Bored and Brilliant: How Time Spent Doing Nothing Changes Everything

(Hardback)

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When was the last time you were bored When was the last time you had a brilliant idea If the answer to both questions is, 'not since I had a smart phone', you are not alone. Today it often feels as if we have completely removed boredom from our lives; we reply to our emails twenty-four hours a day, tweet as we watch TV, watch TV as we commute, check Facebook as we walk and Instagram while we eat. Constant stimulation has become our default mode. But what if that's a big problem What if a wandering mind is an essential part of how our brains work and crucial to our ability to think creatively What if our relationship with distraction is stopping us from living our fullest life In Bored and Brilliant, award-winning journalist Manoush Zomorodi explains the connection between boredom and original thinking, exploring how we can harness boredom's hidden benefits to become our most productive and creative selves without totally abandoning our gadgets in the process. She will take you through a series of steps that will help you rethink and recalibrate your relationship with technology and enhance your ability to dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and life.

Reviews

A timely, political and liberating book exploring the neurological reasons why tech might be getting in the way of your creativity and problem-solving...Zomorodi explores why we need to step away from social, streaming and snapping in order to daydream, and how to do it in practical steps * Emerald Street *
A breezy and engaging book that is a little philosophy and a lot of self-help. This could do for unplugging what Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up did for decluttering * Booklist *
Bored and Brilliant is full of easy steps to make each day more effective and every life more intentional. Manoushs mix of personal stories, neuroscience, and data will convince you that boredom is actually a gift -- Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit
Bored and Brilliant shows the fascinating side of boredom. Manoush Zomorodi investigates cutting-edge research as well as compelling (and often funny) real-life examples to demonstrate that boredom is actually a crucial tool for making our lives happier, more productive, and more creative. Whats more, the book is crammed with practical exercises for anyone who wants to reclaim the power of spacing out deleting the Two Dots app, for instance, or having a photo-free day, or taking a '"fakecation." -- Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
In this age of information, Zomorodis book seems revolutionary, almost subversive. Sprinkled liberally with research and insights from some of the leading minds in technology and futurism, Bored and Brilliant is an important reminder that we are not beholden to our devises * Bookpage *
If youve ever felt overwhelmed by the technology in your life, Manoush Zomorodi totally gets you. * Tech Times *
Rarely has a conversation about boredom been less boring. I found it more thrilling than Serial because, frankly, it was of more universal import * Newsweek on the Bored and Brilliant Podcast *

Author Bio

Manoush Zomorodi is the host and managing editor of Note to Self, "the tech show about being human," from WNYC Studios. Every week on her podcast, Manoush searches for answers to life's digital quandaries through experiments and conversations with listeners and experts. She has won numerous awards for her work including four from the New York Press Club. In 2014, the Alliance for Women in Media named her Outstanding Host. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.