Quotes from Rob Walker

Polyconsciousness is what one researcher termed the resulting state of mind that divides attention between the physical world and the one our devices connect us to, undermining here-and-now interactions with actual people and things around us.

first-class noticer"—cultivating the ability to attend to what others overlook, experiencing "enchanting reality" as a new and fortuitous gift—is crucial to any creative process.

What we do with our attention, in short, is at the heart of what makes us human.

A hypereffective schedule designed to maximize productivity is, in fact, more likely to distract you from what's important than help you discover it.

Every day is filled with opportunities to be amazed, surprised, enthralled—to experience the enchanting everyday. To stay eager. To be, in a word, alive.

A significant moment deserves a considered prelude. Be ready.

The daily papers talk of everything except the daily," he complained. "What's really going on, what we're experiencing, the rest, all the rest, where is it?" That's his deeper question: What about everything else?