The Offline Club makes room to read and talk without phones

If you arrive at your appointment a little early, it's easy to take out your phone first. You check messages and scroll for a while until the person you are waiting for arrives. The screen fills a brief gap in which there is otherwise nothing to do.

But if it's a meeting where everyone puts down their phones, how do you spend the time? In the meeting photo released by The Offline Club, there are people with open books, people writing something on paper, and people talking across a table. People do different things while sharing the same agreement to put their phones away.

Reading alone, spending time together

The Offline Club hosts gatherings where you can take a break from your screen. There are many different formats, from a meeting at a cafe to a phone-free dinner with strangers to time spent in nature. The activities include reading, drawing and writing as well as conversation.

What seems good about this is that it is not a place where you have to be good at conversation to participate. Time spent alone, reading books or drawing pictures, is also included in the group. If you have to keep talking, a gathering meant for relaxation can become another task.

Even if it gets quiet for a moment at the same table, someone is reading a book. This is an environment where you don’t have to immediately retreat to your phone when the conversation stops. The nature of this group is as much about showing what it is okay to do without screens as it is about putting away screens.

A setting that takes more than willpower

Deciding on your own to use your phone less is different from going somewhere everyone has agreed to put it away. Alone, a single notification can change your plans. At a gathering, the person beside you is sharing the same phone-free time. Bringing a book becomes part of an arrangement with a place and time.

This does not establish a universal solution or a health benefit. There are some things that require a cell phone, and some people are not comfortable with these types of gatherings. Formats and participation conditions vary by event. For people who want a different pace for a while, however, the club provides a specific place to try it.

The good thing is that you don't have to keep proving that you put your phone down. That time is filled by turning the pages of a book or listening to the person next to you. When the meeting is over, what remains is not the time spent resisting a screen, but the few pages read and the conversations shared.