202 Very Simple Things To Do Instead Of Playing On Your Phone

202 Things To Do Instead of Looking At Your Phone

Research shows that people spend an average of 3 hours & 15 minutes per day looking at their phone. What else could we do instead with that time?

Staring at Your Phone

10 Reasons Why We Should Stop Staring at Our Phone

202 things to do instead of staring at your phone

Further Exploration – Articles & Media

Your Take – Comments

Staring at the Phone

We do it on the bus, on the subway, the tube, at home, at work, on the couch, in the park. We do it all the time. Humans now appear to have a new limb attached to them, their phone.

Whilst our phone can be helpful in a myriad of situations, it can also suck us in and take some of the joy out of life. The small piece of glass that we spend hours staring at is not the real world. Wake up and come back.

10 reasons why we should put the phone down and 202 things to do instead of playing with your phone below. 

“Put your phone down. Your texts will be there later. The person in front of you won't”
Tiny Buddha

10 Reasons Why We Should Put The Phone Down

lots of people staring at their phone - Reasons to stop playing with your phone

  1. We Get Sidetracked: By people, stories, pictures, headlines and things that are (generally) not relevant in our life.  Reconnect to the real things in life
  2. Life is Too Short: We only get a very small amount of precious time on this planet. Don’t waste it staring at a tiny (or any) screen.
  3. Life Has Evolved Quickly: The power of technology evolves exponentially. We have and will get more and more sucked in to devices. Step away.
  4. Be Sociable: We have a tendency to ignore other humans when we’re playing with our phone. Be sociable, reconnect.
  5. We miss things: Whether it be the beautiful world or people around us, we miss stuff when we’re staring at our phone
  6. We’re not living in the real world: The shiny little screen in front of us isn’t real. The world and people around you are. Get involved with them and real life instead. 
  7. Constant Social Media Pressures: Huge numbers of people use their phones to constantly spend time on social media. Social media can be detrimental to your mental health as it’s not real, spend time away from it
  8.  Stop Worrying: People worry about whether someone got their text or phone call, missed it, is ignoring it, doesn’t want to reply to it or simple haven’t seen it. Stop worrying about it and staring at the screen. Either way, does it really matter
  9. It’s Beautiful Out There: The real world is actually a beautiful place with real people and trees and stuff. Get involved.
  10. There are loads of better things to do: Loads and loads and loads. In fact, there’s 202 of them below…
“The cell phone has become the adult's transitional object, replacing the toddler's teddy bear for comfort and a sense of belonging.”
Margaret Heffernan

202 Very Simple things To Do Instead Of Playing With Your Phone

Things to do instead of staring at your phone - Nature

Immediate Things to do Instead of Playing with your Phone

  1. Go for a walk
  2. Look around & be mindful – take in your surroundings
  3. Close your eyes and take a moment
  4. Take some deep breaths
  5. Make a (realistic) to do list
  6. Do something on the list 
  7. Read a book 
  8. Get active
  9. Have a face to face conversatioGet creative
  10. Go Out
  11. Listen to music

Spend Time With Loved Ones

things to do without your phone - spend time with friends and family

  1. See family
  2. See friends
  3. See your best friends
  4. Hang out with couples
  5. Make (build!) something with each other
  6. Make dinner (with loved ones!)
  7. Go for a picnic
  8. Play a game (see below)
  9. Look through family photo albums 
  10. Play with pets
  11. Visit friends and relatives with your friends and relatives
  12. Teach them one of your skills 

Get Active

Things to do without your phone - get active

  1. Run
  2. Find a wood or forest and explore
  3. Go for a hike
  4. Or an amble
  5. Or a ramble
  6. Or a wander
  7. Climb a tree
  8. Play Sports (see below)
  9. Go for a swim in a pool
  10. Swim in the sea
  11. Play hide and seek
  12. Go for a bike ride
  13. Go to the gym
  14. Trek up a hill or mountain
  15. Go bowling
  16. Go ice skating
  17. Go roller skating
 

Get Creative

Crayons in water - Things to do instead of playing with your phone - Get Creative

  1. Draw
  2. Sketch
  3. Paint (a picture)
  4. Paint (your house!)
  5. Make something 
  6. Water paint!
  7. Color in
  8. Do some origami
  9. Try clay modelling
  10. Knit or crochet
  11. Write (a poem / a book )
  12. Start and keep a journal
  13. Make a collage of photos
  14. Create a flower display
  15. Make your own website
  16. Make a family crest or emblem 

Go Out

Stop Staring at your phone - go out into nature
Visit…
  1. A meadow
  2. A library
  3. An art Gallery
  4. A spa
  5. A market
  6. Coffee shop 
  7. Bar or pub
  8. Museum
  9. Theme Park
  10. A forest
  11. The beach / sea
  12. A bathhouse 
  13. A farmer’s market
  14. The Zoo
  15. An animal rescue centre
  16. Take some nature pictures
  17. Relax in the garden
  18. Lie in the grass and make shapes out of the clouds
  19. Go on a random day trip
  20. Climb a tree
  21. Sit on a bench and watch the world go by

Play

things to do instead of playing with yyour phone - play games - scrabble pieces

  1. A board game
  2. Play cards
  3. Do a jigsaw puzzle
  4. Solve a riddle or puzzle
  5. Play scrabble 

Be Sociable

things to do withhout a phone - be social

  1. See friends
  2. Make a new friend – say hello to someone
  3. See family
  4. Speak to your siblings 
  5. Make a breakfast / lunch / dinner date
  6. Surprise your friends or family
  7. Spend time with the kids
  8. Meet people
  9. Have people over
  10. Have a conversation with someone
  11. Plan and hold a dinner party
  12. Have a party
  13. Do some people watching
  14. Send a love letter  

