Cycling

My go-to digital detox hobby is cycling. Of course, it’s quite weather-dependent, but from May to June, when St. Pete is in its prime, it’s the reason why my screen time drops. In the morning, a ride to work helps wake up my mind, in the evening – recharge and unwind with a view. On weekends, there may be longer trips, to suburbs or other cities, and it’s a surprise how accessible some locations are when you’re not relying on public transport. I think, cycling and St. Petersburg are meant for each other, not because of the infrastructure (yet, I hope that one day it gets there), but thanks to the city’s smooth landscape. Even for a beginner, a long ride won't even feel like a heart attack.

There’s no need to invest much in the beginning, new gear will come naturally over time. My starting point was one of the cheapest single-speed bikes from Sportmaster. I barely knew anyone who could keep me company, but now, I’ve made great friends (something I thought was impossible after graduating from university). Cycling communities are multiplying every season, you can choose which matches your vibe more.

With such an adventure, there’s no way you’ll be staring at your phone – except for checking the route and taking pictures of the beauty around you. Strongly recommend! – Elizaveta

Reading

I’m an avid reader – but I’ve not held a physical book in my hands for years. If something can be done digitally, trust me, I’d do it digitally. But what I recently found myself doing is instead of using my well-trusted ereader (the lesser evil), I started using my phone to read – because well, it’s simply easier to do so when you’re packed like a sardine in a metro train or a bus. My screen time went up (tho not just for reading), reading got often interrupted, and my eyes and even neck started to remind me that I’m not in my teens anymore. So, I dared myself to ditch my phone for paper for a change – and the timing was perfect.

First things first, I almost forgot how therapeutic and enjoyable book browsing can be, whether that is at a bookstore or a library, when you’re just going through opening paragraphs to see if you might like it. Reading a paper book also felt different, in a good way: I guess it’s the physical senses’ thing; I felt much more in the moment, less distracted. Another plus of analog reading is that you can jot down your immediate thoughts in the margins (of course, if that’s your book – and you’re that kind of a punk, like myself) and then go back to them when you finish the book, which feels much more awkward if you want to do so on an ereader, for instance.

In general, I’d say reading is an excellent analog hobby, especially if you feel like hitting the off switch on the digital – or the real, to be honest – world. Though I really enjoyed this little experiment, I won’t necessarily switch back to the analog, but will for sure keep my reading distraction-free. – Marina

Crocheting 

Though I hadn’t realized it at first, the hobby I picked for this challenge was my ultimate comfort zone activity – all thanks to sweet childhood memories. My grandmother, ever the craftswoman, taught me to crochet when I was about nine, and I still remember the joy of finishing my first rose-patterned napkin after hours of getting it wrong. Adding another nostalgic element to this hobby puzzle, I had a no-longer-fitting sweater hand-made by my mom that’d been waiting for the two of us to turn it into another project. So, with the skills and the yarn (plus some extra colors we went to pick out with a friend) secured – it was time to tackle an entire crocheted granny square cardigan.

How this works is, you first crochet an exorbitant amount of little squares that you then sew together into a cardigan. I am happy to report that I am not even halfway through yet – happy because I’m so glad it’s a longer project than I expected. This may be cheating, digital detox-wise, but I only crochet with a lecture on. Something about keeping my hands busy helps me engage with the material better, and I remember the last lecture’s contents more easily as soon as I pick up the crochet hook. I’ve even looked into the research on the matter: it seems, hand movements during learning can actually help engage our memory better! Plus, this keeps my productivity anxiety at bay: just crocheting might not have been “productive” enough, but doing it during an MIT lecture sure is.

On the sensory side, this has also been quite soothing: working with all those tender yarns of vibrant colors – every evening feels like a therapy session. All in all, I can’t recommend this enough. You get a respite from the day-to-day, you end up with a usable (or wearable) unique item of your making (!), and you learn a lot. – Catherine