7 old-school Boomer activities to try if you're tired of staring at a screen

Modern life sure takes a toll on our bodies. Our eyes hurt from constant screen time. Our necks ache from looking down at phones. Our brains feel foggy from information overload.

We spend roughly 12 hours a day staring at screens. Phone, laptop, TV on repeat. It's exhausting in a way that's hard to explain to people who didn't grow up this connected.

But here's something interesting. The generation before us, the one that lived most of their lives without smartphones and constant connectivity, seems to have figured out how to stay engaged with life without burning out digitally.

They have hobbies that don't require charging cables. Activities that involve their hands, their bodies, their immediate surroundings. Ways of spending time that leave them feeling refreshed instead of drained.

Maybe there's something we can learn from them. If you're tired of the constant digital buzz, here are some Boomer activities worth trying:

1. Reading actual physical books

Remember when reading meant holding paper instead of scrolling?

There's something different about reading a physical book. Your eyes focus on one page instead of jumping between hyperlinks. No notifications interrupt you mid-chapter. No algorithm suggesting what to read next.

You're just present with the story or information in front of you.

I bought my first paperback in years last month after relying on my Kindle for everything. The experience was shockingly different. I retained more and felt more engaged. My eyes didn't feel strained after an hour.

Plus, there's something satisfying about seeing a book on your shelf, its worn spine reminding you that you actually finished something instead of adding it to a digital library you'll never revisit.

So try this. Pick up one physical book this week. Read it before bed instead of scrolling your phone. Notice how you feel.

2. Writing letters by hand

When was the last time you received a handwritten letter?

Boomers used to communicate this way all the time. They'd sit down, think through what they wanted to say, and write it out by hand. 

Writing by hand forces you to slow down. To think before you write. To be more intentional with your words.

I started writing monthly letters to my grandmother after she mentioned how much she missed getting mail that wasn't bills or junk. The first one took me 30 minutes to write. My hand cramped and I had to cross things out and start over.

But something about it felt good. Meaningful. Like I was actually connecting instead of just firing off a quick text.

Try writing a letter to someone you care about. An actual letter, not an email. See how different it feels to communicate without the speed and convenience of digital.

3. Gardening (even if you only have a windowsill)

Boomers love their gardens. And after trying it myself, I understand why.

There's something grounding about putting your hands in dirt. About nurturing something living and watching it grow. About having a hobby where success is measured in weeks and months, not likes and shares.

You don't need a yard. A few pots on a windowsill work fine. Herbs, tomatoes, flowers, whatever appeals to you.

I started with basil on my kitchen window. Watering it became this small daily ritual that had nothing to do with productivity or achievement. Just tending to something alive.

The bonus? Fresh herbs for cooking. But the real benefit was having something to care for that existed completely outside the digital world.

4. Playing board games or cards with actual humans

Video games are fine and certainly high in the entertainment factor. But there's something different about sitting around a table with real people, playing a physical game.

Boomers never stopped doing this. Game nights, card games, puzzles. They understand that entertainment can be social without being digital.

My friends and I started a monthly poker night. Real cards, real chips, sitting around a table talking and joking between hands. After years of gaming online, the in-person experience felt refreshingly human.

You see facial expressions. You hear actual laughter, not just "lol" in a chat. You're present with people in a way that video calls and online gaming can't replicate.

Dust off that Scrabble board. Learn to play bridge. Host a game night. Remember what entertainment felt like before everything moved online.

5. Taking long walks without headphones or podcasts

Boomers walk. A lot. Usually without any audio entertainment whatsoever. They just walk and let their minds wander.

This seemed boring to me at first. Why would I walk without listening to something? That's wasted time, right?

Wrong.

Walking without audio input gives your brain space to process and think. You actually notice your surroundings instead of constantly consuming content.

I tried it once, reluctantly. Left my earbuds at home and just walked around my neighborhood for 30 minutes. At first, my brain felt restless. It wanted stimulation. But after about ten minutes, something shifted.

I noticed things I'd walked past a hundred times but never actually seen. I had thoughts I hadn't had time for in weeks. I felt calmer.

Now I do it twice a week, and it never fails to refresh me. 

6. Join a bowling league or club

Boomers love their bowling leagues. Every week, same time, same place, same group of people rolling balls down a lane.

It sounds simple, maybe even a bit dorky. But there's something brilliant about it.

You're moving your body without it feeling like exercise. You're socializing face-to-face in a low-pressure environment. You're part of a regular community activity that has nothing to do with productivity or self-optimization.

I joined a bowling league on a whim after a coworker mentioned his parents had been in one for 30 years. I figured I'd try it once and probably quit.

Six months later, I'm still going every Thursday night. The game itself is fine, but what I really love is the routine. That and the fact that my phone stays in my pocket the entire time.

It's the kind of simple, steady social activity we've lost in our everything-on-demand culture. You show up, you bowl, you chat, you go home feeling more connected to actual humans.

Find a league in your area. You don't need to be good at bowling. You just need to show up consistently and be willing to have some low-stakes fun with real people in real space.

7. Visiting the library

Libraries were the original Google. Boomers spent hours there, browsing shelves, discovering books, soaking up knowledge.

Modern libraries are still amazing. Free books, quiet spaces, community events. And the experience of wandering through physical shelves, pulling out books that catch your eye, is completely different from scrolling through Amazon recommendations.

I hadn't been to a library in probably ten years. When I finally went, I remembered why I used to love it. The quiet. The smell of books. The tactile experience of flipping through pages to decide what to read.

I walked out with three books I never would have found online. Books the algorithm wouldn't have suggested because they didn't fit my usual preferences.

That's the beauty of physical browsing. You discover things you didn't know you were looking for.

Final thoughts

Look, I'm not suggesting we all abandon technology and live like it's 1985. That's unrealistic and unnecessary.

But there's real value in occasionally doing things the way Boomers did them. Before constant connectivity. Before screen time dominated every waking hour. Before we measured experiences by how shareable they were online.

These activities give your brain a break. They reconnect you with the physical world. They remind you that fulfillment can come from things that don't require a charger.

Try one this week. Just one. See how it feels to engage with life in a way that has nothing to do with screens, notifications, or digital anything.

You might be surprised at how much you've been missing.