My family liked it so much that we did it again a week ago. This coming Saturday, we will put away the phones for a third time, while we are with my extended family.

You should try it, too. In between the material gluttony of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, enjoy a Phone-Free Saturday or Sunday (or, for that matter, Thanksgiving Day).

You’ll have company if you do. When I mentioned my first Tech Shabbat in the email newsletter that I write for The Times, I heard from dozens of readers who have done their own version. Some were Christians who put away phones on Sunday. Some were Jews who observe a full day of rest. Many were secular. Nearly all were trying to find a better balance in our digitally addled world.

“At first, it does feel awkward, not having screen time,” Barbara Mutezdi said. “But with time, it becomes a habit you crave.” Chantel Hanks said her three young boys make crepes with her husband or build Lego robot vehicles, rather than playing video games.

Arlaana Black, a high-school teacher, has assigned her students to put away their phones for an entire weekend and write a report about it. “Although it was difficult (like any addict weaning from addiction), most reported considerable less stress,” Black wrote to me, “and a few said that they actually sat down for dinner with their parent or parents and had meaningful dialogue for the first time in months.”

To have a successful Tech Shabbat, you should choose ground rules that work for you. We turn off our cellphones, tablets and laptops and stick them in a cabinet. We’re willing to watch sports on television, if more than one person is doing so. We rely on our landline to reach other people.

You may prefer stricter or looser rules. But I recommend against half measures, like keeping your cellphone in your pocket and claiming you’ll look at it only if it rings. Out of sight, out of mind.