Stillness
Stay with breath, posture, a transition, or one physical detail.
Activity library
Small things to do instead of adding more input.
Explore low-stimulation activities for stillness, observation, reading, writing, chores, movement, making, nature, social presence, and doing nothing.
A quiet activity gives a short break one clear action without adding more content. You might look outside, read one page, wash one cup, walk without headphones, write three lines, or let three minutes stay unplanned. The Boring Practice includes 52 activities across ten categories.
Ten categories
Different ways to leave the feed.
Choose stillness when energy is low, movement when you need a change, or a small task when a clear edge helps.
Observation
Look or listen long enough to notice what quick scanning missed.
Reading
Stay with a page, poem, passage, or paper book without switching.
Writing
Use a few lines, questions, words, or details without editing for an audience.
Chores
Give one small physical task a clear start and stopping point.
Movement
Walk or stretch at a safe, comfortable pace without more input.
Making
Make, fold, arrange, draw, or sketch something with no public result.
Nature
Stay with weather, light, sky, a tree, or something that is growing.
Social presence
Give another person quiet attention without a parallel screen.
Doing nothing
Leave a small interval unplanned and notice the urge to fill it.
Activity examples
Thirty simple ways to use a short phone-free break.
Durations below show the options that the current app supports for each activity. Some activities require a subscription.
Do nothing on purposeDoing nothing · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Let your hands be stillStillness · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Breathe without rushingStillness · 3 or 5 minutes
Look outsideObservation · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Map the sounds around youObservation · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Study one ordinary objectObservation · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Read one page slowlyReading · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Read one poem twiceReading · 5 or 10 minutes
Return to a favorite passageReading · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Write three honest linesWriting · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Write ten unanswered questionsWriting · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Describe one ordinary thingWriting · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Wash one thing by handChores · 3 or 5 minutes
Fold a small stack slowlyChores · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Sweep one small areaChores · 5 or 10 minutes
Walk without headphonesMovement · 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes
Walk to three windowsMovement · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Stretch without countingMovement · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Make something smallMaking · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Fold one piece of paperMaking · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Arrange five nearby objectsMaking · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Find something growingNature · 3, 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Watch one cloud changeNature · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Step out and notice the weatherNature · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Have one phone-down conversationSocial presence · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Listen without planning your replySocial presence · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Do one quiet task togetherSocial presence · 5, 10, or 15 minutes
Take a break without inputDoing nothing · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Wait without adding inputDoing nothing · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Sit before choosing what is nextDoing nothing · 3, 5, or 10 minutes
Choose by the moment
Use the setting that you already have.
A useful quiet activity should fit the time, place, energy, and attention available now.
When you have three minutes
Look outside, map nearby sounds, wash one thing, follow a patch of light, or leave the time unplanned.
When you have ten minutes
Walk without headphones, read on paper, take one question for a walk, make something small, or have a phone-down conversation.
When energy is low
Let your hands be still, study one ordinary object, read one page, or sit before choosing what comes next.
When you need movement
Walk to three windows, take a safe one-block wander, or use familiar and comfortable stretches.
Safety: Use safe surroundings for walking and movement. Follow traffic rules. Use only stretches that you know and stop if you feel pain, dizziness, or instability.
Need a list outside the app?
Start with 25 offline ideas.
The first Journal guide groups ideas by energy, time, and setting so you can use it without installing anything first.
Keep the library ready on your iPhone.
Use suggestions, collections, favorites, timers, reminders, and private thought capture in the app.