dumb things wish list
to help disconnect and slow down
The phrase “dumb phone” has been everywhere recently and I think we are all yearning for the simpler times before smart phones. When a phone was just a phone, perhaps with a camera that was maybe 10MP at best. If you were really fancy, it tripled as an mp3 player to store your illegally downloaded LimeWire rips.
Recently, I wrote a note about how I suddenly feel like it’s 2005 and I need a dumb phone, a digital camera, a filofax and a stack of magazines. It seems many of you could relate to the sentiment! We are all craving the disconnection our old devices gave us before we ever knew that blue light was a thing and perhaps also the reason we cant sleep at night.
I wanted to expand upon my note and share with you all my current “dumb things” wish list to disconnect and slow down.
Weekly Agenda - Alyssa Lenore x The Line
Did anyone else watch New York Minute and wish they had a day planner like Ashley Olsen? or was that just me and the giant red flag for my future perfectionist tendencies?
Well, it seems like the Filofax is back in all its glory. I however am more excited about this company called The Line. They have some of the best looking planners and matching inserts that are modern and fresh.
Some of them are aimed at content creators with content calendars, story boarding and outfit planners available. Other inserts are more your typical weekly, monthly and yearly lay out.
This is definitely more of a splurge if you are looking to put together a physical agenda for the year but luckily, I recently found a more affordable option that has everything I could possibly want.
The Leuchtturm 1917 2025 weekly planner is a great affordable alternative in my opinion. It has a yearly overview, project planner and plenty of room for notes next to your weekly schedule. Plus the paper is very high quality and it comes in a variety of colours. My favourite is the powder pink (I found mine at T.J. Maxx recently for half the price).
Print Media - Magazines are back
Reading my monthly teen mag back in high school used to be the highlight of my life. I loved collecting them every month and then later cutting them up to decorate my note books and ripping out any of the free posters that came with. As I got older, I started to turn to more high fashion and indie magazines. I love that print media might be making a resurgence so here is a list of my favourite indie mags from Australia and online. If you have trouble tracking any of them down, I recommend maybe contacting your local library and they may be able to order them in or have a digital copy available.
Frankie Magazine - I have been reading Frankie magazine since high school. they feature everything I love including art, crafts, design, fashion, music etc. It is a wonderful magazine to gather inspiration for photography and design.
Peppermint Magazine - I love peppermint magazines sewing patterns. Peppermint is very similar to Frankie but they feature more heavily toward sewing and crafts. Each month they include a free sewing pattern and you can download previous patterns online for as little as $10.
Broccoli Magazines - Broccoli is an independent, women-led magazine publisher. They have some of the most unique magazines available, my favourite being Catnip and Calling All Horse Girls. The artwork is so gorgeous, they would look incredible stacked on display in the living room or bedroom.
Digital Cameras - Ricoh GR III
Recently I had a friend visit from Australia and she brought with her the most gorgeous compact digital camera. Every image she captured looked like a work of art. This digital camera is so inconspicuous that you can pull it out anywhere and people don’t really notice or care. It would be great for travelling or just capturing every day moments without drawing any attention.
There may be better digital cameras on the market, but what I like most about this camera is that its so compact, I don’t have to feel so shy using it in public.
I currently own a Fujifilm XT4, which I love, but in comparison it is a lot bulkier to carry around when travelling and gets a lot more attention for the same reason. I also found it had more of a learning curve than my previous camera and as a result I wasn’t always happy with the images I was taking. This is something that I personally found frustrating when trying to capture a moment quickly without drawing attention.
Dumb Phones - I don’t want a ‘Smart Phone’
The year was 2005 and my brother bought me my first mobile phone for Christmas. It was a Nokia 3315 and each month I had $10 credit for texts and calls. The most it could do outside of that was snake. Those were the good old days.
I have been considering purchasing a dumb phone for a while now to limit my social media use and to be able to switch off during work hours. Here are a few of my favourite options:
Barbie HMD Phone - It’s pink. It reminds me of a flip phone I had in high school. The camera quality is terrible and there is no social media, which is perfect. The only downside for me is that I really need to have WhatsApp because that is how I stay in touch with my family overseas and I want them to be able to reach me in case of an emergency. Which is why this could not replace my smart phone but at least be useful for when I need to work and focus.
Jelly Phone - When I started searching for dumb phones, I found people talking about this one on Reddit. The reason why I think it is a great dumb phone option is because you can still have access to WhatsApp and Maps but because of it’s size, it is rather inconvenient to use for browsing or social media. The main issue I have seen is finding a cell provider in the US that works with this phone.
The Light Phone - The most expensive of the three options, this phone reminds me more of a Kindle then a cell phone. It includes a camera, an alarm, a timer, a calculator, a calendar, a directory, directions, notes/voice memo, and a simple music or podcast player. Currently it does not support WhatsApp but their website says that they will be trying to include more features in future updates.
If you are looking to disconnect and slow down, then perhaps the smartest thing to do would be to dumb it down. It feels like we are all looking for new ways to disconnect and the best way we know how is to go back to when things were more simple. Back to when we had more control over our privacy, our data and what we shared with the world. We are trying to regain control over what we consume rather than being spoon fed things that don’t relate to us. It is overwhelming to have this kind of access to endless information at our fingertips.
Out of everything I have shared above, the only item I have purchased thus far is the Leuchtturm 1917 2025 weekly planner. These lists are not designed to encourage you to consume but rather provide alternative ideas from someone who has already done the research for you. If it resonates with you, then I hope you found this list to be a helpful resource.
In future, I may make an updated list with any new items I find that may be helpful. Feel free to comment below and share any items you think belong on this list. Until next time, let’s all go touch some grass and write in our journals.
Welcome to life on record.
A place to yap about all things including fashion, beauty, gardening, crafts, slow living and over sharing my best & worst personal stories. I have too many hobbies and not enough outlets so this is a safe space for all!
I really like your list, and I’m sure I’ll be back here to add the same things to my wish list ✨
I DREAMED about the filofax from New York Minute. The mind of one twin and the style of the other. I truly understand this feeling and feel the same.