<p>The term "monkey mind" captures this fairly well - our minds swinging from one branch to the next, jumping around without pause. It's not quite accurate (monkeys rests a lot of the time, and it's apes that swing from branches, not monkeys) ... but the image is vivid enough.</p>

Most people feel busy and distracted throughout the day - calm and focus and a feeling of purpose are fairly rare for most of us. We're jumping from messages to social media to email to quick work tasks to a search for something we're curious about, from dozens of messages to dozens of posts to a couple doze browser tabs.

productivity

Productivity

mindfulness

Mindfulness

health

Health

creativity

Creativity

meditation

Meditation

Monkey Mind: Shifting the Habit of Feeling Distracted Throughout the Day : zen habits

Monkey Mind: Shifting the Habit of Feeling Distracted Throughout the Day : zen habits

Simon Lau