You need to read the treatise on divergence, bored and brilliant

I have a penchant for space. a lot. Whether I’m staring out the window on Amtrak or pausing at work to focus on a blank dot on the wall instead of my screen, I often let my mind wander. When I was younger, I was often called a “daydreamer,” a space cadet, or just plain distracted. Obviously one can be also Absent-minded, but Bored and wonderful By Manoush Zamorodi convincingly demonstrates that letting your mind wander is not only essential, but a luxury we should not take for granted in our hyper-connected age.

Zomorodi is the current host of NPR’s programs TED Radio Hourbut she was also the host of WNYC Note to self For many years. In 2015, she… A series of episodes on Note to self Focus on eliminating digital distractions and the benefits of boredom. Then, in 2017, it became a book. Boredom and Intelligence: How distancing can unleash your most productive and creative self These episodes expand, bringing in new expert voices, scientific studies, and anecdotes from Zomorody and her audience from their own digital detox efforts.

Some of what Zamorodi shares in the book are things we might take for granted in 2025 (phones are designed to be addictive). Or you may feel like they are things you instinctively “know” without necessarily having hard evidence to back them up (daydreaming is good). But what makes Bored and Wonderful so good is how Zamorodi ties the different threads together and is on the journey with us, the reader.

In the introduction, she talks about having to walk endlessly with her newborn, who refused to sleep unless he was in motion. I hated it at first. However, eventually, she fell into a rhythm and “began to appreciate the fact that she had no destination.” There is a discomfort and an allure in this kind of forced boredom that can be difficult to appreciate. It’s kind of liminal, and we’ve turned liminalism into a whole subgenre of horror. But embracing it can be restorative and a driver of creativity.

She reflects on her tendency to fire up Twitter while she’s commuting and playing Two points At bedtime, she obsessively updates her calendar. Zamorodi sums up our addiction to modern technology perfectly: “My mind was always busy, but my mind wasn’t doing anything with all the information coming in.”

Throughout the book, she points out the challenges of choice paralysis, something anyone who’s ever wasted an evening browsing Netflix rather than actually watching anything will be all too familiar with. It highlights the subtle ways in which the presence of a phone, even if you’re not actively using it, can affect our interactions with others. He looks at studies that show that taking photos with our phones, rather than just being in the present moment, actually reduces our ability to remember things.

Bored and wonderful However, he is not there to scold you for your use of technology. Zomorodi is candid about her own struggles. At one point, she thought her tombstone would read, “She clicked on links and saved a lot of articles to read again and never read.” I have never felt such a vision.

But it also offers a way forward. Each chapter ends with a challenge from creative Bored and wonderful series on Note to self – Document precisely how and when you use your phone, don’t take a photo for a day, and delete the app that consumes your time. Zamorodi offers some of her own insights drawn from these experiences, as well as feedback from listeners who participated in them.

Bored and wonderful It won’t magically make you put that phone down or turn you into a creative genius. But it offers an accessible, science-backed reason to unplug from time to time, and gives you some concrete steps to pull yourself back from the brink.

You can find it on most E-book Storesbut I highly recommend purchasing a Physical copy In your alive independent libraryIf for no other reason than to get down from your device and jot down some notes in the margins. Or borrow it from you Local libraryget notebookAnd take some notes by hand.