Do Things With The Kids

Do Things With The Kids
  1. Blow bubbles
  2. Play tag
  3. Build a fort
  4. Have a race
  5. Play a ball game
  6. Play a board game
  7. Play any game 
  8. Make up a game (using any combination of the above :))
  9. Do laps of the garden or park (and try to beat your time)
  10. Fly a kite
  11. Read a story
  12. Plant a flower
  13. Plant a sunflower
  14. Plant a vegetable garden
  15. Create an obstacle course
  16. Play frisbee
  17. Play catch
  18. Go on nature trail
  19. Go on a scavenger hunt
  20. Go for a walk
  21. Go on a bike ride
  22. Find some “ingredients” and make up a new game
  23. Go sledding
  24. Have a snowball fight
  25. Do some finger painting
  26. Make snow angels (when it snows!)

Help Others

things to do instead of looking at your phone - help others

  1. Volunteer to help people 
  2. Volunteer to help animals
  3. Visit people who need company
  4. Plant a tree
  5. Give someone a (genuine) compliment
  6. Babysit
  7. Have a clear out and donate your old books, toys and clothes to charity
  8. Give someone a hug
  9. Bring awareness of the help available to others
  10. Take yours or a neighbours pet for a run or walk

Clean & Sort

things to do instead of paying with your phone - cleaning

  1. Vacuum, hoover or dust
  2. The car
  3. The house
  4. The garden
  5. Loft / Attic
  6. Sort clothes

Relaxing Things

things to do instead of playing with your phone - relaxing things - relaxing bath

  1. Take a bath
  2. Have a nap
  3. Get a pedicure
  4. Light a candle/s
  5. Try some acupuncture 
  6. Have a sauna
  7. Go to a steam room
  8. Read a magazine
  9. Have a massage 

Things to Help Wellbeing

things to do instead of playing with your phone - wellbeing ideas - meditation

  1. Meditate
  2. Be present (be mindful)
  3. Have Fun (below)
  4. Light some candles 
  5. Go forest bathing
  6. Write a “worry list” and make a plan to conquer it
  7. Enjoy cold water therapy
  8. Help Others
  9. Get an early night
  10. Write a to do list
  11. Get some exercise 
  12. Go forest bathing
  13. Start a journal
  14. Write down your dreams and ambitions
  15. Donate your unwanted clothes and toys to charity
  16. Set your own goals and realistic prospectives of achieving them
  17. Take a rest day (away from the phone)
  18. Make a bucket list
  19. Write down and tell yourself some positive affirmations
  20. Treat yourself
  21. Pick up rubbish
  22. Eat the Rainbow
  23. Make a smoothie 

Sports & Exercise to Try

things to do instead of playing with your phone - sports
  1. Lift weights
  2. Do cardio / a workout
  3. Pilates
  4. Yoga
  5. Hula Hoop
  6. Golf
  7. Croquet
  8. Water hurdle jumping
  9. Go Fishing
  10. Ski
  11. Play a ball game (football / tennis / Hockey)

Learn

things to do instead of playing with your phone - learning

  1. Play an instrument
  2. Learn a language
  3. How to sew and fix your clothes
  4. How to Cook
  5. Do DIY
  6. Fix things
  7. Learn how to code
  8. To juggle
  9. Come up with and investigate a business idea

Have Fun

things to do instead of playying with your phone - fun

  1. Sing
  2. Dance
  3. Choreograph a dance routine
  4. See a band 
  5. See a DJ
  6. Go to a festival
  7. Play ping pong
  8. Play games with loved ones
  9. Play air hockey
  10. Dye your hair
  11. Play darts
  12. Get your fortune told

Further Exploration - Articles & Media

gala darling logo

Article: 100 Things To Do Instead Of Procrastinating On The Internet!

Gala Darling's 100 (fun) things to do instead of procrastinating on the internet including eating a popsicle, bedazzling something and covering everything with goodly eyes.(!)

your teen mag logo

Article: 100 Things Teenagers Can Do without Screens

100 things for teenagers to do instead of staring at a screen including having a nerf gun war and painting your nails

101 Things to Do Instead of Playing on Your Phone by Ilka Heinemann

Book: 101 Things to Do Instead of Playing on Your Phone

Ilka Heinemann's book containing 101 things to do instead of playing with your phone with suggestions, puzzles and illustrations to keep you off the phone
***This is one of the few affiliate links on Peaceful Soul***

Vox Logo

Article: How to stop looking at your phone

Vox looks at ways to stop looking at your phone including trying a digital detox and finding a replacement

Article: 11 Things You Should Do Instead of Being On Your Phone

11 things from Odyssey including having a dance party and writing to your parents

Video: 30 Things To Do Instead of Using Your Phone

Emily Wandel's Youtube Channel video covering 30 things including make a cup of tea and make a simple recipe

Article: 46 PRODUCTIVE THINGS TO DO INSTEAD OF SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA

46 things to instead of looking at social media from Cultivate What Matters including flossing your teeth, going to bed early and cleaning out your pantry

CNBC Logo

Article: How to stop phone addiction and check your phone less

CNBC article looking at how to stop phone addiction and checking your phone less including keeping a schedule, turning off push notification and not taking it to bed

Medium Logo

Article: 91 Things To Do Without Your Phone

Delfina Forstmann's article on Medium at 91 things to do with your phone including cooking dinner together, going hiking through the woods, finishing a book and going shopping

Further Mental Wellbeing Guides from Peaceful Soul

Mental Wellbeing Books & Products

The Mind Guides

Click here for the latest guides to enhance mental wellbeing

Your Take

Do you have any other things you can do instead of playing with your phone? Your take in the discussion below.