In 2009, two non-profit organizations created the National Day of Unplugging. The concept came from the Jewishtradition of avoiding technology on the Sabbath, a day of rest that comes once a week. Two Jewish organizations, Reboot and Sabbath Manifesto, came together to declare that the first Friday of March would be a special day for a universal digital detox.
Many religious traditions include an official day of rest, but this practice seems to have been lost in the modern world. With so many people working from home or online, it can feel as though we never have a day off. The National Day of Unplugging is one way to raise awareness of the issue. In 2020, the campaignto unplug became a project of Unplug Collaborative, a non-profit organization that offers resources for managing the balance between technology and life.
On the National Day of Unplugging, people are encouraged to make plans to visit friends, enjoy the outdoors, and most importantly, leave behind all their electronic devices. Try to turn off your phone the night before, and don’t turn it on again until the day is over. The most important thing is to connect with the world around you and to enjoy your day without being interrupted by your phone or computer.
