As I watched yet another self help content on Instagram, I closed the app and put down my phone — resisting, once again, the usual temptation to fling my phone into the sun. The proliferation of copy-pasted curated lifestyle content and AI slop have relentlessly invaded my personal space to no end. I’m tired of being fed artificial dopamine on a silver platter. I’m tired of social media being designed to keep us addicted. I don’t want to be influenced by yet another fleeting trend or learn five more things I’ll forget tomorrow. I certainly don’t want to question my worth and compare myself to what I should do or be, because of status anxiety.

We need to consume better content, not more content. The internet used to be a place that bring me joy and meaning. Now, it feels like noise.

I started feeling more detached from it, and more of a pull towards engaging with world outside — to touch more grass, literally and metaphorically. I want to continue trusting my own instincts more than what social media tells me to. Will I still be posting on social media? Absolutely. It’s easy to get caught in the loop but I’m not quitting. I want to be more intentional with how I use it, more creating and less consuming. It’s the reason I didn’t sign up for TikTok or Xiao Hong Shu, because I ain’t got bandwidth for yet another portal into not-enoughness.

Here are some analog things I’ve been doing to keep me more grounded and occupied offline.

Keeping a commonplace notebook

A commonplace notebook is different from a journal — it’s a notebook to collect or record any information you find meaningful or useful. If you know me, you know I live on Notion. But I started writing things down and read my own handwritten words. One of the things I wrote is a list of reasons why I reach out for my phone to understand my fears and motivations (Hint: It’s procrastination driven by the fear of uncertainty, or the feeling of not “productive” enough. Or I just want an easy dopamine hit).

My current notebook is pocket-sized with a cute-ass sticker I stuck on from Chiang Mai. I carry it almost everywhere. I have another notebook (Traveler’s notebook *chef’s kiss) for scrapbooking, but it’s a bit too bulky for me to carry around.

If something calls to me and I have a page for it (or I create one), I’ll take note of it. If a place offers free stamps (another thing I’ve been into), I’ll make a mark in the pages. My notebook is not a place for reminders or tasks (that’s for Notion), but a faster access to thoughts that matter. It takes a bit more effort to handwrite something, so I’m a bit more thoughtful about what goes in, as every word counts. I have pages for important quotes and reminders and thoughts I want to revisit. I don’t have to open my phone or laptop to check. I know exactly which page to flip to.

It’s not as structured or organised as Notion, but it feels more alive in my hands.

Strength training

I used to do it out of spite (lol), but now it helps alleviate my nerves and restlessness I feel. I haven’t figured out what causes it, but for now, it gives me a reason to get out of my house to move. A friend suggested CrossFit, but regular strength training (and cardio, sobs) is good enough for me.

Does it help with my lower back? Yes.

My posture? Absolutely, I have stronger back and core strength.

Is it leading me to the road of hotness? I’ll keep you posted.

Walking in nature

I’ve been making a conscious effort to walk more since last year, especially outdoors. Nature walks have become part of my almost every day routine, usually in a closer neighbourhood with more trees or nearby parks. It gets easier when it becomes a ritual to go outside.

With each stride, I soak in my surroundings: the cleaner air, the greenery, the songs of the birds and insects. I let thoughts come and go. Being in tune with the natural stimuli around me helps me process things much easier, sometimes it’s almost as if everything in my mind melts away and overthinking leaves me. There’s more to life than my projects and tasks.

I often think about that one meme with it’s a picture of a beautiful landscape and the caption: “people saw this and made B2B SaaS”. I used to show it to my ex-boss every time, and he gets it.

In any case, I pay more attention: how shades of greens blend into each other, the patterns on tree trunks, the way leaves are formed and intertwined. Who needs Pinterest when you can get inspiration directly from Mother Nature? If there’s something striking, I’ll take a photo. Or I even do a quick sketch if I’m called to it. There’s no force with nature. Nature just is.

And If I’m lucky, I get to pat some cats along the way.

Taking photos and videos to document

I try to bring my camera wherever I go now (if not, my phone will do). I’m drawn to specific things, such as an interesting corner of a street, the framing of a lamp post in the park, or a burst of colour against modern brutalist architecture (why the rejection of ornamentation).

I thought they were for my memories, but if there were, I would have taken more common attractions or photos of friends and family. But I’m more captivated by unplanned composition: how nature and concrete collide, the way light and shadows play, how space is formed between things.

They’re not staged, forced, nor a setup with a purpose. They exist as they are.

But of course, if something is designed with good taste, I’ll still gladly snap a photo for my own collection too. If any of them are “good enough”, I might post them online. Most of the time, it’s just for me.

Curating a physical photo album

I store most photos on my phone, because it’s where I capture most photos on. I also treat Instagram like a digital photo album where I post highlights in my life, but we all know Instagram isn’t built for that purpose anymore. Physical photo albums have a more personal and intimate feel. It’s nostalgic to have something like that you curated in your hands, flipping through pages and bringing up memories from the past. That’s how our parents and their parents used to archive memories.

When you have people over, they can flip through them too. Laughter and past memories emerge and become conversation starters for the evening.

Consuming other (physical) forms of media

I notice myself gravitating towards slower media, such as vlogs, books, newsletters, blogs. I watch vlogs during dinner at home, instead of watching a tv series. I read a book when I want to sit in the comfy nook and dive into another world, either a fictional one or an author’s mind. If the book is that good, I could sit for hours, completely absorbed and gripped by the narrative of the lives of the characters or author’s. I highlight and jot down thoughts wherever I feel necessary.

You’re focused on the book itself. There are no ads, no recommendations or pop ups. It’s just you, the author, and the pages.

These activities are not unheard of. But they serve their purpose very well. All this to say, I’m overstimulated by social media. I want to be more present, more focused. I want to chase natural dopamine, not ones designed and engineered by corporations. I don’t need to be in the know of everything online. I can always trust my friends to update me what’s new.

There’s always going to be that reflex to reach for my phone. I try to pause and be more aware in that second before I reach, and ask myself if it’s really needed.