Analog Activities: Simple Ways to Unplug and Reconnect
Lately I keep seeing the same thing pop up everywhere: people, especially younger folks, pushing back on being chronically online and reaching for something real instead. Pressing flowers. Baking bread. Writing letters. People are calling it “analog activities”. Anything tactile, slow, and screen-free… and honestly? I love that it finally has a name.
Because here’s the thing: this isn’t new to me at all. It’s just been my whole approach to home and garden this entire time. Grow it, press it, make something with it.
That’s not a trend I picked up; it’s the actual rhythm of my life. So when I saw this whole “analog activities” idea catching on, my first thought was: oh, I’ve been doing this the whole time, come join me.
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What “Analog Activities” Means to Me
To me, it’s simple: anything that uses your hands instead of your thumbs. Anything slow enough that you actually notice what you’re doing while you’re doing it.
There’s a little irony in me writing this, since my actual job requires me to be plugged in for big chunks of my day, camera in hand, laptop open, phone nearby. But maybe that’s exactly why I crave the opposite so much. Getting outside, touching actual grass and dirt and flowers, and making something with my hands instead of a screen is how I reset. It’s not about rejecting technology entirely; I obviously need it for what I do. It’s about making sure it doesn’t become the only way I spend my time.
And honestly, these are the times that spark my creativity the most. Some of my best ideas don’t come from scrolling for inspiration; they come from a walk on the beach, an afternoon spent pressing flowers, or a quiet hour arranging blossoms onto a page. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive; some of my favorite analog activities cost nothing but time and whatever’s already growing in the yard.
Here’s a running list of ideas, grouped by how much they ask of you.
Go Do Something!
These get you out of the house, which is half the point:
1. Visit A Flower Garden Or Farm
Visit a flower garden or farm. I’ve been working on my New England in Bloom series for exactly this reason. There’s something restorative about walking through a garden that isn’t yours, to look and literally stop and smell the roses!
2. Go On A U-Pick Trip.
Go on a U-Pick trip. Strawberries, blueberries, apples, whatever’s in season. I’m lucky enough here in New Hampshire that we have all 3! It’s an activity, a workout, & maybe dinner, all in one trip. Plus, you are supporting your local farmers & putting money back into your community.
3. Wander A Farmer’s Market
Wander a farmers market with a mission. Instead of just browsing, give yourself a small goal: find one new herb, one new flower, one thing you’ve never cooked with before and bring it home.
4. Take A Walk
Take a walk with a tiny flower press in your bag. This one changed things for me; I started collecting little flowers or grasses wherever I ended up and popped them into my mini flower press (note: of course I am not trespassing and cutting from people’s gardens…just little wildflowers I pass by.
Here’s a couple cute presses:
5. Get Your Feet Wet
Take a late-day walk on the beach. This is my favorite, hands down. Nothing gets me out of my own head faster than walking barefoot along the water’s edge, looking for sea glass, driftwood, smooth stones, and shells. It’s the quickest way I know to feel connected to the earth again.
Make Something
This is where garden-to-home really lives:
6. Learn To Press Flowers
Still one of the simplest, most satisfying places to start. The whole process is relaxing- the definition of “go touch grass.” You collect the flowers, arrange them, press them, and then wait.
Opening the press to see how everything turned out is honestly a little magical every time.
Put on a good playlist, take your time snipping stems and arranging blossoms on the sheets, and let the rest go.
7. Start A Flower Journal
Start a flower journal. Part scrapbook, part travel journal, part creative outlet. It’s a beautiful, low-pressure way to hold onto a season. Every page becomes a little record of where you were and what was blooming at the time.
I wrote all about how I started mine in Pages & Petals: My Flower Journal, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite ways to collect memories.
8. Make A Foraged Wreath
Make a wreath. There’s something so satisfying about turning a handful of stems, grasses, or dried flowers into something you’d actually hang on your door. It’s forgiving, endlessly customizable, and a great way to use up whatever your garden gave you that you don’t want to waste.
