Life isn't just about looking at screens.
What a time to be alive. We have cars that drive themselves, stunning art created by artificial intelligence and my personal favorite—air fryers! It's a reality worthy of George Jetson, who may or may not have been born this very year, according to some Twitter theorists. But still, even with these modern marvels, there are some experiences that need no improvement … even if they do take twice as long.
A Reddit user recently asked the online forum to share one thing they “still preferred to do the old-fashioned way, regardless of technology.” Unsurprisingly, a main theme in people’s answers had to do with “old-fashioned” activities having a tangible quality to them. Activities that require touch, taste, smell … those things that make us feel human. Sure, efficiency and convenience are great, but feeling alive is pretty great too.
Here are 17 of the best answers that might have you going back to Team Analog:
1. Physical board games
“Most of the app versions of the games I like aren't that great. Plus, it's more fun to play with someone.” – @Junkolm
2. Photos
“There’s something satisfying and nostalgic about seeing the physical photos. I have my favorites displayed in frames, so I can see them every day. Makes me happy.” – macaronsforeveryone
3. Reading a book
“Love to have a book where I can turn the pages.” – @Jonsmile
4. Drawing
“I never really got the hang of digital art. It's much easier and more satisfying for me to have all of the tactile input from my work.” – @WitheredFlowers
5. Buttons for cars
“I refuse to buy a car that only uses a touch screen for everything. Much safer to not have to fiddle with a touch screen while driving.” – @Ghertomp
6. Physical menus at restaurants
“I'm with the boomers on this one.” – @cptfuzzybeard95
7. Arts and crafts
“In particular, sewing. Hand sewing is peaceful, quiet, portable, and just overall more satisfying. Plus I get better bragging rights on the finished product.” – @carinavet
8. CDs
“I hate streaming music…I like having ownership of what I listen to.” – @jbnagis
9. Notes
“I will typically use index cards because they are not as easy to ‘fly away’ or get crumpled or lost. But hey.... that's just me!” – @NoBSforGma
10. Planners
“I am 100% team paper planner. It’s so much easier to flip to a monthly spread and see all my meetings, etc. at once than having to open every damn day on my phone to see what’s there. I collect fountain pens, so any excuse to hand write is a good excuse.” – @eventualguide0
11. Driving a manual car
“No matter how advanced and on point automatic cars are, controlling a manual stick is just so much fun.” – @CoolMaster52
12. Cookbooks
“My grandma always had a library of them and I enjoy the nostalgia of going through them. I still buy them partly because I like the photographs of ingredients and finished meals. It also bugs me that most online recipes have a really long story with a bunch of nonsense that I don't need. Plus I like to dog ear the pages.” – @GlassAndPaint
13. Plain ol' watches
“It's so easy just to glance at your wrist instead of fiddling around with your phone to get the time.” – @biggirliespants
14. Growing food
“I try to raise, grow, hunt, and forage as much as my own food as possible. It's expensive and time consuming but the result for my mental health is priceless. I know my scale isn't possible for everyone but I highly recommend at least growing something from seed to plate, the sense of pride and accomplishment you'll feel is hard to describe.” – @ElJamoNator
15. Making popcorn
“I still make it in a pot on the stove. And it’s 100% better that way.” – @leaky_eddie
16. Camping
“A tent and a fire is so much more peaceful to me than having most of life's conveniences in your trailer.” – @Ginger-Beefcake
17. Non-online dating
This article originally appeared two years ago.
