Megan Blackburn’s Book Dragon Tote is just one of many portable stitching projects found on Rosanna Diggs’ By Hand Craft Co website. This project is ready-made for an analog bag since the bag itself is part of the project.
Sierra Campbell doesn’t go anywhere these days – not even to another room in her house – without at least two important items: her cell phone and a bag of analog activities — a sketch book… a craft project… even an actual newspaper, whatever hands-on item she needs to spark the same pleasurable hit of dopamine that she gets from scrolling.
Whether you call it digital fatigue or brain rot, studies show that constant scrolling on electronic devices is affecting not just our brains, but our general well-being. Scrolling is driven by boredom, experts say, and the key to control-the-scroll is to replace our digital fix with another activity. Hence, the “analog bag.”
Campbell, a content creator with more than 124K followers on TikTok, isn’t the first to pack a bag of “toys” to take to restaurants, long commutes, doctor’s appointments, and more, (heck, what mother or grandma hasn’t packed a “busy bag” to amuse antsy toddlers on-the-go), but she is credited with coining the apt and descriptive term “Analog Bag.” And as the yen to slow-the-scroll gains momentum, Millennials and Gen Zers are especially eager to cut their screen time, quiet their minds, and do something tactile.
Want to slow your scroll, cut your screen time, and maybe even increase your overall wellness? Here are some tips:
- Delete unnecessary apps.
- Leave your phone in a box or bag in a specific location. If you need to use it, go there and use it intentionally, then leave it there.
- Turn on the screen time tracker and record your monthly or weekly screen time.
- Keep an analog bag or basket close or easily accessible.
- Create screen-free zones in your house.
- Turn off notifications.
- If you have the urge to pick up your phone, for no particular reason, reach for a project instead. Repetitive, tactile crafts such as knitting, sketching or embroidery can help reduce stress and anxiety.
After reading Charles Duhigg’s book, “The Power of Habit,” Campbell learned that “to replace one habit you have to replace it with something else.” So she filled a small purse with her favorite non-digital activities and started bringing it “everywhere I brought my iPhone. Room to room, car, wine bar, you name it.”
She changes her bags every 2-4 weeks, depending on what’s working and what isn’t. “In the seasons when I feel creative it’s full of creative crafts or art supplies. In the winter, good reading is what I’m grabbing for so it’s full of pens, books, and notebooks for reflecting. Whatever works, goes in. Whatever I’m grabbing my phone for, I look to replace.”
The term “analog bag” caught on, says Campbell, who goes by Siece online and can also be found on Instagram, “because it’s unique and solves a clear problem people have. The phone is such easy dopamine, replacing the ease (of a phone) with similar joy really just works.”
Michaels has plenty of craft options, including an expanded selection of Guided Crafts, beginner-friendly crafts that include Diamond Art, Paint by Number, Canvas Painting Kits, along with various stitchery kits.
Campbell has been passionate about the perils of too much screentime since 2013, when Instagram video appeared. (Yes, she sees the irony, since she’s a video creator.) But after reading about the perils of screen glut, she changed her habits and is proud to say she seriously curbed her usage.
She’s not alone. Variations of #analoglife trended heavily last year on social media, is gaining even more traction in 2026, and have pushed crafting from being a secondary hobby to “a primary tool for mental wellness,” according to Stacey Shively, chief merchandising officer at Michaels, which is currently compiling its 2026 Creativity Trend Report.
“For many, (crafting) is a form of ‘productive meditation,’ a way to de-stress while creating something tangible that reflects their personal identity,” Shively says.
For example, she notes that junk journaling searches on Michaels.com are up 63% from last year, “showing a desire to document life offline,” while needlepoint searches are surging 251% compared to 2025, “positioning it as the ‘new crochet’ for those seeking a portable, rhythmic, and meditative craft.”
Marie Friss Løye and Anne Sofie Banke, co-founders of the Copenhagen-based sewing and pattern company Puff and Pencil, created Hands First January because they were “stunned” by how much time they spent on their devices.
“Hands First January is about creating new habits and new pathways in the brain,” Løye says. “We wanted to regain control and use our devices intentionally, when necessary, rather than out of habit. We wanted to begin the year by shifting focus away from screens and back to making, using our hands as a way to slow down, concentrate, and reconnect with the joy of creating something physical.”
Lori Roberts, creator of Little Truths Studio, created the year-long The Analog Project to reinforce a monthly practice of “slowing down, making things with our hands, writing letters, and remembering we’re real human people,” offering prompts, printables and more.
Lori Roberts, creator of Little Truths Studio, goes even further with her year-long The Analog Life Project, “an invitation to slow down, unplug, and reconnect with your offline life.”
The project began as her own experiment, but she found others were eager to join her journey.
“I wanted a slower life in 2026,” she explains. “I want to make more room for creativity and deep thinking. The Analog Life Project is a free, year-long invitation to step away from constant screens, unplug from the noise, and explore a more intentional, analog way of living.”
