In an age of relentless digital distraction, Fair Oaks resident Frank Possemato offers a refreshingly analog antidote. Possemato’s self-published workbook, “How to Live an Analog Life in a Digital World,” delivers sage advice with a simple message.

Possemato drives this message home in the book’s final chapter, where he writes, “Digital life isn’t going away, but analog life survives in your soul if you make room for it.”

It was during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its sudden shift to remote teaching, that Frank Possemato, a 48-year-old English teacher at Cosumnes River College and Sierra College, found himself overwhelmed by his digitally immersed life. A poet and short fiction author with publications in several independent journals, Possemato turned to writing as a way of gaining control over his changing life. A year and a half later, what emerged is a quick, 51-page life hack manual on surviving digital overwhelm.

While not a memoir, Possemato doesn’t stray from sharing his own life experiences and frustrations with readers. Each short chapter reads like a personal narrative, with a direct, conversational tone that shifts between past and present tense as Possemato shares observations and advice on breaking the addiction to technology. Each chapter also includes one or more practical exercises designed to encourage readers to experience life outside of the digital world.

Encouraging readers to seek out connection via (phone-free) face-to-face conversations, Possemato reminisces on the meandering, hours-long conversations he shared with a childhood friend named Jay. “Those conversations were like a fire; once they were burning, they had their own momentum. New topics were like firewood, and we had plenty. It was warm. It was inviting. It was consuming and self-perpetuating,” he writes.

Those early conversations among friends, he points out, were vastly different from ones shared today, which are subject to constant interruption by our cell phones and their relentless demands for attention. Possemato’s philosophical insights here are simple yet bring to light truths that are often overlooked in the throes of busy lives.

Pulling inspiration from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, he highlights today’s constant barrage of options and the very real experience of decision fatigue with a quote: “Those with less become content. Those with more become confused.” Possemato’s solution? Ask yourself at any given time, “What am I doing?” This introspective activity is one of many that the author prescribes to help readers get more in touch with their analog life.

For those grappling with the modern work-life balance, Possemato’s chapter on productivity offers a vital perspective. He highlights the paradox of digital tools: they promise efficiency yet often deliver distraction. Possemato’s solution is not to abandon technology, but to strategically disconnect. He argues that intentional breaks focused self-reflection and a clear understanding of one’s priorities are essential for reclaiming control and achieving true productivity. His emphasis on knowing oneself, including strengths and weaknesses, elevates this section beyond typical time-management tips, giving readers powerful advice for navigating not just work, but life, in the digital age.

Possemato writes, “The analog life — the one where you have time to yourself, not shared with a device, where you keep the fire of face-to-face, voice-to-voice contact alive in your daily life, where you make time to feel and know what’s happening around and inside you — can help you know yourself.”

The book offers suggestions to achieve this through activities like rearranging to-do lists to reflect what actually matters to you (not just your boss) and a simple, yet often difficult, challenge to drive without using distracting devices. Beyond productivity, Possemato provides a range of suggestions for improving quality of life, including engaging the senses, learning to trust your memory and even fostering stronger romantic connections.

From the humble beginnings of scribbled notes in inexpensive composition notebooks, Frank Possemato’s “How to Live an Analog Life” is a refreshingly authentic manifesto that reads like a letter from an old friend. Possemato’s approach to marketing — largely through word of mouth — is true to the book’s analog theme. While initially launched as an Amazon e-book in January 2025, the book will be available in analog form through a direct-to-print service later this spring.

–