The art and science of mind wandering
Curated from: nesslabs.com
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Our Wandering Minds
For at least two thousand years, our minds have been wandering away from the object of focus.
Mind-wandering is a factor of a human mind and varies according to how vivid a person’s thoughts are, how deep into the thought the mind goes, and how many of those thoughts are fear-based(like guilt or worry).
Mind-wandering is common in monotonous jobs and may be useful too.
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The Neuroscience Of Mind-Wandering
Our brain’s executive system is active during any goal-oriented task, where there is a level of focus required.
During a period of passivity, the large scale brain networks become the default mode networks and work in tandem. This is our period of rest, where the entire brain is in a relaxed but highly active state.
This period is when we let our brain generate spontaneous thoughts while not being focused on anything.
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The Constant Mental Oscillation
Our brain is oscillating between two different brain states: Focused thinking and Diffused thinking. This is the reason people have shower thoughts or sudden solutions to problems that are bothering them for long.
These two modes of thinking allow us to merge creativity with productivity.
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Use Your Distraction
Procrastination and mind-wandering, in general, can be a useful distraction and you can do the following to make the most of them:
- Accept your mental oscillations between the focused and diffused states
- Block time for letting your mind wander, like going for a walk, or to cook a meal.
- Meditate or do breathing exercises to reduce any negative mind-wandering.
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