind off things but too often I get lost in it. This post was a great reminder and love the different ideas you shared, I want to start doing mini brain dumps, writing more with a pen and calling people as opposed to texting. Thanks for sharing my friend and hope you have a great week ahead:)
I am so happy this came at the right time for you, Martha! That is so understandable, I find myself unwinding with looking through Facebook and then if I’m not careful, it can easily start a major loop that I have to climb out of, haha! Thank you so so much my dear friend!
I love this! I’ve been making more effort to get offline and it’s done wonders. Journalling is such a big one, and it’s such a nice break away from the screens and being switched on all of the time.
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Thank you so much Hannah, I am so happy you loved this one! I couldn’t agree with you more, journaling is such a therapeutic outlet with putting pen to paper.
I like the sound of this Analog living concept, and it’s something I need to adopt within my life!
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Aww, that makes me so happy Lucy! I hope you find some new analog activities to incorporate into your day-to-day life! 🙂
I love taking some time out of the day to sit down and journal – it helps me destress and turn off from the day!
That is such a great, therapeutic way to unwind, Caroline, I love that! Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
Such a refreshing reminder, Ashley, and I love the idea of a 5 to 10 minute brain dump!
Julia xo
Thank you Julia, I’m so happy you loved that one, I truly find it so helpful and it’s not so time consuming where it feels overwhelming!