Importance of getting off our screens one day a week is an interesting time to think but unplugging given this moment during the coronavirus pandemic as were taping thing interview. Were finding ourselves even more tethers to screens because we are able to do things like meet people in person, go out to our workplaces or schools for most of us, or hang out in a bar or a cultural venue. Well hear more but the book from tiffani and then have a discussion. So, over to you, tiffany, take it away. Guest thank you. Its great to be here imim from the bay area, im glad were still able to happen this wise, adapting toking this extraordinary circumstance were living in. Which actually this moment were in feels very similar to a moment i was personally in around 11 years ago, actually this monday, the 11 year neaves of my fathers death, and what happened was my father died of brain cancerment my dad was also an author, leanord shlain, and his love of book stores and readers. Very close and he died of brain cancer just within days of my daughter being born and it really felt like one of those moments where life was grabbing me by the shoulders and saying focus on what matters. My husband and i decided with our kids to turn off the screen one day a week for what we call our technology shack pat. Its been the best thing i have ever done in any life for the practice that keeps giving and brings such balance and mean something so many things which ill go into. And i should also tell you i love technology. Im not antitech. The other six days im in the web and i my background is that my 20s in i founded the i have been excite bet the potential of technology to connect us and spent my core either run thing webby awards or made a lot of films bolt the potential of technology. What the continue and also the curse. Some whats way wrestling with ten years ago i was feeling distracted. I felt look i couldnt get a complete thought out without my phone buzzing or notification happening and i felt like i was in a account state of being distracted and didnt like it. Think really what i was seeking by doing this one day without screens is just some time to think, connect in an thaw ten tick way and turn our screens off. It was too much. I should also tell you, i am jewish but not a religious jew, more of humanistic jew, secular jew but i love rituals. And i love the food and the rituals and a lot of the idea offed shabbat, is the day of rest, and so we started to do that ten years ago so friday night we make bread, which has to rise all day, and then we usually make a beautiful meal and invite people over and its the best meal of the week because in win has their phones out and we have a wonderful day and the next day is no screens. Its our favorite day of the week, owl elder daughter is 17 and our younger daughter is 11 and they love it. A day filled with things we love to do. Now, that was all before the pandemic. And then of course the last two months we have all had to be online so much more, and i do feel like its a very similar moment for like the whole world in terms of what i felt life was grab michigan by the shoulders and saying focus on what is important. I feel like right now all of us are being grabbed by the shoulders and saying, focus on what is important. What matters. What is important, your health, your family, and enough money to buy food, cooking food, being grateful, helping others, all of these fundamental less unions felt like lessons spend million time think us about on the tech shabbat than others. We are on screen so much. Its a lifeline. Screens are the way we connect. We connect with family members on zoom before we turn off the screens for a tech shabbat and my Second Opinion is so many people said are you still doing your tech shabbat now that were sheltering the place, and its just kind of always stuns me because am i doing it, its like my saving grace. So many benefits to it. Especially now they feel like magnified the benefits because ive been so stressed. We all have been. About what is happening, whats going to happen and just it allows me to take one foot in front of the other, one week at a time. I look forward to something every week. Its really weird because im a pig planner and now we cant make any plans but every week i know today is friday, its shabbat. Well make a lovely meal. Shut off the screens. Feels difference than all the other days. I always sleep better upon my friday nights. So i feel like doing a tech shabbat or a screenfree day of whatever you want to call it feels like so much more beneficial during the pandemic when everything is running together, time is running together, work and social and everything is running together. Were on the news so much more which is like were bathing our bodies in cortisol and stress. And of course theres so many beautiful things about the web right now. A couple months ago, i actually did a show in new york called dear human. I what really pulled from a lot of ideas in my book 24 6 and i worried my early optimism with the web and the Tech Industry and Business Model of manipulating our attention wag bringing out the worst in humanity so all the social media was making us compare soreses and fomo and that really was a lot of the crux of my show, but i ended the show and said what could it take to bring the web back to the web we want . What could we all be focusing on together . And that moment was february 15, 2020. I am at home and of curse just within weeks the whole country, different parts of the world shut down, and im seeing the web being used in so many incredible miraculous ways. So i have renewed faith in the web. Renewed faith in humanity if we choose to look at this as a huge opportunity and lesson, and im worried like arch else, my brother is a doctor who has been working at the frontlines of covid and thats been intense and wonderful because im really proud of him. And just all the food donation, cord nags ive seep and microdonations to help people and gofundme campaigns and so many way thes web is rising to the occasion and allowing us to bring out the best of humanity, the best our human strengths but shouldnt be on it all the time. It is even more so i think were going to were so craving human contact right now from other people. My biggest hope is that when we emerge from this period, were going to finally be together and not be staring at our phones because prepandemic youre walking down the street and everybody staring