Remember when smartphones first came out and we thought flip phones were for dinosaurs?

I used to roll my eyes at so many things my parents’ generation did. Reading actual newspapers, going to bed at 9 PM, having the same friends for decades.

It all seemed so… slow. So unnecessary in our hyperconnected world.

Then somewhere around 34, after years of notifications, endless scrolling, and that constant feeling of being “on,” I started to crack.

The exhaustion wasn’t just physical. It was this bone-deep weariness from trying to keep up with everything and everyone all the time.

That’s when I started noticing something weird. Those “boring” boomer habits I’d mocked? They were starting to look less like outdated rituals and more like life hacks for actual sanity.

Here are eight things I’ve reluctantly adopted from the boomer playbook.

1) They call people instead of texting

I know, I know. Phone calls feel invasive now. We’ve trained ourselves to see that incoming call screen as a violation of boundaries.

But you know what takes forever? Trying to plan literally anything over text. Twenty messages back and forth just to figure out where to meet for lunch.

Meanwhile, my dad picks up the phone, sorts it out in 30 seconds, and moves on with his day.

I started calling friends recently instead of texting. At first, they were confused. Some didn’t even answer because who calls anymore?

But those who did? We had actual conversations. We laughed. We caught up on things that would’ve taken 50 texts to explain.

There’s something about hearing someone’s voice that cuts through the BS. You can’t misinterpret tone.

You can’t overthink your response for ten minutes. You just talk, like humans have done for thousands of years.

2) They read one news source in the morning and then stop

My mom reads the local paper with her coffee every morning. Twenty minutes, maybe thirty. Then she puts it down and goes about her day.

Meanwhile, I used to mainline news from seven different apps, refresh Twitter every five minutes, and somehow still feel less informed and more anxious than ever.

The boomer approach to news consumption is starting to make sense. Pick a source you trust, get your update, then stop.

The world isn’t going to end because you didn’t see that breaking news alert within three seconds of it happening.

I’ve started limiting myself to one news roundup in the morning. That’s it.

And guess what? I’m still informed about important stuff, but I’m not drowning in the endless cycle of outrage and hot takes.

3) They have hobbies that produce actual things

My neighbor is 68 and builds birdhouses. Not to sell on Etsy. Not to post on Instagram. Just because he likes building birdhouses.

When did we stop doing things just because we enjoyed them? Everything has to be a side hustle now.

Every hobby needs to be monetized or at least documented for social media.

I picked up woodworking six months ago. No YouTube channel about my “journey.”

No carefully staged workshop photos. Just me, some tools, and the satisfaction of making something with my hands.

There’s a different kind of tired you get from physical creation versus mental exhaustion. It’s the good kind. The kind that makes you sleep better.

4) They go to bed at the same time every night

“I’ll be in bed by 10” used to sound like giving up on life. Now it sounds like self-care.

Boomers treat sleep like it matters. They have bedtimes. They have routines. They don’t stay up until 2 AM watching Netflix just because they can.

Since adopting a consistent 10 PM bedtime, my energy levels have completely changed.

No more dragging myself through afternoons powered by my fourth coffee. No more Sunday scaries because I stayed up too late and my sleep schedule is wrecked.

The FOMO of missing late-night group chats or new show drops? Turns out it was never worth the zombie state I lived in most days.

5) They hang out with the same people for decades

We treat friendships like we’re constantly upgrading our phone. Always looking for the newer model, the better connection, the more interesting person.

But there’s something to be said for friends who knew you when you thought frosted tips were cool.

Who remember your first apartment. Who don’t need the backstory explained.

I’ve stopped trying to constantly expand my social circle and started investing in the friends I already have.

The ones who’ve stuck around through job changes, moves, and that regrettable mustache phase.

Deep beats wide every time.

6) They eat dinner at 5:30 PM

Early bird specials used to be a punchline. Now they’re starting to look like genius.

Eating dinner at 5:30 means you actually digest before bed. You have an entire evening to do stuff that isn’t sitting in a restaurant. You avoid the crowds. You save money.

Plus, there’s something liberating about not caring if eating early makes you look old. I’m 36 with a baby face that makes me look 23. If eating dinner at senior citizen hour is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Sometimes I even go full circle and eat breakfast for dinner at 5:30. Zero shame.

7) They pay attention to the weather

My dad knows what the weather will be for the next five days. Not because he checked an app, but because he watched the local weather segment.

I used to think this was pointless. Why care about Thursday’s forecast on Monday?

But planning around weather instead of despite it changes everything. Scheduling outdoor stuff when it’s actually nice. Grocery shopping before the storm. Having appropriate clothes ready.

It’s proactive instead of reactive living. Novel concept.

8) They sit on the porch and do nothing

This might be the most radical boomer habit of all. Just sitting. Not scrolling. Not podcasting. Not optimizing. Just sitting on a porch, watching the world go by.

I tried it last month. Set up a chair outside, brought my coffee, and just sat there.

The first five minutes were torture. My brain screamed for stimulation. My hand kept reaching for my phone.

But after that? Something shifted. I noticed things. The way the light hit the trees. The neighbor’s cat stalking a bird. The sound of kids playing down the street.

It wasn’t meditation. It wasn’t mindfulness with a capital M. It was just… being. And it was surprisingly restorative.

Rounding things off

Look, I’m not saying we should all start wearing New Balance sneakers and complaining about “kids these days.” Technology and progress are good things.

But maybe the boomers were onto something with their boundaries. Their rhythms. Their ability to be satisfied with less constant stimulation.

The modern world isn’t going anywhere. The notifications will keep coming. The content will keep streaming. The hustle culture will keep hustling.

But we don’t have to participate in all of it, all the time.

Sometimes the most radical thing you can do is act like it’s 1985. Pick up the phone. Read one newspaper. Go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Your exhausted millennial soul might just thank you for it.