Ready for an Analog Summer? Here Are 15 Activities That Don’t Involve Your Phone
Your phone is the first thing you touch in the morning and the last thing you see at night. A growing number of people have decided that is a problem worth solving, and analog summer is the answer they are building this year. The movement swaps doomscrolling for paperbacks, film cameras and yard games, and it is reshaping how a generation thinks about rest.
What analog summer actually means
Analog summer is not a rejection of technology. It is a deliberate choice to spend more hours doing tangible, offline things during the warmest months of the year. Think handwritten letters instead of texts, a physical alarm clock instead of a phone screen, an iPod loaded with saved playlists instead of an algorithmic shuffle.
The shift began building steam after the pandemic, when isolation and anxiety pushed people to look for slower, more grounded ways to feel present. In 2026 it has become a full cultural moment.
“AI slop is quite fatiguing both in the actual action of viewing the content and the fact that it’s so repetitive, so unoriginal,” Avriel Epps, an AI researcher and assistant professor at the University of California Riverside, told CNN.
Why the movement is exploding right now
The numbers are striking. Searches for “analog hobbies” on Michaels’ website are up 136% in the past six months, and searches for yarn kits jumped 1,200% in 2025. Michaels’ leadership calls it a real cultural shift, not a passing fad.
Customers “are moving past the passive scroll and seeking out the friction of a physical hobby,” said Heather Bennett, president and chief customer officer at Michaels. She said the most valuable things people own tend to be the ones they had a hand in creating.
Generative AI has amplified the appetite for craft. When algorithms write emails, suggest what to watch and even paint pictures, the act of making something with your own hands starts to feel like a small act of rebellion.
The analog bag trend catching on with Gen Z
One of the most visible expressions of the movement is the analog bag, a canvas tote packed with screen-free options a person can reach for instead of their phone. Books, sketchpads, playing cards, a journal, a Walkman. The contents vary, but the purpose is the same.
“I am trying to find activities that keep me from scrolling on my phone, especially since I work on social media full time. It’s easy to get on the internet, get on social media and just kind of scroll mindlessly… I think [an analog bag] helps you slow down and embrace different things in your life that you wouldn’t do if you’re scrolling,” Gen Z influencer Brynne Anika Fritjofson told NPR.
Sierra Campbell, who is credited with starting the analog bag trend, described the mental relief of having a visible alternative. “When I have a dedicated analog and I see it in the corner of my eye when I’m on my phone, I feel a relief… because I’ve done something to set myself up for success. This is my phone replacement, so I can put it down and pick up something else.”
15 analog summer activities to try this season
Building an analog summer does not require a total lifestyle overhaul. It starts with a handful of small, deliberate choices. Here are 15 ideas worth stealing.
- Plan a picnic
- Go on a bike ride
- Spend an afternoon reading outside
- Go bird-watching
- Play yard games like horseshoes, croquet or badminton
- Document the summer with a disposable camera
- Plant something in a garden, pot or on a windowsill
- Try a craft and take it outside
- Watercolor or paint in the open air
- Make homemade ice cream
- Host a game night
- Write someone a letter or postcard
- Cook something over a fire
- Pick berries at a local farm
- Go camping
Pick two or three, put them on the calendar and see what happens when the phone stays in a drawer.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
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