To disconnect or not to disconnect

Does a day off really mean a day off for you? No info snacking and constant email checking on your Blackberry. No surfing the web for work-related nuggets. Screen time of only the most leisurely kind.

If, like me, you find yourself responding in the most Pavlovian way to the little beep that tells you you've got an email that you surely don't have to read at 3 p.m. on a Saturday, you'll be as impressed by the New York Times' Mark Bittman's commitment to disconnect from everything one day a week. That includes TV and his landline phone.

Initial attempts to spend "...a day a week where I would be free of screens, bells and beeps" are filled with trying, hyper-aware moments. But as the weeks move on, quiet reading, naps, and MP3-less walks become routine and as enjoyable as they were before he chose to force himself to disconnect to do them.

It's a great read, and I'm curious if you identify or have no desire or intent to disconnect for one day a week. With so many fun, instant ways to connect, surf, and communicate vying for out time, how do you make sure you get some quiet time to think, recharge, and just be?

LINK: I Need a Virtual Break. No Really. [NYT]