How I’ve Been Y2K-Maxxing (And How You Can Too)

So lately I’ve been trying to y2k max. Not in the fashion-only TikTok way, but in the actual early-2000s lifestyle way. Less algorithm, more intention. Less doomscrolling, more doing. Basically, trying to live like a person before the modern internet fully swallowed our brains.

None of this is meant to be deep or pretentious. It’s just stuff I’ve been doing that’s made life feel slower, more personal, and honestly way more fun. And if you want to try it, here’s a bunch of ideas.

Listen to Music on CDs

CDs are stupid cheap now. You can find whole albums for like a pound. Using any CD player, boom box, DVD player, Walkman, whatever. It forces you to listen to albums one at a time. It slows the whole experience down and makes the music actually mean something, instead of skipping around playlists on Spotify.

Bonus points if you burn your own CDs or draw on the disc with a sharpie for the epic vibez.

Download Your Music Like It’s 2006

Following the same sentiment: get a real MP3 player, a FLAC player, or even just an app where you manually load your music. You’re not feeding a greedy data-hoarding company, and your library becomes whatever you choose to download, not whatever an algorithm feeds you.

Even more bonus points if you rip the music from CDs yourself. It just hits different when the music is literally yours.

Consume Media From the Time Period

If you want y2k vibes, you gotta watch the stuff people were actually watching back then. Not just your favourite fandoms. Watch The Matrix, Final Destination, Saw, Y2K anime, old sitcoms, whatever. People in the 2000s didn’t only stick to their hyper-specific niche interests the way we do now.

And definitely get off TikTok. Find movies, forums, channels, fan sites, ANYTHING that isn’t algorithmic sludge.

Gaming the Old Way

If your family still has a DS, 3DS, Game Boy, Wii, PS2, original Xbox, whatever, use that fucking thing. Those consoles scream early-2000s energy and the games still hold up today. Some of them even hold up better than modern stuff.

And if you don’t have an old console? Emulation exists. PS2, GBA, DS, you can run them on almost anything now.

Magazines Are Underrated

Yes, magazines still exist. If you can find them, they’re a fun snapshot of media before everything went digital. Reading about new releases on paper instead of seeing ten billion targeted ads is refreshing. Flicking through a magazine while listening to a CD is peak y2k.

Touch grass

You don’t need friends to enjoy being outside. I don’t have anyone local either, but going out on my bike, walking around the neighbourhood, or sitting at the skatepark until the sun goes down just feels good. Put on an album, wander around, and let your brain breathe a bit.

Go to the Mall

The early 2000s were peak mall culture, and if you’re lucky enough to have a decent mall nearby, the vibes are immaculate. Grab a drink, wander shops, people-watch, listen to music. Even if you don’t buy anything, the atmosphere hits different.

(Unfortunately in the UK, good malls are rare now. But if you have one, use it.)

Print Out Photos

If you want to go full y2k, use a disposable camera or an old digital camera. Print the photos. Put them on your wall. Make a scrapbook. Photos feel more real when they exist offline, not buried in some cloud folder.

Use Older Tech for Communication

You don’t have to switch completely, but try using an old Nokia or Sony Ericsson on weekends. T9 texting slows you down in a good way and kills the urge to doomscroll.

Decorate Your Space like a true loser

Posters everywhere. Magazine clippings. Band art. A lava lamp. A chunky stereo. Old consoles out on display. Rooms back then weren’t minimalist, they were hella personal.

Explore the Early Internet

Browse forums, old websites, fan shrines, Neocities pages. Click random links. Get lost. Early internet wasn’t clean or optimized it was weird and personal. That’s the charm.

DIY Everything

Draw on your shoes, sew patches onto your bag, decorate your phone, customize your clothes. People in the 2000s DIY’d way more because it was fun and everything wasn’t instantly available.

Have “Offline Days”

Pick a day to turn off Wi-Fi and live like it’s 2002. Read, sketch, clean your room, play handheld games, cook something, go outside. The world feels slower in the best possible way.

Why Live Like This?

Because honestly? It undoes the brainrot.
Slowing down feels good. Doing things intentionally feels good. Owning physical stuff feels good. And escaping the hyper-connected, algorithm-controlled modern internet for a little while can make your life feel way more your own.