She offers free, monthly printable PDFs “that explore how we might adopt a practice of presence—writing letters, making things, journaling.” She shares worksheets, journaling pages, postcards, recipe cards, and more, including The Analog Life Snail Mail Society for letter-writers looking for pen pals.
Creative businesses, both big and small, are embracing the trend by creating smaller, portable projects and kits, running the gamut from needlework to mini watercolor sets.
“We’ve seen a huge uptick in portable crafts,” says Amy Barrett-Daffin, publisher of C&T Publishing. “From embroidery to English paper piecing, we are seeing great interest in items that can be easily taken on the go.”
To foster the movement, she notes, designers can provide classes or kits focused on crafts, or host “put that phone away!” retreats or evenings at their shop. “No phones allowed and everyone relaxes and starts stitching.”
Michaels is “leaning heavily” into the slow-the-scroll mood by expanding categories that demand tactile focus, such as sewing notions and machines, themed needle craft kits, and beginner-friendly crafts.
Millennials and Gen Zers are craving creative time with friends, Shively adds, “embracing craft parties/social crafting and weekend ‘crafternoon’ get togethers” instead of going to bars and restaurants.
Sisters Alicia and Sonia de los Reyes host the podcast Handmade History, with stories about people, materials and practices related to handcrafts, and they encourage listeners to craft as they listen “and bring history to your fingertips.” For instance, they recently featured Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ and her 3D stumpwork embroidery kit in the Wild Pansy Stumpwork Stitch Along episode. “It’s a way of making something digital concrete,” says Alicia.
“Doing analog crafts is a wonderful way to disconnect from digital scrolling and to reduce stress and anxiety,” says Amy Barrett-Daffin, publisher of C&T Publishing, where popular offerings include On-the-go Embroidery Cards,The Quilt Builder Card Deck, and Handy Pocket Guides for several crafts. And if you like games, check out Happy Quilter Variety Puzzles,
Rosanna Diggs started her embroidery company, Rosanna Diggs Embroidery in 2018 and recently rebranded as By Hand Craft Co to collaborate with other artists, such as Megan Blackburn of Weird Sisters Yarn, whose Book Dragon tote is both a project and a bag.
“Folks who are interested in embroidery frequently are trying to calm their minds and busy their hands, to simplify what’s happening around them,” Diggs says.
“I feel like I’ve heard someone at every event express enthusiasm that their new embroidery project will curb their doomscrolling.”
Quilters, too, have portable options. For example, Carolina Moore’s 4×6” Quilt Doodle Pad has grid lines and measuring dots for designing 12” quilt blocks on-the-go. Lauren Metang’s dual loves of reading and quilting merge in her shop, The Palm Creations. Her monthly Quilter’s Book Nook subscription box combines “the magic of books with the mindfulness of quilting, inviting you to slow down, read ardently, and stitch something beautiful, one quilt block at a time,” while the Craft Date with a Book bundle includes everything you need (including the book) to create a quilt block that matches the book cover.
Slowing the scroll can be easy and worthwhile, experts agree.
After all, says Campbell, “Scrolling is synthetic human connection. Organic will always nourish us most.”
Creating your own analog bag:
- Pack a variety of items, from tried-and-true faves to something new to spice it up. Popular items include Sudoku or crossword puzzles, brain teasers, books, a newspaper, camera, watercolor set, needlework and other tactile crafts, journals, coloring book and supplies, journals, journals, stickers, a deck of playing cards, and more.
- Consider having more than one bag – one to keep at home, one for travel. Or one for adults, one for children.
- Swap out your items every month or so; try something new. Sierra Campbell changes her bags about every 2-4 weeks, depending on what’s working and what isn’t. “In the seasons I feel creative it’s full of creative crafts or art supplies,” she says. “In the winter, good reading is what I’m grabbing so (my bag) is full of pens, books, and notebooks for reflecting. Whatever works, goes in. Whatever I’m grabbing my phone for, I look to replace.”
- Pick a sturdy bag, perhaps one with compartments to keep items sorted and easy to find. Your bag should be comfortable to carry, perhaps with wide straps, or a backpack style. Convenience is key, says Campbell. “I’ve seen people with analog baskets,” she says, “but if it doesn’t travel with you easily, it doesn’t work as effectively.”
- If desired, personalize the outside of your bag with paint, pins, patches, bling, charms, etc.
- Prepare projects ahead of time. “I do wool applique embroidery, and I prepare all my work in advance, pinning on my pieces and having all my threads and tools in a bag ready to grab,” says Stacey Shively.
Roberta G. Wax
contributor
Roberta Wax is an award-winning journalist and imperfect crafter. A former news reporter, her freelance articles and projects have appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines, from the Los Angeles Times and Emmy magazine to Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio, Craftideas, Belle Armoire, etc. She has also designed for craft companies. Although she has no art background she was a crafty Girl Scout leader. www.creativeunblock.com