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Bored and Brilliant

How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

*An AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award Winner*
This program is read by the author.


"In this spirited exploration of our relationship with technological devices, Zomorodi's melodic voice beckons and inspires listeners to develop a deeper understanding of how tech devices affect our potential...Zomorodi persuasively conveys her compelling points on the need for reflection to make room for enlightenment in this age of technological overload." — AudioFile Magazine

It's time to move "doing nothing" to the top of your to-do list.
In 2015 Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC's popular podcast and radio show Note to Self, led tens of thousands of listeners through an experiment to help them unplug from their devices, get bored, jump-start their creativity, and change their lives. Bored and Brilliant builds on that experiment to show us how to rethink our gadget use to live better and smarter in this new digital ecosystem. In this fascinating new audiobook, Manoush 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.
Grounding her arguments in the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of "mind wandering" —what our brains do when we're doing nothing at all—Manoush includes practical steps you can take to ease the nonstop busyness and enhance your ability to dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and life. The outcome is mind-blowing.
"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. What's 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 #1 New York Times Bestseller The Happiness Project

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Levity is mixed with earnestness as author and narrator Manoush Zomorodi sets forth the "Bored and Brilliant challenge," which encourages listeners to spark their creativity by detaching from their tech devices. In this spirited exploration of our relationship with technological devices, Zomorodi's melodic voice beckons and inspires listeners to develop a deeper understanding of how tech devices affect our potential. Zomorodi humorously examines the relationship between boredom and brilliance, emphasizing how many people don't realize just how connected they are to their phones and social media. In her interview with the developer of Two Dots, Zomorodi playfully chastises him as she reveals how she, too, became quickly addicted to the phone app. Zomorodi persuasively conveys her compelling points on the need for reflection to make room for enlightenment in this age of technological overload. M.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 29, 2017
      Zomorodi, host of the WNYC podcast Note to Self, issues a paradoxically lively treatise on the benefits of boredom. In 2015 she asked her listeners to rethink their relationship to their digital devices, issuing a week-long challenge to reclaim time to “space out” and embrace boredom as a productive state of mind. Feedback from the 20,000 participants in the challenge is featured here, as well as Zomorodi’s illuminating discussion of boredom’s history as a concept. She cites research by social scientists and psychologists throughout in support of her belief that unplugging, disconnecting, and getting “bored” fosters creativity. Zomorodi outlines a reasonable, easily implemented program for improving “your capacity for boredom,” consisisting of seven steps. The first six are: (1) track your digital habits, (2) eschew media while walking or driving, (3) have a day when you don’t take any pictures, (4) delete the app you think you can’t live without, (5) take a “fakecation” (go to the office but do not reply to electronic messages), and (6) choose one thing in your environment to observe in depth. Step seven consists of advice on putting your newfound sense of boredom to work. Zomorodi’s engaging and provocative presentation will appeal to her established fans and also draw new ones. Agent: Stuart Krichevsky, Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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