When we temporarily remove ourselves from information overload, our other senses start to sharpen. Hearing improves as well as smell and touch. We can think clearer. It can feel addictive to want to cut ties with visual overload.

But removing yourself from information can be alarming. While it may feel good for a while, it also leads to disorientation. Without it, you can't see the confusion; with it, you can't see the simplicity.

The world in the 21st century is the same it used to be. It smells about the same, sound pollution is pretty stable. But the spill of information and distraction that comes to our vision has grown ceaselessly for two decades, with no sign of slowing down.

Our brains tend to lean he...