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PODCASTER DANA STEVENS TAKES A “TECH SABBATH”

Though I’m not religious, for the past few years I’ve tried to observe a “tech sabbath”, in which I – and, when I can get them to agree, my family — spend a whole day, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, away from electronic devices. (There are exceptions: we’re allowed to consult the maps app on a phone, text a friend to arrange a face-to-face meet-up or enjoy a movie at home if the family is watching.) This tradition was inspired by Judith Shulevitz’s book The Sabbath World, in which she suggests a day disconnected from production, consumption and constant connectedness can play a meaningful role in even secular lives. But the main impetus was the recognition of how depleted I felt at the end of a working week spent online. Often, the 24 hours of freedom from the digital space proves so cleansing that I have to force myself back online late on Sunday. Spending a day offline makes you live inside your body rather than your buzzing screenconnected brain. For me, the day fills up with activities like cooking, reading, dog walks, a craft project with my daughter or — I’ll admit it – having sex. Just like a wise person tweeted recently, a few years ago, going online felt like an escape from real life, but now real life feels like an escape from being online. I couldn’t agree more.