Eavesdropping On Epiphany

Note to Self

WNYC Studios

Self-improvement, Tech, Note, Npr, Education, Public, Wnyc, Manoush, York, To, New, Self, Radio, Business, Technology, Relationships, City, Society & Culture, Zomorodi, Newtechcity

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 13 September 2017

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

José Cruz is a college student, research scientist, and phone power-user. He spent 6 hours in one day on his screen. So he wanted to cut back, make more time for research, reading, and mental drift. And he recorded himself doing it. It was not easy. There are some painful moments - but man, is there a payoff.

Plus, seventh grade teacher-turned-neuroscientist Mary Helen Immordino-Yang on the link between single-tasking and innovation.

The second of our two episodes celebrating the launch of Manoush's new book, Bored and Brilliant.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's still a very powerful grip that my phone has on me that I will be doing nothing and
0:09.2	I won't be able to tolerate the emptiness or the boredom.
0:15.8	Not because I'm thinking so hard and it hurts and I just need something else.
0:19.4	No, not because of any of that, but because I'm just so instinctively used to just grabbing
0:25.4	my phone.
0:28.0	I'm a new summer Odie and note to self, changing habits is hard.
0:34.0	No kidding.
0:35.0	But what if scientists and other listeners could almost guarantee that the payoff would
0:40.8	be worth it?
0:42.0	That changing your smartphone habits would help you focus on what really matters to you
0:47.4	in this crazy, accelerating world.
0:49.7	That's the big promise I make in my brand new book, Bored and Brilliant.
0:54.8	And it's what Jose, that guy you heard at the top, he's a listener and a college student,
0:59.5	he's been testing that promise.
1:01.9	Seven days of self experimentation to help him rethink how he uses his technology, spend
1:09.4	a little more time just getting bored and seeing if he can unlock his most productive and
1:15.5	creative self.
1:20.9	It's not like I made up this link between boredom and brilliance.
1:25.5	I did a lot of interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, marketers and technologists.
1:31.7	People who help me put together an interdisciplinary understanding of what effects our technology
1:37.6	is having on our brains and our behavior.
1:40.8	The book includes all that plus data and stories from the 20,000 listeners who did the weeklong
	...

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