★ 08/05/2019
In this wise, wonderful work, filmmaker Shlain (Brain Power) eloquently argues the merits of taking a break from technology, particularly smartphones, one day a week—a practice she refers to as “tech Shabbat.” Coexisting with technology in this balanced way will make readers more creative and productive, Shlain suggests. She explains how she, her husband, and their two teenage daughters put away screens from Friday night to Saturday night and invite friends over for dinner, bake bread, and sleep late—all things that allow them to recharge and regroup. Included is a simple, easy-to-follow guide for implementing her tech Shabbat with advice on picking a day and strategies for different lifestyles and family sizes. Shlain is also open about how difficult disconnecting can be and shares some of her own slips, yet always encourages because she believes “we all have a profound need for stillness, silence, days of reflection away from the noise. Letting your mind have back its most reflective mode lets you see the best way forward.” Bolstered with fascinating and germane facts about neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and the history of the concept of a day of rest, this excellent cross between instruction and memoir deserves a wide audience. (Oct.)
In this wise, wonderful work, filmmaker Shlain eloquently argues the merits of taking a break from technology, particularly smartphones, one day a week ...Bolstered with fascinating and germane facts about neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and the history of the concept of a day of rest, this excellent cross between instruction and memoir deserves a wide audience.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“In her new book, 24/6, Tiffany Shlain, the founder of the Webby Awards, lays out a plan for surviving our 'always on' culture... Even for a digital curmudgeon like me, being 'unproductive' felt like a small revolution—and that’s after only one day of it. I can’t wait to discover what a decade of tech Shabbats feels like.”—Harvard Business Review
“Consider picking one day per week where you just put the phone down. Tiffany Shlain, author of the book “24/6,” said her family has been unplugging for the Sabbath for a decade, and she finds the practice even more useful under stay-at-home orders where everyone’s daily use of screens has skyrocketed.”—The Washington Post
“[A] bright debut... A useful and much-needed guide to turning the clock back to a less frazzled pre-internet and -smartphone day.” — Kirkus Reviews
“24/6 is poised to start a movement. Try it, and get your attention span back.”— Refinery29
“In 24/6, filmmaker and popular speaker Shlain introduces readers to what she calls a ‘Technology Shabbat’—the one day, every week, where she and her family turn off all electronic devices. Beyond detailing the many ways she and her family have benefited, Shlain gives helpful, reassuring advice for embracing your own tech Shabbat and curbing device use.” — Real Simple
“Quarantine is magnifying the importance of creating these boundaries between time on vs. time off, online vs. in person, what we do ourselves vs. what we outsource, need vs. want.” — USA Today
"An essential guide... There is nothing else like it; here is a place to turn if you feel there’s something missing in our modern world." — Jaron Lanier, best-selling author of Dawn of the New Everything and You Are Not a Gadget
“Shlain's well-written and well-reasoned book offers families excellent ideas for taming the digital monsters who have moved into their homes. I recommend it to all parents who have struggled to set limits on screen time.” — Mary Pipher, co-author of Reviving Ophelia
“Here is the answer to the greatest collective and personal challenge of our time: reclaiming the essential dignity of being human in a digital age.” —Douglas Rushkoff, author of Team Human and Present Shock
“Shlain delivers a moving family story, documenting the need for Shabbat in the first place.” — Sherry Turkle, MIT Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology, author of Reclaiming Conversation and Alone Together
“I don’t know how Tiffany Shlain does it. First the prize-winning movies, now an amazing book outlining a human way to manage our digital lifestyle. Like Tiffany, we all need to go 24/6. It’s a great way to seize back control from our digital overlords.” —Andrew Keen, Best-selling author of How To Fix The Future
“She convinced me.... that a day of disconnection is a path towards reconnection to the rest of our lives." —Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google and cofounder of the Internet Society
“Tiffany Shlain is a 21st Century Marshall McLuhan, reminding us that having the best of both worlds is not getting consumed by one.” — Jean Rogers, M.S.Ed. Director, Children’s Screen Time Action Network
“Tiffany Shlain is a digital philosopher for our time, confronting the conundrums presented by a constantly demanding, ever-present information environment. I, as a pediatrician, live it and recommend it as a best parenting and best living practice to the families I serve.” — Michael Rich, Harvard Medical School
“In her book, [Shlain] offers suggestions of activities for all ages to engage in while unplugging, but one activity that might be good for the whole family is simply journaling. These days are days that will be inscribed forever into history books. We’re living history now. One day we all will be the storytellers and history keepers, and conversations may always drift back to what did you do when.” –Scary Mommy blog
There’s great value in the religious tradition of a weekly Sabbath, says filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, who performs this timely invitation with a powerful blend of intellectual confidence and respect for her listeners. As she delivers insights and suggestions that sound deeply true, the author’s sensibilities and rock-solid vocals combine to create a presentation that is both thought-provoking and viscerally satisfying. Her message is focused largely on getting away from our screens. She argues that technology is wonderful but leads to habits that are not good for us. She makes the case that a weekly 24-hour screen vacation is the kind of ritual we need to reconnect with ourselves and the people we love. References to cultural history and personal growth wisdom contribute to making this a must-hear audio for the digital age. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
There’s great value in the religious tradition of a weekly Sabbath, says filmmaker Tiffany Shlain, who performs this timely invitation with a powerful blend of intellectual confidence and respect for her listeners. As she delivers insights and suggestions that sound deeply true, the author’s sensibilities and rock-solid vocals combine to create a presentation that is both thought-provoking and viscerally satisfying. Her message is focused largely on getting away from our screens. She argues that technology is wonderful but leads to habits that are not good for us. She makes the case that a weekly 24-hour screen vacation is the kind of ritual we need to reconnect with ourselves and the people we love. References to cultural history and personal growth wisdom contribute to making this a must-hear audio for the digital age. T.W. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2019-07-14
The joy of going offline.
Filmmaker and Webby Awards founder Shlain once urged friends to connect online. Now she wonders, "how do you get people offline regularly to live a good life?" In this bright debut, she offers a very personal solution: Take a weekly "Technology Shabbat," a day spent without smartphones or any other screen. A secular Jew and child of the 1970s, the author and her husband and daughters have been unplugging for one full day, every week, for nearly 10 years—and liking it. Troubled that everyone is "head-down looking at screens all the time"—like "ostriches burying our heads in silicon sand"—she argues that the traditional day of rest works nicely to reduce the stress of news, tweets, and other electronic distractions. Benefits include increased productivity, reduced burnout, and greater quality of life. Writing in a pleasing, conversational style, Shlain reminds us that, according to one study, American adults spend 74 hours per week staring at a screen. "Screens have become like members of the family," she writes, noting some people keep power on even during Lamaze classes. Drawing on family experiences, she focuses on the basics of 24/6 living, beginning with the need to get back your landline: A phone plugged into a wall is critical for emergencies. Have needed supplies at hand (pad and sharpie pens, radio or record player, camera, books, other offline amusements), tell your relatives and boss, invite friends to join the day, entice your children (with games, picnics, bike rides), and so on. A weekend day is best for Tech Shabbat, when there is time for cooking, excursions, talks, visits, or doing nothing. While outdoors, borrow someone else's phone to make calls. Shlain's detailed examples will seem a bit much for some, but they make clear how an off-day can refresh the entire family.
A useful and much-needed guide to turning the clock back to a less frazzled pre-internet and -smartphone day.
