10 Off-Screen Things My Inner Child (and Current Self) Loves

For when your screen time report is a jumpscare

My three-year-old niece isn’t around screens. Instead, she builds magnetic tile castles, draws family portraits in crayon, “reads” aloud to her baby brother, collects bugs in the backyard, and paints birdhouses with furrowed-brow concentration. Her attention and energy is constantly focused on curiosity, creating, and learning.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I’m giving my attention and energy. It’s easy to slip into the habit of telling myself it’s just five minutes on TikTok, but then suddenly it’s dark outside and I’ve wasted away the entire afternoon.

Over the last year or so, I’ve started taking a page out of Harlow’s book – trying things that keep my hands busy, my brain engaged, and my phone out of reach. Here are 10 off-screen things I’ve been doing instead of doomscrolling.

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1. Take a Dance Class

There’s something innately freeing and uniquely human about dancing, and you don’t have to be “good” to feel the benefit. There’s a style for everyone – I’ve taken ballet classes, jazzy classes, “pop star” dance classes, ballet workshops, dance fitness, interpretive / modern dance, etc. – and I always leave feeling free and energized. Last year, I went as far as going on a dance retreat in Texas that was pretty life changing. If you’re interested in finding ways to dance, I recommend looking into:

• Moves (NYC) – Jazzy

• Gay Choreographer’s Intro to Pop Star Dance (NYC + LA) – Living out your pop girl fantasies

• Spiral Time Dance Retreat (TX) – Post-modern / modern dance four-day annual retreat in Lockhart, Texas

• FORWARD__Space (NYC) – Dance fitness

• Dance Again (NY & NJ) - Offer an array of adult dance classes, “Rusty Ballet” classes are specifically for adults looking to get back into ballet. I recommend having experience in ballet (even if you were really little) before taking this class

• Sky Ting (NYC) – Traditionally a yoga studio that now offers “Trance Dance” and “Ballet Beat” classes (these are the only ones in this list I actually haven’t been to myself, but am planning on going soon!)

• ClassPass (Generally) – Filter classes for “dance” to see what’s available in your area

• Ballet Studios (Generally) – Look up actual ballet studios in your area and see if they offer adult classes. If you’re brand new or just getting back into the swing of ballet, I recommend looking for “Absolute Beginner” classes. Cobble Hill Ballet is where I go for my adult ballet classes and workshops.

• r/ballet Reddit Page – Search to see if someone has asked about adult dance classes in your area. If they haven’t, ask the question yourself and see what’s out there

  

2. Hand Embroider or Sew

I’m a nail biter and hand fidgeter because I have this unconscious need to keep my hands busy. I attended a beginner-friendly embroidery class through RecCreate Collective (NYC) that was really wonderful. RecCreate offers an array of classes – like collaging, jewelry making, cake decorating, printmaking, etc. – all at an affordable rate. Totally normal to show up solo, too! If you can’t find any sewing classes local to you, YouTube is your oyster.

3. Paint Pottery

I’ve found painting pottery to be meditative, and something that’s fun to do solo or with a friend. Places like The Painted Pot (NYC) and Color Me Mine (Multiple US Locations) provide you with everything you need – you just pay for the thing you're painting (a mug, plate, butter dish, fruit basket, dog bowl…). I usually spend around $35 each time I go, making it a budget-friendly personalized gift or home addition.

4. Collage or Junk Journal

If you saw my last Substack, you’ll see that I collaged a wall in my closet using mostly magazine clippings. When I started trying to source materials, I discovered that buying new magazines is very expensive! I wanted to go a cheaper route, so I sourced vintage French magazines from this eBay seller. You could also check your local used bookstore to see if they have any magazines for cheap (they usually sell them for $1/piece or so). If you don’t know where to start with collaging, try junk journaling instead.

5. Play an Instrument

In the same vein of keeping my hands busy, playing piano does that for me. I recently got a keyboard in my apartment after not playing for years, and it’s been a fabulous creative outlet. Growing up, I learned how to play piano by watching YouTube videos, and then later by ear. You can look up literally any song title + “piano tutorial” on YouTube, and a video exists. Playing “Changes” by Tupac on piano used to be my party trick.

6. Doodle, Draw, or Take a Drawing Class

All it takes is a pencil and a dream. I saw a post from Yu & Me Books about a drawing class in June, so my friend Serena and I signed up. I am not good at drawing in the slightest, but Serena is a fabulous artist (and she just launched SJ Studio, her event planning + designing business if you’re looking for some help putting together a chic wedding or event).

7. Make Ceramics

I’m graduating from just painting pottery to actually making the pottery itself… I’m planning on taking my first ceramics class in July as a birthday present to one of my dear friends Georgia. We’re going to try out BKLYN Clay and live out our Patrick Swayze dreams.

8. Go to a Museum

I mean… a classic. If you’re deterred by the price of museum tickets, look into what museums near you are “pay what you wish” or have free admissions days/hours.

• The Met: Pay what you wish for New York residents

• Guggenheim: Pay what you wish on Mondays and Saturdays from 4-5:30pm (note: the minimum is $1)

• Whitney: Free for visitors every Friday evening from 5-10pm and on the second Sunday of every month. Reserve your spot in advance.

• Natural History Museum: Pay what you wish for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents

  

9. See an Nostalgic Movie at a Theater

Independent cinemas are often showing older movies on a regular basis. I recently took myself on a solo-outing to see The Virgin Suicides (1999), one of my favorite movies of all-time, in 35mm at the Metrograph. I left feeling so giddy. What a treat. If you have taste, Pride & Prejudice (2005) is currently showing in theaters nationwide to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Seeing that movie on a big screen and in a room full of girly pops is the superior viewing experience.

10. Crosswords

I have a distinct childhood memory of sitting in a parked car with my mom and sister with a workbook full of puzzles, memory games, and brain teasers. I think we were killing time in between games at one of my dad’s soccer tournaments. I discovered my love for crosswords through an old-soul friend who still gets the print editions of WSJ and the New York Times delivered to his doorstep every day. We were temporarily living together while I was in between leases, and crosswording together became a staple roommate activity. Highly recommend doing the New Yorker and New York Times crossword in print. For the New York Times, start by doing their Monday crosswords first. They get progressively harder throughout the week (Monday is the easiest, Sunday is the hardest).

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to fill your cup and get off screens <3 My screen time report was SCARY this Sunday so…

xx Sophie