Drop the smartphone! 7 products to help unplug

​QUEER TAROT

Two years ago, I picked up my first deck of tarot cards with the goal of becoming fluent in this Renaissance card game-turned-divination tool. For years, I’d pass tarot decks in bookstores and mystical shops, always entranced by the artwork and the idea that the universe might have some insight to share through whatever combination of images my shuffling would conjure. I soon found a world of books by LGBTQ+ tarot card readers (Radical Tarot by Charlie Claire Burgess is my favorite) and beautiful decks created by queer artists (like Queer Tarot by Ash + Chess). While there are countless online resources for reading tarot cards, I’ve kept my practice in the physical world; I love the feeling of the cards in my hands and the sense of delight at not knowing what I will see when I flip one over. Whether you believe tarot cards offer messages from the spiritual world or are simply a tool for spotting patterns in your own mind, they offer a delightfully unplugged path for self-reflection. ashandchess.com ($28) —Kayla Gagnet

​IPOD SHUFFLE

While this technically is a piece of higher tech, I would argue that an iPod Shuffle — which has no internet connectivity and needs to be plugged into a computer to be filled with music — qualifies as lo-fi these days. Sure, you need to manually add tracks, but this device doesn’t come with the same overstimulation offered by a traditional smartphone, with its bombardment of pings from social media, emails, and texts. It also has the added benefit of being more compact than lower-tech alternatives like a CD player and won’t skip on you. The Shuffle also gets bonus points for tapping into the Y2K fashion trends that are currently making a comeback. ebay.com ($4.50+) —Quispe López

​MOLESKINE PLANNER

Technology is so distracting that my mental to-do list disappears the moment I log onto my computer or look at my phone. While planner apps, notes app checklists, and online calendars can help organize my thoughts, none of them are as efficient and grounding as a good old-fashioned physical planner. Being able to look down to refocus on the tasks I need to accomplish in a day without getting distracted by a sea of tabs or notifications makes the difference between a scattered morning and a productive workday. Not to mention, physical planners offer a variety of ways to organize information that works for you and fits your aesthetic. There’s nothing as gratifying as crossing off a task with a gel pen, or putting a sticker on it for good measure. moleskine.com ($25+) —Q.L.

ANTSY LABS FIDGET CUBE

My job is phone. My social life is phone. As a result, my hand instinctively wants phone even in the rare moments when I have no reason to be on phone. Even writing the word “phone” this many times kind of makes me want to pick up my phone. Instead, I’ll reach for my Antsy Labs Fidget Cube, which lets me move my fingers around in pleasing motions without any eye strain.

Here is my definitive ranking of each side of the Fidget Cube: The “worry stone” is pleasant, but ineffective at alleviating my stress. The face with all the rotating gears is fun, but not itch-scratching for me. The buttons and the joystick both tap into the same endorphins I get when playing a video game. But the rocker switch and the little metal ball that you can spin forever? Absolute peak. antsylabs.com ($25) —Samantha Allen

​LEUCHTTURM1917 JOURNAL

Yes, even a reporter loves to unwind by journaling! Truthfully, it is so imperative for my mental health to take a beat from my daily responsibilities by simply picking up a pen and allowing my thoughts to take over the page. I’m somebody who loves to live in the moment as much as possible, so journaling really serves as a form of therapy for me. By allowing me to reflect on the world and what I’d like to manifest for my future, this essential activity really grounds me in reality. It’s a true miracle that I’m a journalist, because I really love nothing more than to write and tell a story! I particularly enjoy the brand Leuchtturm1917 for its variety of colors and styles, including lined pages and ribbon bookmarks. leuchtturm1917.us ($26+) —Ricky Cornish

​THE BRICK

Ads for The Brick followed me around the internet for months. And for a while, I resisted this surely childish device. Who is so addicted to their phone that they need a physical kill switch to render it useless? I would think to myself, smugly, as I continued my endless doomscrolling. It was my partner who finally decided to buy one for our household, and it’s now a staple for our whole family — my 16-year-old daughter included. This small device can affix to your desk or refrigerator, and tapping it locks the user’s phone based on just how extensively you want to block the outside world. Bricking our phones before dinner has become routine and allows us to focus on good conversation, post-meal card games, and actually watching television (instead of stealth-scrolling on the side). getbrick.com ($59) —K.G.

​PENTAX WG-1000 WATERPROOF CAMERA

One of my favorite ways to unplug starts with leaving my phone inside, grabbing a tennis ball, and heading to the pool with my dog. Watching her launch into the water with pure, unfiltered joy is the ultimate reset. Most of the time, I don’t even turn on the speaker. I’d rather listen to the birds, the rustling of the palm trees overhead, and the giant splash every time she barrels into the water. I want to remember these moments, so I’ll occasionally bring along a waterproof point-and-shoot like the Pentax WG-1000. It’s a fun, nostalgic way to snap a few photos without worrying about getting it wet. The camera only comes out for a minute. The rest of the time, I’m laughing at my Staffy, who makes each leap into the pool look even more exciting than the last. us.ricoh-imaging.com ($229+) —Jade Delgado