Buzz
This Thanksgiving, add another reason to feel grateful: a day free from smartphones.
I can already imagine the objections—how could you possibly go without your phone for a whole day, especially when you’re tackling new recipes, tracking family members on the move, or video-calling distant loved ones who can’t join in person?
However, if you manage to set aside your phone, even if only after guests arrive and the feast is served, you might discover a more present and fulfilling holiday experience.
As David Leonhardt notes in The New York Times:
For many of us, our relationship with phones is complex. We appreciate them in the moment, but when we think about the hours spent staring at a small screen, we feel
unsettled
. We yearn for a healthier connection with the digital world.
Here’s an idea for this Thanksgiving weekend: Power down your phone and leave it off for an entire day. I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you enjoy it.
Leonhardt has embraced “Tech Shabbats” with his family—essentially, internet-free Saturdays—and finds them “incredibly rewarding.” He acknowledges, however, that it requires some preparation, like coordinating with friends and printing directions, to go offline for a full day.
This is exactly what I’ll need to do for a phone-free Thanksgiving, as my parents and I drive to visit relatives in another state, and I’m responsible for curating the podcast playlist.
Perhaps I’ll pre-download a selection of podcasts, switch my phone to airplane mode, and challenge myself to stay fully present with the people around me for as long as possible.
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