Originally published February 2, 2015.
[Each day New Tech City host Manoush Zomorodi will discuss your questions and concerns about the Bored and Brilliant challenge of the day. Get in touch through Facebook, Twitter, or email]
Challenge Day 1: In Your Pocket
Q: “Manoush, I’m psyched to start up New Tech City’s “Bored and Brilliant” project with the #NTpocket challenge, but what about listening while en route, say, to podcasts?
A: Dear Rachel,
Thanks so much for your question! Here’s my short answer: It’s totally up to you.
We want everyone to choose a goal (minutes, pick ups, progress over time) that allows for the activities you consider important. I feel very strongly that this project should not be prescriptive; the goal is to get you thinking about when and how you use your gadgets and then decide to use them purposefully, rather than reflexively.
Forty percent of our participants (from the sample we surveyed) wanted to cut down on checking their phone so much as their biggest goal. For about 28 percent the top goal was to cut down on overall time spent. So, purposeful pick-ups are a big part this #BAB challenge.
So, Rachel, if you can space out while listening to podcasts, then go for it! I decided not to use my phone at all on the subway this morning. I wanted to experiment with zero smartphone interaction, podcasts or otherwise. Like #BAB participant Ken Cooper, I read the paper instead. He wanted to know whether or not that was kosher. He posted this feedback on our Facebook page:
“When I'm in the subway I typically read the newspaper on my phone. Today, I read via the original paper technology. I'm not sure what I accomplished.”
Ken, I’m curious to know if you felt any of the sensations that I did this morning? First, I felt anxious that I wasn’t scrolling through emails on my phone. Then, I settled into reading an article with far longer prolonged concentration than usual (I read about Tom Brady’s mindset in the New York Times Magazine... damn, I really want to be a quarter as “physically fit, emotionally stable and spiritually sound.”) Finally, I looked up and smelled the wet umbrellas and felt how fast the subway was actually going despite a snowy morning. I also contemplated the perception of bad weather versus real conditions. I mentally expressed gratitude to my husband for buying me new boots and reminded myself to plan better for seasonal changes in the future. I’m tired of being the mom whose kids are still wearing sneakers in January.
When I got to work, I was less frantic and, far more calmly than usual, checked my phone. For exactly three minutes. I didn’t surf around. Got down to work. And it felt good.
Send me your questions, thoughts, feedback on Challenge #2!
Until then,
Manoush