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A review by angiesix
Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi
4.0
Disclosure: I received an ARC from Netgalley.
Have you ever felt that tinge of guilt when you pick up your phone for a mindless scroll, knowing there are better things you can be doing with your time? Have you ever said, “Just one more game and then I’ll go to bed.” Do you ever worry that you’re setting a bad example for your kids when it comes to smartphone usage, saying one thing and yet doing another? Do you feel like you have 15 apps to make your life more productive, but you can’t focus long enough to use any of them or remember what, exactly, needs the most attention in the first place? Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s podcast Note to Self (for those “trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age”), felt all of these things and more. She was concerned that her dependence on tech to fill in the space made by boredom was affecting her creativity and ability to concentrate, and so she proposed a challenge to her podcast listeners. The “Bored and Brilliant Challenge” was a one-week experiment in reassessing phone use, partially unplugging, confronting boredom, and exploring our creative side. The challenge touched a nerve, with thousands of participants chiming in on their experiences.
In the Bored and Brilliant book, Zomorodi leads the reader through the 7-step Challenge. Each chapter addresses a technology issue, discusses the up and downsides, and gives the reader an assignment, such as deleting the one app you think you can’t live without, keeping your phone out of sight while in transit, and going a day without taking a photo. It’s not an anti-technology book, but instead it provides a way for us to take some small steps away from technology and reassess how and where it belongs in our life. I haven’t taken my own Bored and Brilliant Challenge yet, but I fully intend to (and hope to convince the teen to do it with me). With its mix of personal stories, interesting research, and easily implementable ideas, Bored and Brilliant is an excellent resource for anyone who struggles with our increasing dependence on smartphones in this digital age.
Have you ever felt that tinge of guilt when you pick up your phone for a mindless scroll, knowing there are better things you can be doing with your time? Have you ever said, “Just one more game and then I’ll go to bed.” Do you ever worry that you’re setting a bad example for your kids when it comes to smartphone usage, saying one thing and yet doing another? Do you feel like you have 15 apps to make your life more productive, but you can’t focus long enough to use any of them or remember what, exactly, needs the most attention in the first place? Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s podcast Note to Self (for those “trying to preserve their humanity in the digital age”), felt all of these things and more. She was concerned that her dependence on tech to fill in the space made by boredom was affecting her creativity and ability to concentrate, and so she proposed a challenge to her podcast listeners. The “Bored and Brilliant Challenge” was a one-week experiment in reassessing phone use, partially unplugging, confronting boredom, and exploring our creative side. The challenge touched a nerve, with thousands of participants chiming in on their experiences.
In the Bored and Brilliant book, Zomorodi leads the reader through the 7-step Challenge. Each chapter addresses a technology issue, discusses the up and downsides, and gives the reader an assignment, such as deleting the one app you think you can’t live without, keeping your phone out of sight while in transit, and going a day without taking a photo. It’s not an anti-technology book, but instead it provides a way for us to take some small steps away from technology and reassess how and where it belongs in our life. I haven’t taken my own Bored and Brilliant Challenge yet, but I fully intend to (and hope to convince the teen to do it with me). With its mix of personal stories, interesting research, and easily implementable ideas, Bored and Brilliant is an excellent resource for anyone who struggles with our increasing dependence on smartphones in this digital age.