How is birdwatching a form of mindfulness?

Standing still and waiting for a bird pulls your attention out of your head and into the present, which is the core of mindfulness. The writer Jenny Odell has described birdwatching as a kind of deep listening, half-jokingly calling it 'birdnoticing' because so much of it is patient waiting. This Burst turns that into a short, doable practice.

Do I need binoculars or any experience to try it?

No. The practice is simply to be still, look and listen until you notice one bird, so a local park and your own attention are enough. Putting your phone away matters more than any equipment.

How long does it take?

About 45 minutes, and nothing in it is strenuous: a short intention, time spent watching and listening, and a brief meditation to let it settle before you head back to your day.

Birdwatching in the Attention Economy

Quality: Exceptional· 100%Effort: Manageable· 043m

Inspired by Jenny Odell

Screen-fried and can't unhook even on a break?

Come back from being screen-fried to being present. Set an intention, then take some time outside in a park letting your attention settle onto the birds and the light until you start feeling like yourself again. Take about 45 minutes, no phone needed.

The runsheet

1
One intention
Intention setting
Odell frames doing nothing as disengaging from the attention economy, not as idleness. A single intention to be observant and present, rather than to achieve, sets the tone for this Burst.
5 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 7 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing intention setting before wildlife observation
This can work well because intention setting may help you slow down first, and wildlife observation rewards patience and attention.
2
Bird watching
Wildlife observation
Odell calls birdwatching Deep Listening, half-jokingly renaming it birdnoticing: much of it is waiting until you hear something, and having to be patient. Being still long enough to hear one bird is the practice.
18 min activitySetup 3 min · Reset 3 min · 24 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing wildlife observation before open awareness
These go especially well together because open awareness flows from the mindful attention observation already requires.
3
Meditation
Open awareness
Odell writes, that when she’s watching birds she stops thinking about herself, yet feels a sharp awareness of herself in relation to her surroundings. This final session is Bearmore's idea: a short meditation to let all the prior good work settle in before you head back to whatever your day holds.
10 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 12 min all-in
Time well spent.
43m that belonged to you — not the inbox, not anyone else.

The breakdown

Burst evaluation

QualityExceptional· 100%

Sequencing100%

Logistics100%

DifficultyManageable· 0

Total activity43m / 60mGentle

Physical0m / 29mGentle

Mental stillness33m / 119mManageable

Introspective5m / 29mGentle

Creative0m / 59mGentle

8 conditions evaluatedHow we assess →

Wellbeing focus

The relative wellbeing focus of this Burst.

HighEmotional

MedPhysical

HighSelf

MedSocial

HighIntellectual

About this Burst

Jenny Odell is an Oakland-based artist and writer, born in 1986. She studied English at UC Berkeley, took an MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute, and taught digital art at Stanford from 2013 to 2021. Her work centres on attention. She is best known for How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019) and Saving Time (2023).

Your morning backClear my headAuthors & thinkersDesk-bound daysOut in natureAnytimeQuick (under an hour)Under 2 hours

Common questions

Birdwatching in the Attention Economy43m · free in the app43m · 3 activities · Exceptional 100%