Why Disconnection is the New Luxury 

Modern life asks us to stay constantly connected – to our families, our work, our hobbies, and even our own wellbeing. We are tied to a digital world that never truly slows. That’s where the strain begins.  

Science is beginning to show what many of us already sense: that sustained screen time doesn’t just scatter our attention in the moment, but it has been quietly changing how our brains respond to the real world around us. 

The importance of disconnection 

Concerns like “cognitive offloading” – relying on technology to remember what our minds once would – are key to the conversation around digital connection. 

More than a third of people experience “digital amnesia” – instinctively asking the internet for answers instead of trying to remember information ourselves – and around 25% of people immediately forget information almost as soon as they’ve looked it up. 

Many people are now looking for digital disconnection to reverse the cognitive damage caused by living online, and to come back to reality. 

Common concerns cited as reasons to go offline include: 

• Avoiding burnout and anticipatory stress (the inability to mentally detach from work). 

• Getting out of the scroll loop to avoid “wasting” time on social media. 

• Protecting our privacy and maximising quality time connected with loved ones. 

Neuroscientists now show that limiting entertainment screen time to under two hours a day can begin to restore cognitive function, showing how quickly the brain begins to recover. 

Disconnecting at home  

While many of us recognise the value of stepping back from the digital world, the actual ability to “disconnect” is, increasingly, a luxury. For most people, it simply isn’t practical. Work, family life, wellbeing and even our hobbies now sit behind a screen.  

But we can learn to notice the moments we’re being pulled online and away from the things that matter.  

A sudden notification. A reflex scroll.  

Catching these moments is the first step towards reclaiming our attention. 

And when disconnecting is a luxury, the best thing we can do is make it feel luxurious. 

Engaging with physical media 

From vinyl record collections to physical diaries, we’re seeing people (of all generations) increasingly doing things “the old-fashioned way.” 

Spending time purposefully engaging with offline activities keeps our brains occupied while staying away from the information overload that phones and laptops promise.  

Digital detoxing 

A full “digital detox” is unrealistic for most of us, but small rituals of disconnection on a regular basis have a cumulative impact. 

Screen lights are known to disrupt melatonin, while the psychological stimulation of the “infinite scroll” keeps the brain in a state of high alert, so cutting them out before bed allows your body to relax and primes you for more restful sleep. 

When phones and emails ping, we’re pulled back into a state of digital alertness. Reviewing your notifications to keep only the most important and blocking the rest helps you resist this pull and stay grounded. 

Screenless spaces for quiet moments 

Living spaces styled with natural tones, warm light, and pockets of screen‑free space in your home invite a special kind of calm.  

Spaces designed for other hobbies – art, music, crafts, cooking – can also naturally direct your attention offline and offer your mind a richer kind of focus. Third rooms like a home office space can be repurposed for pleasure as well as for business, while quiet sanctuaries like library nooks encourage you to curl up with a book, instead of a news article or social media post. 

Technology has opened up endless, incredible opportunities, and has built a world that for decades was only possible in our imaginations. However, it’s also brought a sense of fatigue, and for an increasing number of us, a feeling that technology is inescapable.  

When you treat disconnection as a luxury, you’re not just putting down the digital world – you’re picking up the real one.