I have a penchant for going into space. Many. Whether I'm looking out the window on an Amtrak train or stopping at work to focus on an empty space on the wall rather than the screen, I often let my thoughts wander. When I was younger, I was often derisively called a dreamer, a space cadet, or simply absent-minded. Obviously you can be too much absent-minded, but Boring and brilliant Manouche Zomorodi makes a compelling case that letting your mind wander is not only necessary, but is a luxury that we should not take for granted in our hyper-connected age.
Zomorodi is a current NPR host. TED Radio Hourbut she was also a WNYC anchor Note to self for many years. In 2015 she did series of episodes on Note to self focused on eliminating digital distractions and the benefits of boredom. Then, in 2017, it became a book. Boring and Brilliant: How White Space Can Bring Out Your Most Productive and Creative Personality expands on these episodes by bringing new expert opinions, scientific research, and anecdotes from Zomorodi and her audience from their own digital detox efforts.
Some of what Zomorodi says in the book are things we might take for granted in 2025 (phones are designed to be addictive). Or you may feel as if you “knew” instinctively, without necessarily having hard evidence to back it up (dreaming is good). But what makes Boring and Brilliant so successful is the way Zomorodi ties the various threads together and the way she journeys with us, the reader.
In the introduction, she talks about how she had to walk endlessly with her newborn, who refused to sleep unless he moved. At first she hated it. However, she eventually got into a rhythm and “started to appreciate the fact that [she] had no destination.” This form of forced boredom has both a discomfort and an attractiveness that is difficult to appreciate. It's kind of borderline, and we've turned it into a whole subgenre of horror. But accepting it can be restorative and fuel creativity.
She reflects on her tendency to fire up Twitter on the way to work while playing. Two points before bed and obsessively updates her calendar. Zomorodi perfectly describes the problem of our modern technological addiction: “My brain was always busy, but my mind did nothing with all the information coming in.”
Throughout the book, she points out the problems of choice paralysis that anyone who's lost an evening scrolling through Netflix instead of watching anything will be all too familiar with. She highlights the subtle ways in which having a phone, even if you don't actively use it, can influence our interactions with other people. And looks at research showing that taking photos with our phones instead of just staying in the present moment actually reduces our ability to remember things.
Boring and brilliant however, this is not to punish you for using technology. Zomorodi speaks openly about his struggles. At one point, she contemplates the fact that her tombstone will read: “She clicked on links and saved many articles to read at another time, but never read them.” I've never felt so seen.
But it also offers a way forward. Each chapter ends with a challenge from original Boring and brilliant row on Note to self — carefully document how and when you use your phone, don’t take photos during the day, delete apps that eat up your time. Zomorodi offers some of his own insights from these experiments, as well as notes from listeners who took part in them.
Boring and brilliant won't magically make you turn off your phone or turn you into a creative genius. But he offers an accessible, science-backed reason to unplug every once in a while and gives you some concrete steps to help you get out of the hole.
You can find it on majority e-book shopsbut I highly recommend you buy physical copy at your place district independent bookstoreif for no other reason than to look up from the device and scribble a few notes in the margins. Or borrow it from yours local libraryget it notebookand take some notes by hand.
