10 Things Better Than Staring at Your Phone

What did we do with our downtime before we had phones? For one thing, there was actually downtime!

Now, anytime I’m not actively working on something, I grab my phone and trick myself into thinking I’m being productive.

I answer emails, research places to camp next year, I read the news. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of this, but it’s not something I need to do, and honestly, it usually ends up stressing me out more than anything.

Recently, I’ve been working on being more present, living in the now. Staring at my phone takes me out of the now, and puts me in the future, or the past, and I’m pretty much anything but present.

What I have started doing instead, is finding things that keep me occupied, but don’t necessarily have some specific end-goal, and don’t stress me out.

So, what can you do instead of mindless scrolling?

Write

Anything. Write in a journal, write a letter to a friend (when is the last time you did that?!), write a poem, write a short story. It can be something just for you, or you can write it with the intent of publishing it one day.

I would encourage you to put pen to paper, rather than using a computer for this, as temptation is only a tab away.

Draw

Even if you suck at it, like I do, it’s still fun to do. You don’t have to try to draw something- you could make patterns, draw spirals, fill the paper with lines or shapes. Draw 3D boxes, practice shading.

One of my favorite things to do, since it requires no artistic skill, is a Zentangle. There’s a basic form, but total freedom within that.

Memorize a poem

This is one of my favorite things to do.

I grab a book of poems, or I find one on the internet and write it down, then work towards memorizing it, one line at a time.

My advice would be to start small, especially if it’s been a long time since you have memorized a passage of something.

Rather than jumping into Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven (108 lines), I started with his A Dream Within a Dream (24 relatively short lines). It also happens to be one of my wife’s favorite poems, so I get the added bonus of breaking that out every now and then and impressing her.

Be fully present

Listen to your breath. Feel the air flowing into your body, the fabric of the clothes on your skin, the weight of your body on your chair/bed/floor.

Look around you and take notice of your surroundings, look at each item and just notice its existence. See what you can smell. Can you taste anything? Are you carrying tension in your body? If so, recognize that and let it go.

Let your body relax. Be fully aware of your physical senses, and be fully present in the moment. It’s incredible how refreshing this can be.

Watch the wildlife

Even if you are indoors, there is a strong likelihood that there is a window to the outside. What can you see outside? Are there animals? What color are they, and what size? What is their behavior like?

If you are outside, listen and see what sounds you can hear. Even if there are no animals, plants are alive. What are they doing? Maybe they are blowing in the breeze.

Maybe there are way more plants in your lawn than you ever realized.

Spend some time watching ants- they’re far more fascinating that many of us realize.

People-watching

This is particularly enjoyable if you are used to staring at your phone on public transportation, or while waiting in line.

Can you figure out what kind of person somebody is by the way they gesture, or their clothing choices? Is there something incongruous about their appearance? A hint of a tattoo that somebody tried to hide under professional dress? Or that person who tried too hard to look like they didn’t try?

You might notice that you are one of the only people not staring at a phone, which gives you a chance to watch and observe them without giving them the creeps.

Make up stories

This is a great one to combine with people-watching: Who are they? Can you figure them out? Better yet, make up something crazy. That old dude with the suit jacket and tie? Maybe on Friday nights he heads to an underground fight club and takes out the week’s aggravation. Maybe the kid on the bus is an alien sent to scout the planet for future invasion. Make it funny, dark, scary, whacky, whatever.

If other people aren’t available, you can dive deeper into a favorite daydream. Maybe you like to fantasize about learning to fly your own plane. Write a story

Keep your hands busy

There are plenty of hobbies that you can work on whenever you have a free moment. Things like sewing, crochet, origami. Even chainmail is something you can work on here and there, doesn’t take a lot of space or specialized tools, and is something unique and interesting.

Pick up some modeling clay to keep your hands busy if that’s what you need- it’s inexpensive, doesn’t make a big mess, and you just might create something interesting!

Bake something

This can be as big or as small of a project as you want. Less than half an hour? Bake some cookies. Got a whole afternoon? Make some bread, or bake a cake.

Most people have the essentials for baking in their kitchen already: flour, sugar, salt, butter/oil, eggs, baking soda. Other things are great to add interest, such as vanilla, chocolate chips, or nuts/seeds, but are not essential.

You may need your screen to grab a recipe, if you don’t have a cookbook or family recipes around the house, but just find one, write it down, and head to the kitchen. Bonus points if you incorporate a trip to your local library!

Don’t be deterred by recipes that call for mixers or other appliances. You can do just about everything with a wooden spoon or a spatula and a bowl. Remember, people have been baking since long before electricity.

Stretch

This is one of those activities that I hate the idea of doing, but enjoy so much once I start actually doing it.

I absolutely do not want to get off the couch just to try (unsuccessfully) to touch my toes. Once I get up and start moving a little, however, I get into it and spend more time doing it than I initially intended.

Honestly, it makes such a big difference in how I feel in my body, and greatly improves my mental well-being.

I’m not talking about doing a half hour of yoga poses, either. Just stand and do some basic leg and arm stretches, reach your arms over your head- nothing too intense.

Or, sit on the floor and stretch! Spend some time connecting with your body, moving and breathing, you’ll feel better for it.