That craving to go analog isn't about your phone
What it's *really* telling us—and the simple reframe I'm using to get my time back
I’ve been seeing so much content online lately about everyone’s desire to go a little more... analog. And honestly, I’m right there with them. ( 👆 This is my cookbook stack from a few week’s back that’s still calling my name…)
It’s funny, though. The irony of seeing a post online about the desire to be offline isn’t lost on me.
But I think it really keys in on such a pivotal distinction.
Because the internet is such a double-edged sword, isn’t it? Our lives are going to be online, and it can be this truly great place for connection, for honest conversations about the things that matter.
And then there’s the other side of it.
The side where you’re scrolling and you just get... all this input that you didn’t even ask for. You’re told what you need to be doing better. How to optimize your life. The new tools and apps you need to get. And it just causes you to second-guess yourself as an individual, as a parent... wondering if you’re doing well enough.
Is over-functioning is causing you to spiral? (probably.)
I think this is one of the biggest pressures, especially for moms who are already so high-functioning they’re over-functioning. That heightened sense of self-awareness means we’re the first ones to think, “Oh, I know I could be doing better in this area, let me find out how.” And we just end up creating so much extra stress and overwhelm that is completely unnecessary.
And I think that’s why this “analog” conversation is popping up everywhere.
What we really mean by “analog”
But what I’m hearing between the lines—what I think we all really mean when we say that—isn’t that we want to go live in a cabin and get rid of technology.
It’s that we want life to feel like it used to... back when it was more analog.
What people are really saying they want, I think, are boundaries.
In those little pockets of “downtime” in a more analog era, we were getting things that were inspiring, or creative, or connecting. And now, those same pockets of time have been slowly... just... leaking. They’ve been filled with picking up our phones and doom-scrolling, and we’re left feeling drained instead of fulfilled.
So, for me, the question isn’t “is technology bad?” That’s not helpful. The question is, “What function is this serving in my life right now?”
Am I using it to feel inspired and connected? Or am I using it to numb out, compare, or pile on more “shoulds”?
This realization has helped me stop trying to vilify my phone, and instead just get more intentional about why I’m picking it up in the first place.
The first step isn’t adding more
It’s about putting some simple parameters around it.
I’ve shared this before, but I’ve put my phone so that if I triple-click the side button, the whole screen turns to grayscale. It’s just... less interesting to scroll when it’s black and white. I’ve put on app limits. I’ve deleted apps. I’ve started taking a non-negotiable quick midday walk, just to get outside and away from it.
These aren’t “hacks.” They’re just boundaries. They are the small ways I’m trying to reclaim those little pockets of time.
And I think that’s the real first step. It’s not necessarily to find a new, fulfilling hobby—that can feel like just one more thing to add to the list.
The first step is to simply find the pockets of time where we are giving ourselves away freely, at a personal cost, to technology in ways that are draining us, rather than filling us back up.
It’s about finding those moments and just... taking them back.
Creating those boundaries is what gives us the space to eventually connect back to what really matters to us—whether that’s reading a book, or dancing to some music, or just sitting down to trade a few minutes of scrolling to write this post.
So, my question for you this week is...
What’s one “draining” scroll-session you could reclaim... and what’s one “filling” thing you’d love to do with that time instead?
Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear. 💕
Okay…talk soon,
Erin