Sabbath is more like a special case of this. The purpose of Sabbath was a built-in day of rest for people working essentially. The impetus was of course to use that time for religious reflection. However, at least in Christianity (and I believe Judaism) there's no need to be completely disconnected from any form of stimulus. You attend church, mingle among your congregation, read, enjoy time with family, etc. The author is practicing something more akin to the forced asceticism seen in eastern religions.

Though you bring up a good point. Religion aside, I wonder what would happen to society if it was somehow compulsory to avoid technology for a day. I've found my life to be much more fulfilling avoiding computers these days. But perhaps that the ADHD talking. I am particularly vulnerable to the swaths of distractions available on a modern computer to the point that when I need to get work done I physically disconnect the ethernet cable from my PC unless I absolutely need it.