Announcement! We have merch!
We collaborated with the talented @floramiles at @flyhaven to create these limited edition tees, printed on organic cotton perfect for repping the club this summer.
Get yours here!
Our HQLT this month
(high-quality-leisure-time)
ADELE:
BBQs with friends, spotting Logging Off paperback book in waterstones, a girls weekend in Bristol, tidying up the garden, moving into a new room and rearranging my things, chatting with my housemates enjoying Pimms on the doorstep, laying in the park.
INDIA:
Bike touring on Anglesey, making a wildlife pond at my allotment, planting out tomatoes in the polytunnel, girls weekend in Bristol, post-work swims in the lake, drinks in the sun, hiking Elidir Fawr.
May’s guide to being Offline
Remeber when reading felt easier? Do you feel now, like your attention span is getting shorter and shorter? Not enough patience to sit through a 60 second reel, and find yourself watching at 2x speed? You are not alone & the technology behind these platforms have designed them that way.
This month, we’re challenging you to create an activity attention ladder, also known as a “graduated attention hierarchy” in occupational therapy and psychology, or a “media consuption spectrum”, ranging from passive, external stimulation, to active, internal cognitive engagement.
You can frame this as a journey from Micro-Consumption to Deep Engagement.
Micro-Engagement (TikTok/Reels): Characterised by passive scrolling, rapid scene changes, and instant gratification, requiring minimal sustained focus.
Macro-Engagement (YouTube Videos): Requires slightly more patience and interest in a specific topic, often featuring a defined beginning, middle, and end.
Narrative Immersion (TV Series): Requires episodic focus. You, as a viewer, must remember character arcs and plot points across multiple sittings.
Cognitive Immersion (Movies): Demands sustained, uninterrupted focus for 1.5 to 3 hours. You, the viewer, must process complex visual and auditory information simultaneously.
Active Imagination/Deep Reading: The highest rung on the ladder. The brain must decode abstract symbols (words), visualise the setting, and maintain focus without visual or auditory aids.
Each time you reach for your phone, we challenge you to take one step up the cognitive ladder. The more time you spend on the ‘next level up’ of engagement, the easier it will be, and the easier it will be to work you way up the ladder. You are training your brain away from instant gratification, and the quick dopamine hits we experience from scrolling on social media, extending your attention span back to a healthy state.
What we’re reading
FICTION
Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke.
NON-FICTION
Exposed, by Clare McGlynn.
LONG FORM-CONTENT
Summer goals. Watch Wendy Outdoors here.
Where we’re walking
Last weekend I hiked Elidir Fawr, a challenging but much quieter alternative to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Took my trusty campsnap to capture the view from the summit…
News in the offline world
What the fight over London data centre plans tells us about the AI backlash
Anger at decision not to prosecute Canadian suicide kit supplier in UK
What we’re listening to
Our events this month
We’re heading to Cheltenham Science Festival to host a Logging Off Club quiz! Get your spot here.
London! Join us this weekend for rounders in the park, bring a friend, a picnic and leave your phone at home. Free tickets here.
Journal prompt
What is your favourite childhood summer memory, and how can you recreate a piece of that magic this year?
Write down 3 offline activities you want to do this summer. A lake swim? Picnic with friends? Bike ride?
See you at the end of June!
India & Adele