Reading time: About 3 minutes
Do you ever let your mind wander? Here’s why that might actually be a good idea…
You’re lying on your couch reading a book, and all of a sudden you realize you’ve read three pages and you don’t have a clue what’s been going on in the text. Why?
Your mind was wandering.
You may feel irritated with yourself. Perhaps you even throw the book across the room in frustration. But it may help you to know the science behind the issue.
It’s not a weakness on your part. All of our minds wander all the time. We’re doing one thing, but we’re thinking about another. Incredibly, research shows our minds wander roughly 30 to 50 per cent of our waking hours.
Moreover, these studies also show the frequency of mind-wandering tends to increase over time when performing a task. In other words, the longer we engage in a continuous activity, the more likely our attention is to drift.
So how can writers deal with this physiological phenomenon?
Pros of mind wandering for writers
First, understand how mind wandering benefits your writing. A wandering mind is a feature rather than a bug because it:
- Boosts your creativity: Have you ever noticed how having a shower or going for a walk in a nearby park results in new and interesting ideas popping into your head? This is the primary benefit of allowing your mind to wander. The act of thinking about other topics and doing something different allows your brain to make new and interesting connections.
- Improves your problem-solving: When we’re able to help ourselves think differently, we come up with creative and unusual solutions to longstanding problems. Our subconscious brains work all the time, and they are happiest when they can go in any direction they want.
- Encourages deep reflection: The freedom to think widely also encourages us to think deeply. It even allows us to dive into rabbit holes that might seem pointless on the surface, but that help us explore complex emotions and themes.
- Prevents burnout: We get burned out when we do too much of the same thing all the time. But a wandering mind takes us to interesting and sometimes novel places, allowing us to feel as though we’ve had a “break,” even though the break is only in our minds. Letting the mind rest helps prevent creative exhaustion.
Cons of mind wandering for writers
But next, make yourself aware of some of the cons of mind wandering. This activity:
- Distracts you from tasks: If you do nothing but let your mind wander, it will be hard for you to finish your writing. It’s so much more delicious to think about your next holiday than about the boring article you need to write.
- Makes it harder to make decisions: When you allow your mind to wander, your brain is less able to process external stimuli. This means you may miss important cues or details you need to make informed decisions.
- Might worsen your mood: There’s significant evidence showing that people who allow their minds to wander to (and then fixate on) impossible problems are more likely to deal with depression.
How to make mind wandering work for you
Here are five tips on how to allow your mind to wander in ways both healthy and helpful:
1-Schedule a specific time for mind wandering
I know, mind wandering might sound lazy and indulgent, but it’s actually a helpful activity. Instead of forcing yourself to focus all the time, build mind wandering into your daily schedule. Try giving yourself at least 15 minutes every day for a good amble with your mind.
2-Use activities as a trigger
Don’t let your mind wander at your desk. It’s not the right environment. Instead, get yourself up and moving. Walking is excellent for mind wandering, but so is gardening, washing dishes by hand or grooming a pet.
3-Wander into the future rather than the past
While unhappy minds tend to wander in the past, happy minds often ponder the future. Ruminating on past events is far more likely to cause you to mope or lament than it is to spark creativity.
4-Balance mind wandering with more focused work
Too much of anything is a bad idea. As 18th century poet and satirist Charles Churchill put it, “The best things carried to excess are wrong.” You won’t get your writing done if you allow your mind to wander too often. But you’ll write more happily and more creatively if you allow some time for it.
5-Put away your cellphone
Did you know the average American checks their cellphone some 205 times a day? Worse, they spend an average of five hours and 16 minutes on the device every 24 hours. We seem to have developed an intolerance for being bored. But boredom is a gift. It gives us the chance to reflect and to become more creative.
So, the next time you catch your mind drifting away from your writing, don’t berate yourself. Instead, recognize it as your brain’s natural process — and understand that, when properly harnessed, it can enhance your creativity and productivity.
Your wandering mind isn’t your enemy — instead, it’s a creative resource. Embrace it, guide it, and watch your writing flourish.
If you liked this post, you’ll also like How to calm your wandering mind.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to protect your sleep. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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How do you let your mind wander? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. And congratulations to Violetta, the winner of this month’s book prize, for a comment on my recent blog about the perils of panic editing. (Please send me your email address, Violetta!) If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by April 30/25, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the related posts links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