at their phones, group of teenagerred together theyre all staring at their phones. Maybe were going to be so hungry for true home connection after this that maybe well put down our phonees am great thing that would come out of this. But the biggest ritual that i say in the become ill share with you some of the benefits because in the back i good deep on the neuroscience and historical reference and school of why its so good so many of the benefits that happen from us unplugging one day a week that i think right now we have so much time, to much time on our hands. If you have the police of being at home and youre that an essential worker and youre thinking, how can i take this time and have something come out another it that would be good and sustaining for the rest of my life, i really think integrating the ritual of a day without screens, and ill tell you why i think a day. This is an idea that is over 3,000 years old. Some people call it the sabbath, shabbat, different words for every different religion have some form of a day of rest. Just right now in our modern society, only the most observant and religious people in that faith will do it. The seven day event is clips, a full day of san bath, orthodox jews, full day of a day of rest. I never met anyone except the one orthodox jew i knew im in california, not new york but other than that, the shabbat which i have many friends who are jewish they will light the candle or do a nice dinner but dont do a full day of rest but i experiences the power is in the full day of rhys, some serious wisdom it takes whole day to truly reset and reboot and turn off the outside world 0 so you can tune into yourself and to the people you might live witness but if youre aloe i highly rem it. And to your kids and really go a little more inward. Right now were online all the time, reacting to the news, zooming witch family, connecting with friended, on social media. A constant state of reacting and connecting. A lot of good happening right now and i dont want to discount that, but what i fine that a lot of times on saturday is i do my very best thinking. I think. And i think we are we have created a society and culture that doesnt value reflection because we leave no space for it. So, i do a lot of writing on saturday. So the fridays are very social with a dinner with friend and family, even our family now were talking about the week, everything is about the week which is a manageable way to think but the time. Great wisdom in that as well. Saturday i do a lot of writing, journaling, and doing nothing which is a very important thing to also be able to do, to do nothing. We value so much productivity and optimizing every second of our lives these days. And i want to walk and listen to a podcast and wash the dishes and learn a new language. Theres a value in just letting your whole soul fallow. Even in farming every seven years you let the earth lie fallow and none new crops so every seven days you need to let your brain and life go fallow soow can have the necessary nutrient to grow and build things and one benefit of the many is that ken and i feel so much more productive after giving ourselves a full day of rest. Never really giving ourselveses a full day of rest right now. Even our leisure relaxing, youre posting on social media and have to write a witty caption and that feels like work. And the other thing i noticed after doing this for ten years, im a filmmaker. I run a film studio in San Francisco and most of my time im making films. This is my first book. Im always trying to put myself in the most Creative Flow state. Every creative person is what can you do . Used to be traveling. Not doing that a lot of that right now. Traveling is inspiring but if i look back on the last ten years i have my best ideas on saturday. Thats when i always have my breakthroughs and theres actual neuroscience behind this. During the week youre getting all this input and stimulation but its when you are day dreaming or washing the dishes or taking a sure, going no a run, your mind starts putting things note an unusual way. The default mood network and creative comes from unusual connections happening. Have my best ideas. So ken and i my husband, professor at uk berkeley uc berkeley, a shoutout. But we feel so much more productive by truly taking a day off. I feel much more creative. I have problems sleeping. I just started im 50 and my 40s i started having problems sleeping. Im always able to sleep on friday nights. The deepest sleep of the week. I generally think im more patient and im pretty impatientment longterm i know i want to to to theshow slow thins down and be more patient on saturday. Its great to teach our kids how to be bored, how to not need to be stimulated every second. Boredom is the runway to creativity. So if youre feeling bored, great, something good is going to happen. Its going to be a creative idea that comes right awe the bat. Keep our kid boredom and ourselves ourselves and every second if youre just flipping through your phone to distract yourself which right now during the pandemic, we need distraction also but not at eave moment. And every in between moment or every pause moment just always turning to our phone or screen to be entertain ordinary distracted or productive. Its good to just leave space to just be, and i find that i do that mostly on our tech shabbat. It has really lead to practices i do the other six days. I no longer look at my phone when he wake up because thats my most creative thinking time and working on the book 24 6 i recognized thats my sweet spot no write. I get up at 5 00 a. M. Before the kid get up and i would ride from 5 00 to 7 00 and the kids get up. But i noticed if when i wake up if you just look at your phone when you do wake i do use my phone as as alarm clock. Thats the thing that works for me. Whatever. But i keep it on Airplane Mode in the morning. Dont turn it on. Cspan i cam down, have my coffee and im writhing, what am ick think budget. What the day going to be lick and juice like 15 minutes so nation to start we day with where i am instead of where thed a stressful email or stressful news headline or social media thing its my own framing of the day. Before guy to sleep i have my nighttime ritual, i take a bath, i read and i write in a journal again about what happened in the day, what was great about the day, something i were i did differently about the day and what die hope for tomorrow. Sandwich my day that doesnt