The Art of Noticing

Today's blog post is based on a podcast from The Art of Manliness:

Quick, name the president who’s on the dime. Or think about the letters and numbers on your license plate. Were you stumped for a moment? That’s the strange thing about our powers of observation: we can look at something a thousand times, and never really notice it. 

Our struggle to notice what’s around us is even worse in our Smartphone Age, where we often have tunnel vision that limits itself to a little handheld screen. 

My guest today wrote a book that aims to help us recapture the keen use of our senses. His name is Rob Walker, he’s the author of The Art of Noticing, and he argues that tuning into things normally overlooked not only provides fodder for art and business, but can make life seem more vibrant and engaging. Rob and I begin our conversation discussing what it means to notice and the benefits that come from noticing. We then spend the rest of the conversation walking through several exercises you can start doing today to strengthen your noticing muscles, including creating observational scavenger hunts and collections. Rob also suggests several ways to notice overlooked things at museums and why looking at the world like there’s a dramatic heist about to go down causes you to notice more in your environment.

Men have a reputation for not noticing things, I know I'm good at not noticing the things around me.

And then there was the master of noticing things, Sherlock Holmes:

Here are the highlights from the podcast:

• What are the benefits of noticing things that are oft overlooked?
• The empowering nature of being in control of your attention
• Creating scavenger hunts for yourself
• Why you should start an (unconventional) collection 
• What does it mean to look slowly?
• Taking inspiration from kids on the art of noticing 
• Making the most of your visit to a museum 
• Why you should draw what you see at an art museum rather than take a picture of it
• Imagining a heist scenario in every environment 
• Noticing what people are doing on their phone 
• How to find things you aren’t looking for 
• Noticing with our other senses
• The power of solitude 

Take a few minutes and check out the podcast...it was quite interesting.

 Interesting days

Today - International Country Music Day, Constitution Day, Apple Dumpling Day, Monte Cristo Sandwich Day, Locate An Old Friend Day and Table Shuffleboard Day

Tomorrow - Cheeseburger Day, Water Monitoring Day, Respect Day, Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day, Read An Ebook Day and First Love Day

Week long celebrations:

September 9 - 15: Housekeepers Week

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next Tuesday - Punctuation Day and Cherries Jubilee Day

Week long celebrations:

September 23 - 29 International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 17 - Get Smart About Credit Day, Spreadsheet Day, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Wear Something Gaudy Day, Mulligan Day, Conflict Resolution Day, Playing Card Collection Day and Forgive an Ex Day

Week long celebrations:

October 13 - 19: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week