April 2026: Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi

 Amy picked "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zomorodi for our April 2026 book. 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In 2015, Manoush Zomorodi, creator of WNYC’s popular podcast and radio show Note to Self, led tens of thousands of listeners through an experiment to help them unplug from their devices, get bored, jump-start their creativity, and change their lives. Bored and Brilliant builds on that experiment to show us how to rethink our gadget use to live better and smarter in this new digital ecosystem. Manoush explains the connection between boredom and original thinking, exploring how we can harness boredom’s hidden benefits to become our most productive and creative selves without totally abandoning our gadgets in the process. Grounding the book in the neuroscience and cognitive psychology of “mind wandering” what our brains do when we're doing nothing at all―Manoush includes practical steps you can take to ease the nonstop busyness and enhance your ability to dream, wonder, and gain clarity in your work and life. The outcome is mind-blowing. Unplug and read on. 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Manoush Zomorodi (muh-NOOSH Zoh-moe-road-ee) is an award-winning journalist, author, and host of NPR's “TED Radio Hour.” Her "Body Electric" project, a collaboration between NPR and Columbia University Medical Center involving over 20,000 participants, represents one of the largest public health studies of its kind. The data from that study, and a much larger story about what the digital age is doing to our bodies are in her groundbreaking book BODY ELECTRIC: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being (Flatiron; May 5, 2026). 

A 2025 Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center resident, she has established herself as a pioneering voice in examining technology's impact on our humanity. Her first book, BORED AND BRILLIANT (St.Martin’s Press; 2017) and TED talks about the attention economy (7m+ plays) and the physical effects of our tech use make her a go-to expert for understanding our screen-saturated age. She’s earned two Gracie Awards for “Best Radio Host” (2014, 2018), a Webby Award for “Best Podcast Host” (2020), and recognition as one of Fast Company's “100 Most Creative People in Business.” Under her leadership, “TED Radio Hour” won the 2023 Ambie Award for Best Knowledge, Science & Tech podcast, while her previous show “Note to Self” was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by the Academy of Podcasters. 

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