Some of what Zomorodi shares in the book are things that we might take for granted in 2025 (phones are designed to be addictive). Or might feel like things you \u201cknew\u201d instinctively without necessarily having the hard evidence to back it up (daydreaming is good). But, what makes Bored and Brilliant work so well is how Zomorodi ties together the various threads, and that she is on the journey with us, the reader.<\/p>\n
In the introduction, she talks about having to walk endlessly with her newborn, who refused to sleep unless in motion. She hated it at first. Eventually, though, she fell into a rhythm and \u201cstarted appreciating the fact that [she] had no destination.\u201d There is both a discomfort and an allure to this form of enforced boredom that can be difficult to appreciate. It\u2019s a sort of liminality, and we\u2019ve turned the liminal into an entire subgenre of horror. But embracing it can be restorative and an engine for creativity.<\/p>\n
She reflects on her tendency to fire up Twitter on her commute, play Two Dots at bedtime, and obsessively update her calendar. Zomorodi sums up the problem with our modern technology addiction perfectly: \u201cMy brain was always occupied, but my mind wasn\u2019t doing anything with all the information coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the book, she points out the challenges of choice paralysis, something anyone who has lost an evening to scrolling through Netflix instead of actually watching anything will be intimately familiar with. She highlights the subtle ways in which the presence of a phone, even if you\u2019re not actively using it, can influence our interactions with others. And digs into studies showing that taking pictures with our phones, instead of simply being in the moment, actually diminishes our ability to remember things.<\/p>\n
Bored and Brilliant isn\u2019t there to chastise you for your tech usage, though. Zomorodi is up front about her own struggles. At one point, she muses that her headstone will read, \u201cshe clicked links and saved lots of articles to read another time and never actually read them.\u201d I\u2019ve never felt so seen.<\/p>\n
But she also offers a way forward. Each chapter ends with a challenge from the original Bored and Brilliant series<\/a> on Note to Self \u2014 meticulously document how and when you use your phone, don\u2019t take a picture for a day, delete the app that eats up your time. Zomorodi offers some of her own insights gleaned from these experiments, as well as notes from listeners who took part.<\/p>\n Bored and Brilliant won\u2019t magically make you put that phone down or turn you into a creative genius. But it does offer an approachable, scientifically backed reason to unplug once in a while, and gives you some concrete steps to ease yourself back from the brink.<\/p>\n You can find it on<\/a> <\/a>most <\/a>e-book <\/a>stores<\/a>, but I highly recommend you buy a physical copy<\/a> at your neighborhood<\/a> independent <\/a>bookshop<\/a>, if for no other reason than to get off your device and scribble some notes in the margins. Or borrow it from your local library<\/a>, get a notebook<\/a>, and take some notes by hand.<\/p>\n Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O’BrienClose Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All by Terrence O’Brien<\/a><\/p>\n BooksCloseBooks<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Books<\/a><\/p>\n ColumnCloseColumn<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Column<\/a><\/p>\n EntertainmentCloseEntertainment<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n HealthCloseHealth<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n See All Health<\/a><\/p>\n ScienceCloseScience<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n FollowFollow<\/p>\n![\"Terrence](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764538391_443_Terrence-OBrien-headshot-1.jpg\"\/)
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