Commitment to Analog
March 17th, 2026
Writer: Sophia Singh
I’ve found myself growing increasingly frustrated with my inability to have a modicum of self-control over my phone and social media usage. It’s quite embarrassing in many ways to catch myself switching between the same three app rotations within a three-minute period. TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat. Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok. Over and over and over again, until the notification comes in saying “You have an average of 7 hours and 32 minutes of screen time”. I’m forced to ask myself, is this how I want to live my life? Frying my brain cells and dwindling my attention span? Consuming content that, for the most part, won’t cross my mind again as soon as I scroll past it?
While I do know that going back to “analog” is a trend at the moment, I think it’s one of the few trends that should stay. It forces us, performatively or not, to get back to the basics: the physical, the tangible. For example, writing, crafting, or just making anything that you can physically hold in some capacity. In a world that is becoming increasingly mindless, it’s hard to do this, but I argue that it is necessary. I have been an avid journalist for a few years now, so I’ve racked up quite a few Moleskines. I write about the mundane and the important, and it’s helped me organize my mind and world better. A goal of mine this year is to go back to writing at least some of my school notes in a notebook instead of on my iPad. I’ve done it for some classes, like neuropsych and earth science, and I can already notice the difference in my ability to recall and memorize.
In high school, I would use a physical planner I would buy from the MET Museum each year, each one with a unique theme and art blended throughout. Anytime I got to physically cross out an item on my to-do list, it was significantly more rewarding than clicking delete. In college, Google Calendar has been my unfortunate default (due to peer pressure more than of my own volition). Although it has fun colors and is easy to use, it makes life feel more overwhelming than it actually does. So, I made the decision to go back to physical planners for 2026. I ordered a beautiful leather-bound planner from Papier that I’m excited to use each day. Taking the time to write out my week helps me feel less anxious and allows me to properly think through my schedule. It’s efficient and tangible, and gets me away from unnecessary notifications and time spent staring at screens.
Additionally, I try to finish a book every week. A physical one, not one on an iPad or Kindle (sorry!). I visit a local AA bookstore, Literati, each weekend to pick out my novel for the week. This is a fun activity that gets my legs and mind moving, while supporting local businesses.
To get back into crafting, I recently bought a Rainbow Loom kit from Michael's website. They had a 60% off Cyber Monday deal, making the kit only $13. I threw in a $5 friendship bracelet kit, the string kind with the crochet patterns that seemingly everyone knew how to make growing up (except me). Although it took time to learn and understand how to properly make the patterns, the physical act of making something, even as trivial as a bracelet, forced me to slow down and truly think of the task at hand. Re-learning how to make the classic Rainbow Loom starburst bracelet was like connecting my 9-year-old self with my 22-year-old self. I know these things might sound childish in nature, but they ground you.
So, my commitment to analog slowly begins. Exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your physical body. When you commit to producing things that take physical time and effort, seeing the fruits of your labor makes the endeavor well worth it.
