“…mobile consumers now spend an average of two hours and fifty-seven minutes each day on mobile devices.”

Waiting in line to check out? Fire up Candy Crush.

On your commute? Get caught up on blogs or YouTube vids.

One laaaast round of checks on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter before the theater darkens for the movie previews. (And then another check when the lights come up to catch what you missed.)

We have the option to never, ever be bored. There’s always something, somewhere willing to keep us occupied, and it’s rarely farther than a pocket. According to Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR’s Note to Self program, that’s a problem.

In 2015, Note to Self launched a week-long project to promote boredom. Through a series of challenges, Bored and Brilliant participants were encouraged to think through how, when, and why they engage with technology. This book emerged from that project, giving Zomorodi a chance not only to talk about the outcomes of the project itself, but also some of the rationale behind each component challenge. She interviews scientists and laypersons along the way.

But why boredom? Isn’t it *good* that we can use these otherwise unproductive three minutes at Starbucks to touch base with a friend on Facebook? What else would we possibly do with that time?

Zomorodi argues that the cumulative effect of all these check-ins cost us creativity and introspection. The brain desperately needs to these unoccupied moments to tie disparate parts of our lived experience together in new and creative ways. The wandering mind moves backward and forward, updating your narrative of self and the world around you. Every time you fire up Candy Crush, you’re unconsciously choosing not to let your mind wander.

Zomorodi works hard to present the scientific evidence for this view and to keep it morally neutral–she frequently mentions her own addiction to an online game as evidence that she suffers along with the rest of us–but it’s not hard to see that some readers are going to be defensive about this notion.

The portion of the book that spoke to me loudest was a passage in which Zomorodi interviews a couple of college professors who bemoan how their students prefer to communicate via text rather than office hours. A student points out that a text or email allows her to choose her words in advance, so as not to say the wrong thing. One of the professors points out that makes her own job harder. If a student asks a precise question over text/email, the professor can only answer the question posed. A student who stumbles through an idea verbally, who makes mistakes and corrects herself as she goes along, who leaves openings where the professor might probe further or reframe portions of the question… this is how academic inquiry and discovery happen best. Yes, it’s messier, but it’s also more likely to engage the student.

“…perhaps our biggest loss is that of patience. Patience to let someone finish an imperfect thought; patience to read a dense paragraph not once, twice, but three times to understand an intricate point; patience to let a simple thought that crosses your mind grow into a mediocre concept and only then blossom into an outstanding idea. These things take time. And the one thing our phones can’t give us is more hours in the day.”

In describing the premise of the book to a co-worker, she pointed out that distraction has always been with us. Forty years ago, the commuter train car might have been full of folks reading a paper rather than their cell phones. She’s right: screens are a new iteration of an old habit. There was no magical past in which strangers were happy and willing to engage with one another on the morning commute that has now been taken from us by smartphones.

However, Zomorodi isn’t anti-technology. She hasn’t chucked her iPhone into the East River, and she’s not inciting us to rise up in revolution against our electronic masters. Instead, she’s arguing that a healthier relationship with our phones will open up more space in our lives for creative thinking.

Wonder if your smart phone is getting in the way of life? The author, an NPR reporter, used her show to guide 20,000 listeners through 7 challenges designed to help them make wiser choices regarding their use of technology. The book provides the science behind our difficulties with technology, experiences of people during the challenges, and great commentary on how people are affected. She is clear that the point isn't to do away with technology but to ensure we are controlling how we use it rather than letting it control us. The challenges, simple to try, are included. Excellent guidance for anyone who knows that they are in fact checking FB, reading emails, playing games, or accessing other favorite apps more than they should be!

Thanks, Netgalley, for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Educational and interesting. A scholarly look at how changing technology affects the human brain and how humans deal with choosing to prioritize (or not) use of time.
I was expecting a discussion on letting ones mind wander to stimulate deeper creative thinking.
That topic was covered along with much more.
A good portion of the book investigates human behavior, addictive or obsessive, and habits dealing with cell phones and similar electronic devices and the need to be continually connected, whether to social media or available for work. Will future generations know how to sit still, do nothing, or observe and consider, coming to conclusions by themselves?
Included are many references I will be looking into further.

The book also offers an organised challenge for the readers to discover their own patterns of electronics use. It allows an opportunity to rethink or at least become aware of how one uses time.

I thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Loved all the topics in this book. Tought me techniques on how to not check my phone all the time.

An excellent source to help you have a more healthy relationship with technology. While this has challenges that are for everybody, you tailor them to your own life and technology. This isn't simply "use the phone less". Instead it is an examination of our fascination with devices without judgment. What are we replacing when we are glued to our screens? Are we actually being productive with them, or simply using them as an escape to avoid something else? Even if you do not do the challenges this book will get you thinking. And it will help to bore you which actually might be just what you need. The book examines the relationship between new ways of thinking spring from boredom, a boredom we avoid by filling in every free moment with technology. A great thought provoking read.

(1 1/2). This is an interesting topic, that the use of screens, devices and other modern means of communication are so overwhelming that we have lost a lot of our mojo. The hypothesis that allocated down time will bring about more creativity, problem solving and civility certainly seems on point to me. When your brain isn't constantly scrambling we all seem to work better. A reasonable thought, a fairly weak presentation.

Thinking you may be spending way too much time on your Smartphone? I think it's safe to say most of us are!

In 2015, the author led 20,000 listeners of her show on NPR, through 7 challenges which she shares with us in this book. They aren't difficult but they are very eye-opening.

The book doesn't bash technology, but emphasizes the human aspect of everyday life and the need for mind wandering, daydreaming if you will and the creative and productive results of doing so. It's about balance.

Excellent read and a very good radio show!

Netgalley/St. Martin's Press   Release September 05, 2017

"My real worry is on formation of the young's deep-reading processes. That takes time - it takes actually years to form the ability to put inference and background knowledge and analogy and epiphany all together in a child's brain". Not just kids but adults have to relearn reading slowly with our recent skimming mania.

The author refers to many books and authors to bring about the importance of boredom in creativity surge and getting rid of modern day addiction of digital devices.

There are many exercises and testimonials in cutting the shackles of the numerous apps that are eating up our time.

Very accessible book on 'this modern life' of smartphone, texts, photos..