involve the opinion. Superimportant. I also in our family we do no screens at the table when were eating unless during the pandemic if we have zoom with family members and then the screens go away. I try to do a one hour walk every day without a screen. So in the book i talk about all thinks you can do the other six days and then the plethora of benefits from one complete day off. And a lot of a lot of people have said to me now ive been out with the book for six months and its been fun. Changed my life, or i didnt think my kids would like it. I think my partner would love it. Talk about a lot of strategies, how to get people in your life ready for your to do this. You might be psyched to do this but maybe your husband or wife or partner or your kids i talk but the best way to approach it. Its not like were going to turn off screenes for a day. Will not good over. We its how you position it. You say tome what do you wish we did more together . And pretty much make the day filled with that. Its a day of joy, day of cook, napping, reading, biking, just nothing can involve a screen. I a have a whole section in the book, fun things to do without a screen. Thought it was funie had to include it but i did. So i think during the pandemic, i know everyone is saying im so exhausted from zooms or im on the screen i have carpal tunnel, i have shooting pains because im sitting in so many positions in any house on my katrina. So think about on my screen. I think more of a reason that you should create space, and i think that thats area day 0 week and its a thousand years old, one whole day week to reset. It has brought me such comfort when ive been so anxious during the week. I find i completely official even shut out the outside world for a day and think but what your grateful for. Quiets the anxiety voice. Things you do have but not what you dont have or mice lose in the future. And brought an amazing sense of balance and resetting for me personally. So, i was excited about the book before because is what like i have this ancient Simple Practice to change my life and nip can do it and you dont have to believe wherever you come from. I have a lot of clips christian. Itses a idea from jude jim but i do not judaism. I have Great Respect foam whom mo believe in religion but i come from a dont like the word secular but i come from it as a secular practice i want to liberate it from religion and make it just a practice, like yoga and meditation has brought great things to people from all different backgrounds and i really think the concept of a tech shabbat, a day without screens, can he bring much joy and meaning and balance and peace to people, especially right now during the pandemic and at that point, this point, i would love to bring chloe back in because im so excited to talk to her and just hear what questions you might have had about the book or anything it says. Thank you, tiffany for sharing so much great information. You are a nonpracticing jew. As i am myself. Are you . Yes. Your name did not give that away at all. Veltman . My relatives from eastern europe. That with my upbring, time im curious how tech shabbat as you practice it today with your family may compare to the shabbat traditions, theyre might have been, when you were growing up. Okay, didnt grow up with shabbat and im glad you brought that up. Ways that are different from people truly observing shabbat. Someone said a rabbi said youre me most religious nonreligious person i always do tech shabbat and im very observant in my tech shabbat and i do a lot of similar rituals. Did not grow up withshack but but mahouts did and they had a beautiful friday night meal weapon set the table, fresh cut flowers, its a beautiful meal. If you really observant orthodox jew youre not supposed to create youre not even supposed to write. I doing my best youre not supposed to turn on lights. For me i was about trying to take the essence and kernel of shabbat whys presence, gratitude, joy, family, sanctuary of home, cooking, really being present. That what i was trying to do and screens take away so much of those things. Did you grow up with shabbat. Mostly, certainly not as very much a week he practice some of my parents siblings, my aunties in particular were more into it so we would do that with them. Im curious. Obviously i love the impulse for this idea comes from your husband, ken. But the practice, the desire to be with family, that sort of thing, was that modeled for you in other aways if not the friday night dip center what kind of rituals around the idea outside want to manifest in the shabbat you do now, were they present in your youth . Its interesting. I growing up my parents got divorced so it was actually i think in many ways doing a shabbat before they get divorced there was a lot of rituals. We always went to the movies every sunday night, and then when i was eight they got divorced which was really a hard period for me, and i think in many ways i i do write about this in the book when he went deep who i this is important is because a lot of way is understand how personality ritual is for family and what happens when that breaks and im sure if i was on a therapy couch like a lot of my friend or family understanding how profound its been for our family. Can also be very meaningful if you married or without kid but for me its an important ritual that ties us back together. During the week were doing our separate things and then on friday night to saturday night we knit ourselves back in this really connected way. And i its the closest i feel to everyone in the family is on friday night to saturday night. And then were on zoom. Meats my meats my daughter. Want to say hi . Thats my grandmothers name. Thats my grandmothers name. Oh. For the book festival. I know at bit about you. One thing in book i talk about he make hala every week and as soon as the pandemic started, whatever that was, nine weeks ago for us, when we decided to do our baking on zoom. So now every week we bake hala with anywhere from 50 to 150 people on zoom. She is the needier and today we bring in guests, shifts. An been a fun part of the pandemic, and theres this funny moment today where somebody was asking about the dough was not moist enough, and we were saying about how keep kneading. Thats you get the dough right and its so symbolic to the period were in right now. We just have to keep kneading. And its so much about processing what is going on, and i think that a lot of l