We called the ritual a “digital Sabbath,” and by the second or third time we’d done it, we’d settled into a rhythm and worked out the kinks. Without our phones to distract us, time seemed to slow down. We went on walks. We read books. We talked more. I felt healthier and more grounded, as if I were getting back in touch with a part of myself that I hadn’t even realized had gone missing. Interestingly, the effects of the Sabbath seemed to linger for several days afterward—a sort of digital hangover that actually felt good.