I’ve built out 50+ wreath tutorials at this point, and it’s still one of the projects I come back to most. Here is a collection I made with live materials
9. Dry Your Flowers & Herbs
Dry flowers & herbs. Simple, useful, and it stretches your garden’s life well past the growing season. You don’t even need your own garden for this one — just hit a local farm stand or farmers market to pick up fresh flowers and herbs. I like to dry my herbs in bundles to use all winter long, and once they’re fully dried, I’ll often strip the leaves right off the stems into an empty jar to save space.
10. Make Your Closets Smell Good!
Old-fashioned in all the best ways. Making sachets is a small, hands-on project that pays off for months to come. Tuck them in a drawer or closet, and they’ll keep working long after the afternoon you spent making them.
There’s no reason to pay $10 a piece for these at a boutique when they’re such a simple thing to make at home, and you don’t need many supplies to get started.
11. Try Making Your Own Art
Try cyanotype sun printing. Genuinely one of the most magical, kid-friendly analog projects out there. Have fun printing flowers, leaves, and even seaweed (I loved the seaweed ones I made!)
Slow Down At Home
Smaller, quieter ways to unplug without leaving the house:
12. Bake Something
Turn on a good playlist, get out your mixing bowls, and let yourself get lost in a recipe for an afternoon. Baking is analog in the best way: measuring, mixing, & waiting. And your house will smell fabulous the whole time.
Here are a few to try:
13. Try Making Jam
Jam out! I’m not talking about more complicated canning here. This is simple refrigerator jam that is a perfect place for a beginner to start off with making. Very short ingredient list too!
14. Send A Handwritten Note
Mail time! Take the time to send out a handwritten note to someone, even better if it’s on a notecard you decorated yourself. There is something so wonderful about receiving a letter in your mailbox from a friend saying that they are thinking of you.
15. Keep A Journal
Start a journal. Even a simple one. It doesn’t have to be deep or dramatic, just a little paragraph at the end of the day about something nice that happened. I keep a garden journal through the growing season myself, but the idea works for anything you want to hold onto.
Even just five minutes a day can turn into a real habit over time, and it gives you a built-in pocket of time to disconnect from the world and just be with your own thoughts.
16. Start A Garden
Start a garden, a few containers, or even a pot. Nothing beats digging in the dirt for clearing your mind! You don’t need a big garden to get the same benefits as I get from working out in mine. Just have a patio? You can grow so many things (even veggies) in containers. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to be fun for you!
My garden is my sanctuary from the world, even pulling weeds is theraputic.
17. Host a Craft Night With Your Friends.
Craft night. Pick one of the ideas from this list: pressing project, journaling, wreath making, whatever sounds fun, and turn it into an evening together. Everyone brings their own supplies (or you supply a stash for everyone to share), put on music, pour something to drink, and let a few hours pass with your hands busy and your phones forgotten on the counter. It’s the easiest way I know to turn any one of these ideas into a whole night.
This is just a small sampling, too. Cross stitching and crocheting have had a huge resurgence with younger generations lately, and there are so many other old-fashioned, hands-on activities having a moment right now. These are simply the ones I’ve woven into my own daily life to disconnect. You may find a completely different set that works for you, and that’s the whole point!
Where I’d Tell a Beginner to Start
If this all sounds appealing but a little overwhelming, start small: grab a tiny flower press, tuck it in your bag, and just start collecting flowers on your regular walks. No commitment, no special skills, no pressure to make anything “finished” right away. The rest: the journal, the wreath, the jam can come later,
It All Comes Back to the Garden For Me
For me, most of these ideas loops back to the same place: grow it, preserve it, make something beautiful with it. That’s been my whole approach to home for years now, long before anyone put a label on it. If you’re looking for a way to unplug a little and get your hands into something real, I hope this list gives you somewhere simple to start.
I’d love to hear which one you try first.
See your projects featured! If you are inspired by this or any of my other DIY projects, I would love to see them and add you to the Reader’s Spotlight gallery. Send a photo to me at jennifer@cottageonbunkerhill.com
xo, Jennifer
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