On today’s episode, I spent time with Rob Walker. Rob Walker is a journalist covering design, technology, business, the arts, and other subjects. He writes the Human Resource column for Lifehacker, and has contributed to The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Atlantic, TheNewYorker.Com, Design Observer, The Organist, and many others. His book The Art of Noticing (Knopf) comes out in May 2019. He is on the faculty of the Products of Design MFA program at the School of Visual Arts.

Rob Walker wrote the book, The Art of Noticing. This gorgeously illustrated volume will spark your creativity and most importantly, help you see the world anew. Through a series of simple and playful exercises with 131 of them, Rob maps ways for you to become a clearer thinker, a better listener, a more creative workplace colleague and finally, to rediscover your sense of passion and to notice what really matters to you.

Talking Points

How do you define “noticing” and how does that play a role in how we craft our lives?

On the notion of productivity and efficiency

On “noticing” as the backbone of curiosity

What is being productive?

What led Rob to spend time on the topic of noticing?

Is Rob the Jerry Maguire of noticing?

On “noticing” when it comes to comedy

On the idea of attunement vs. alignment

On the idea of time management

Why is the book, The Art of Noticing, important right now?

How many ways did not make it into the book?

Which of the 131 exercises stood out and which is the most unconventional?

Does Rob journal and if so how?

Quote

“It is not about your skill at noticing, more on the habit of noticing that sort of forces you to see differently and to see things that you weren’t looking for.”

Relevant Links

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Book: The Art of Noticing

This episode welcomed us to the era of white noise. Our lives are in constant tether to phones, to email, and to social media. In this age of distraction, the ability to experience and be present is often lost: to think and to see and to listen.

Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.

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