Reading Reflection No. 2

          For the second reading reflection, I’ve selected Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky.

1)    In Cognitive Surplus, Shirky argues that as technology expands and affords us greater free time, so too does our capacity to use this free time constructively – he calls this capacity our “cognitive surplus.” He also points out, however, that much of this free time gets wasted rather than used to learn or to collaborate with others.

2)    This book seems to connect very strongly with the topics we’ve covered so far in ENT3003. An entrepreneur is someone who wastes no free time; rather than act passively and simply fill time, the entrepreneur uses every second as constructively and collaboratively as possible. Moreover, it is likely that Shirky would describe an ideal entrepreneur as someone who is able to maximize his or her ability to translate cognitive surplus into opportunities.

3)    If I had to create an assignment centered around this book, it would be designed as follows: Students would be asked to identify twenty instances throughout the week where they wasted time that could have otherwise been used more meaningfully. This would help students learn to become more aware of their cognitive surplus and the ways in which they use their free time.

4)    My biggest ‘aha’ moment while reading this book came when I began to reflect on how much of my cognitive surplus is wasted every day on trivial activities – watching television, social media, etc. The opportunity cost of this wasted time is something I had never forced myself to recognize, and I’m glad this book has allowed me to do so. It has truly impacted the ways in which I allocate my free time, and I highly recommend it.