There were many times my attempts to gaze out of the window at school were curtailed by teachers who wanted everyone to concentrate. Little did they, or I, know that by letting my thoughts wander I was still using my brain to solve problems, but in a different way.
It was seeing almost everyone in my train carriage engrossed in their phones that got me thinking about not thinking. I’ve since discovered that my instinct that daydreaming is good for problem solving is actually true.
As your mind wanders, you use different parts of your brain – the problem-solving and the creativity networks are working at the same time.
Our brains cannot stay focused nonstop. We need to switch off for the sake of our brain health, which means that daydreaming is a necessary part of everyday life. But when we use our ‘downtime’ to scroll through our phones are we really giving our brains a break?
I wonder if the rise of mindfulness is a monetised version of daydreaming. Something we do naturally as kids and can lose as adults. We pay to learn how to stop thinking.
So, if you’re stumped by a problem, instead of trying harder to solve it, try the opposite. Don’t think about it. Be busy doing nothing for a change.
Embrace boredom. It’s good for you. (Starting to sound like my lovely mum).
I’ll just add that to the weekend household admin list, (yes it’s a thing), between rake the garden and defrost the freezer. Given the boring nature of both those tasks I expect my thoughts will wander. With any luck.
Maya
Founder, The Well Placed