In a world of remote working, ipad babies, and higher screen times, incorporating analog hobbies into your daily rotation might just be the thing you need to gain more mental focus, clarity, and balance.
Have you noticed you need to watch your TikTok videos at 2x the speed? Maybe you can’t even sit through 30 seconds of the same video. Or you’re dealing with the most insane and frustrating brain fog you’ve experenced in your life. These are just a few of the consequences many people experience due to increase screen time.
What Are Analog Hobbies?
Analog activites, or hands on non digital activities, can help. They act as a form of active meditation that helps your brain relax, prevent digital overload, and improves your focus. This year I’m focusing on these hobbies as non-negotiables so I can give my brain it’s own oasis from all the online chatter. This way I can improve my focus, creativity, and manage my stress better. So here’s a list of the 5 analog hobbies I’m committing to this year!
Reading
Reading a physical book. Probably one of the most popular analog hobbies out there. Not only do they smell AMAZING (don’t you love the smell of your local bookstores?) but it feels so good to hold a physical book. Seeing the progress you’re making as you turn each page and move your bookmark towards the end is so rewarding. There’s also so many ways to get access to your next read too! Libraries, second hand stores, yard sales, local bookstores — there’s plenty of options for all readers to find their next book. Reading a physical book prevents screen fatigue, encourages your reward system so you’ll want to read more, and allows you to fully focus on the hobby at hand — no more notifications to distract you. Annotating might even be an additional analog hobby you try out as you get more comfortable with your physical reading!
Journaling
It’s no secret that this is one of my FAVORITE analog hobbies ever. Putting a pen to paper just does something to my brain (thank you dopamine!). Journaling is genuinely such an easy, fun, and highly customizable form of self care. Journaling daily and getting everything out of your head onto paper can be such a game changer for your mental health. If this is something you’re interested in I even put together a whole list of different journal ideas you can try this year. If you were only going to pick one of these analog hobbies to try I HIGHLY recommend this one being it. From discovering yourself, understanding your thought processes, and getting all your mental noise onto something physical (which improves mood and focus!), it feels like the benefits of journaling can be endless.
Cooking
Cooking from scratch or meal prepping used to be so enjoyable, until, somewhere along the way it became one of my most stressful tasks. That’s when I realized my mind was always somewhere else and instead of being fully in the moment and focused on the task at hand, I was stressing about all the other things I needed to do later. So this year, taking time to slow down and really enjoy the moments of preparing nourishing and delicious meals is a major goal. Cooking is such a necessity and one of the analog hobbies that can feel like a major chore. But when you slow down it can be so calming, give you a sense of accomplishment, and leave the kitchen being a safe space for you!
Gardening
There’s just something about tending to a garden that makes you feel so good. This can be an analog hobby that’s a bit intimidating but the benefits are so worth it. Working with the soil, pruning your plants, maintaining life. It’s so relaxing. Starting gardening as a hobby doesn’t need to be intimidating or a lot. You can start small and decide whether you want to make a produce garden, grow herbs, or keep flowers and other plants! Even a small area like the corner of your apartment, a balcony, or over above your kitchen sink can work! It’s so rewarding seeing your own garden thrive plus you get to experience the fruits of your labor (literally or visually!).
Sewing
One of the most beloved analog hobbies for me. Not only is learning how to sew super practical, you can learn how to tailor or even make your own clothing, it’s also super beginner friendly! I started with sewing cute little felt plushies and now I’m learning how to make patterns for just about anything! Hand sewing is great because you get to feel yourself actually create something. Seeing a tangible product develop step by step is so rewarding and again — you’re focused on only one thing in front of you! It can help improve your focus, your fine motor skills, and highly rewarding for your brain.
There are so many analog hobbies out there that can promote a more creative, focused, and stress free life. That being said, I hope you’ve enjoyed my list of 5 analog hobbies that you can adopt to gain more focus in your life! No matter what you pick, just taking a few minutes away from screens can be such a positive impact for your mental and physical health! There are my top analog hobbies I’m working on this year for my own mental wellbeing.
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