Award-winning podcast host, managing editor of WNYC Studios’ “Note to Self,” and author of Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, Manoush Zomorodi, took a break from her hectic schedule to rap with me about her claim to fame as a podcaster, the neuroscience of boredom, and how to recharge your creative batteries. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! Manoush is a former globetrotting journalist and producer for both BBC and Reuters. She has won four New York Press Club awards for her work with New York Public Radio and was named 2017 s Best Tech Podcast by the Academy of Podcasters. Her podcast is described as a tech show that “…searches for answers to life s digital quandaries through experiments and conversations with listeners and experts.” Her first book, Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, is grounded in both neuroscience and cognitive psychology and based on a groundbreaking experiment she conducted with thousands of her podcast listeners to “…help them unplug from their devices, get bored, [and] jump-start their creativity…” In addition to her popular TED talk “How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas,” she has appeared on NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, WNBC, and The Dr. Oz Show and contributes to NPR, Quartz, Inc., and Radiolab. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In this file Manoush Zomorodi and I discuss: The miracle of technology and its inherent ills Why our favorite algorithms are programmed to distract us How the author enlisted thousands of podcast listeners for her one-of-a-kind experiment Why you need to change your digital habits to be more creative Why first drafts suck and the power of deadlines A refreshing definition of creativity Why you should beware of technology that claims to solve your problems with more technology Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 201,344 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to StudioPress.com Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self – Manoush Zomorodi ManoushZ.com Note to Self podcast – Produced by WNYC Studios TED talk: “How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas” – Manoush Zomorodi A Georgetown professor says the mindset that led us all to embrace Facebook could ultimately stall your career How Einstein Thought: Why “Combinatory Play” Is the Secret of Genius – Maria Popova Manoush Zomorodi on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter