30 Ways to an Analog Summer

Happy June! I cannot believe how fast 2026 is flying by. But truthfully I am so excited for this summer. It’s the first summer I have without school in four years! So how I am spending it has become very intentional. 

This spring I did an internship, and part of that included me creating a presentation about screen time. While researching for this task, I came across this Ted Talk: LINK HERE. I highly encourage you to give it a watch in its entirety, but the first half of this video has a visualization for the amount of time the average 18 year old will spend on their phone the rest of their life in months. 

It’s staggering. 

And it brought some serious conviction to my own self and how much time I spend scrolling online. This isn’t just about social media, it’s simply how much time are you spending a day looking at a screen over living your life in the present moment. 

The original meaning behind the name “BE every era” wasn’t referring to era’s in a literal sense. It was referring to to being present, to not missing out on your life. 

When I was coming up with ways to talk to people about this in my internship, I was struggling with the “what about the good our phones bring?” So I want to make it clear, I don’t think phones are bad. The connection they bring to us can be so joyous. Sending reels to new friends to bond over shared interest, texting friends when they are on vacation or if they’ve moved away, and even learning about subjects we wouldn’t ever have looked in to had someone online not shared about it. We are able to communicate with people from around the globe. That’s beyond cool. 

But then I ask you, (and I ask myself…) What would we rather? Spend time texting or calling or even Facetime a friend from my bedroom? Or meet them for a bike ride? Or coffee? Or a sleepover? Or a deep in person, long conversation that ends with a hug? 

What would we rather? Spending time doom-scrolling until you feel like mush? Or start a new hobby? Go outside and do chalk art? Or plant a garden? Read a new book? 

I know my answer. And it's definitely not anything to do with a screen or scrolling or a phone.  

So let’s talk about how to live an ANALOG SUMMER. Or in other words… a summer of digital detoxing. Because at the end of my life, I don’t want to look back and only see memories of scrolling on my phone when there was a whole world to explore, so many people to meet, so much life to live. 

30 ways to an Analog Summer 

1. Have scroll free Sundays Grab a box or a bucket, and plop those devices in there for the day. Start the week off FRESH and enjoy the day you are given with people you love. Maybe even host this with friends so none of you feel ‘left out’, because you are all doing it together. 

2. Leave your bedroom. Often. Let’s be real with ourselves… The longer you spend in there, the more bored you will be, and the more you will spend on your phone. I recently read a book called Untangled by Lisa Damour in which she refers to sitting in bed and scrolling is training our bodies to stay awake and distracted anytime we are in bed, which then causes poor sleep habits. So let's make some changes!

3. Get outside DAILY! Garden, take a walk, go to the park, find a nearby hike, bike around your neighborhood. Sunshine is so good for your brain and your body! 

4. Morning and night bible time. Ask yourself this: Are you consuming media like it will fulfill you when the only thing that can truly fulfill us is Christ? I often find myself too tired to do anything BUT scroll on my phone... which just leaves me MORE tired. I'm making it a goal to change this mindset so that when I am tired, bored, cranky, overwhelmed, my first go to isn't my phone but the Word!

5. Journal I can talk about journaling all day long. My favorite form of journaling is gratitude journaling. What’s really cool about this is Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to give thanks in all circumstances and I think one way to live this out is showing gratitude in your journal. Writing to God and giving thanks to Him for the good in your life. There’s also so much science to how this helps rewire your brain to see life in a more positive way too. 

6. BOOKS! Read more this summer. I love a good summer read. Pick up a book, learn something new, get into the literature. As women, read for the sake that your ancestors didn’t get this privilege and many women around the world today still don’t have it. (& Library cards are free!)

7. Pack games/activities in your purse Bored with family or friends? Problem solved without a screen. Bring out a stack of uno cards and I’m sure you’re bound to have some good memories and fun. I have a friend who keeps coloring materials in her purse so when we go out to eat together, while we wait for our food, we all sit and color and chat. It’s a blast! Lean into your inner child! 

8. Scrapbooking One of my favorite things is to look at old notebooks, journals, photo books, ect… of my family members. I want my future children to have that privilege too, and I want to be able to look back and see those memories NOT on a phone for myself too. So I'm going back to scrapbooking my memories this summer!

9. Host a board game night My friend, family, and I LOVE board games. Whenever we get into the rhythm, everyone is focused, no one is grabbing for their phones, there is funny conversations, accusations, and complete harmless chaos. I LOVE it!

10. Switch to physical music 

Okay, recently while listening to music on my free Spotify account, I was extremely disturbed by the level of consumerism I was being fed with ad after ad after ad. So I powered my phone off, grabbed a CD and plopped it in my player. I realize that having physical music does cost money. But if you have a favorite album or song, I encourage you to save up for it. I felt so much more refreshed and my brain felt calmer listening to the album, in order, without ads, and not having to use my phone to do that. My phone could be in a different room, not distracting me, and I could still listen to my music. How joyous?!

A few more, rapid fire now!!

11. Gardening 

12. Plan a picnic

13. Watch sunrise or sunset

14. Go camping (could be in your backyard)

15. Make summer friendship bracelets 

16. Host a backyard dinner party 

17. Write hand made letters to your friends

18. Learn a new skill: sewing, first aid, juggling, bird identifying, anything new! 

19. Play a capture the flag in your back yard with family and friends 

20. Use a film, disposable, or polaroid camera for a full day 

21. Watch and catch fireflies again! 

22. Go star gazing 

23. Fill a jar with memories on slips of paper 

24. Take yourself on solo dates

25. Visit a new place you’ve never been before and write about it 

26. Take a walk without any music. Just listen to the birds or the crickets

27. Make plans!! in person!! 

28. Come home with messy hair and stories to tell 

29. Get back into art, even if you’re not good 

30. Serve or volunteer, and get to know the people that work there! 

It’s not about having the best, perfect summer. It’s about LIVING your summer to its fullest. Which means there will be messy, fun, silly, imperfect moments to fill your days. But it will be full of LIFE. 

Whether that is creating a story for a book, or drawing chalk art on your sidewalks, or having a scroll free Sunday where you dedicate your time to learning about a new subject only using books. 

Join me in making this summer completely unforgettable and intentional. I don’t remember the moments of scrolling on my phone, but I do remember the times I spent laying in the driveway during a rainstorm or biking through the neighborhood during sunset, or getting my first library card and finding new stories to dive into, or meeting my friends for a last minute hang out. 

THOSE are the memories I hang on to the longest, and the ones I want to create more of, because at the end of my life, I want to look back and see that I spent my moments doing what I love, not scrolling on my phone. 

I pray you all have an amazing start to your summers and that this season will be a time of renewal for your mind, body, and soul. 

You are so loved,

Brooklyn.