Here's a few things you can do to incorporate slow/mindful tech on a budget
Set yourself a TV schedule. Rather than binging an entire show, give yourself one day to watch it. If you don't finish it, you'll have to wait until next week.
Watch independent journalists on Twitch while doing other tasks. We grew up with our parents watching the news while cleaning or eating breakfast or filling out paperwork. It keeps you mindful of what's happening around you and can help you get work done rather than doomscrolling. And if you have a TV to play it on, even better.
Make mixtapes. This one will take a little bit of money but you may already have the supplies laying around (if you're me). Put your favorite songs onto a CD. Draw on the CD with sharpies. Play them in your car or just in your daily life.
Play music/TV from one spot of the house rather than carrying your phone with you while doing housework. Try not to be attached to your phone (unless for medical reasons). Set it down when you're supposed to be focusing on other things.
Practice making phone calls. Far too many of us have phone anxiety and prefer typing over talking. Practice getting over that fear by calling customer support rather than chatting with an AI agent that won't understand your frustration. Book your doctor's appointments over the phone.
Go to the library. Obvious one, but the library has books, DVDs, video games (and gaming consoles), absolutely whatever you need.
Turn on TV that you don't have ultimate control over. Live TV if you have it, but I really like the hours long videos on YouTube of PBS Kids circa 2006, or Adult Swim, or Nick at Nite, etc. and I really enjoy Dropout 24/7. Taking the control out of my hands.
Pick up a hobby/task to do while watching TV/YouTube. Start by doing something with your hands aside from doomscrolling. Crochet, draw, cook, clean, mend clothing. If you can't just watch things without doing something else, pick a task to do that does not involve tech. Eventually, the more you do it while watching shows you enjoy, the more you'll Pavlov yourself into enjoying the task on its own.
Read a book. Then read another. Then ten. Then fifty. Devour every word you encounter.
Trade DVDs with friends. When I was little, we didn't have TV because my dad snapped the wires before he left, and we couldn't afford to get it fixed, let alone get cable. We would loan DVDs with friends and family. We'd send each other literal baskets of movies and TV shows that we thought the other person would like. It's still a fond memory.
Keep a journal on you for everything. Rather than jotting random things in a notes app, jot them down in your journal. You'll remember things far better.
Volunteer. If you have time, just go volunteer somewhere. Pick up trash on the side of the road. Go to your local shelter and ask if you can just spend time with the dogs and cats so they don't get bored and lonely and depressed. Spend some time at a nursing home and talk with the people there.
Practice memorizing routes. My mom can go nearly anywhere in the city without a map. I can't. Pick a place where you know the route somewhat well and see if you can get there without a GPS. My favorite way to practice this is trying to get home from someplace unfamiliar, especially downtown, by following the signs for the highways I know will get me home.
Only keep games on your phone that grow your brain. Wordle, language learning, whatever you like. Don't just keep games that you can play mindlessly. One game I'm a big fan of for this is Cells to Singularity. It's a tapping game, but it teaches you about history and science. How we came to be, where we'll go from here.
Practice mindfulness with things like Focus Friend. It's free, no ads, and doesn't sell your data. A miracle in this decade.
Stop using generative AI (unless you need to -- things like screen readers, Meta glasses for the visually impaired, etc.)
Meditate. A great habit to pick up, and also helps slow your mind down so you don't feel the need to keep yourself entertained at all times.
Drink more water and less caffeine. You may think this has nothing to do with tech, but think about why you're drinking so many energy drinks. If you find you're relying on caffeine (or any other substance) the same way we rely on tech for everything, try cutting it out. The buzz might be making the feeling to always be busy and to always be on your phone or on the internet worse.
