If you read my last post (sorry October – January, you were dry writing months for me!), you won’t be surprised to learn that I’m a big fan of NPR. I find the long-format news reporting and human interest segments to be enriching, inspiring, and conversation-sparking. I also experience the tone and pace of the programming as calm and peaceful; a stark contrast to the network news-world, which to me feels doused in sensationalism and histrionics.

So, the other day while listening to WHYY, I caught a story featuring WNYC’s Note to Self host Mannish Zomorodi. She explained a new experiment they were launching in the first week of February called “Infomagical.” The title immediately grabbed me. I wanted to learn more.

The gist is this: they want to see if they can help you de-clutter your consumption of information, and in doing so create more space in your life for you to pursue something you really want (more creativity, learning something new, connecting with friends and family, time for peace, etc.).

Never one to resist a challenge, and always ready to jump into something with “experiment” in the title, I signed up. And I invited a few dear friends to sign up with me. And now, I’m asking you.*

*The texting option for this week (February 1 – 5) is all filled up, but they’re doing a repeat offering next week, February 8 – 12. Sign up here.

Here’s what to expect: starting on Monday, you receive a text each morning with a link to a brief podcast (about 10 minutes or so) that starts with an explanation and ends with a call to action. When you sign up, you designate what your focus for the week will be (there’s even a quiz that can help you determine your ideal focus area): I chose to be more creative.

In the interest of my focus on creativity, I’ve made a few commitments for the week:

1. I will listen to the podcast each morning between 8 – 9am;
2. I will experiment with the call to action for that entire day (not just the work day, but evenings as well);
3. I will blog about my experience (side note: this commitment makes me catch my breath a little. I’ve never been a consistent blogger… but there’s no time like the present!);
4. I am not attached to outcomes; I will complete the experiment and see what happens.

Happy Infomagicaling! Ok, that’s a stretch. But saying and typing Infomagical makes me feel like throwing a fistful of confetti into the air while doing a split-leap. And, in my opinion, anything that makes you feel like that should be indulged. So. Infomagical!