In the modern world, there are a lot of ways to keep oneself busy and entertained. At a moment’s notice, we can summon endless content to engage with and many take advantage of this by constantly bombarding their brain cells with a stream of information, useful or not.
I find this myself, with podcasts/music on the train, various tasks at work, tv or reading when at home right down to checking my phone moments before I fall asleep. Many times I’ve caught myself doing multiple things at once in the name of multitasking but the truth, it seems, is that it does not lead to higher productivity but is just the brain rapidly switching between tasks and depleting neural resources.
Many times I’ve found myself subconsciously reaching for my phone and opening up various apps whenever a pause in stimulus happens upon me. This habit is not a good one as it doesn’t give my mind a chance to wander.
The benefits of letting your mind wander
Have you ever had a mental block where you just couldn’t recall some information or struggled to produce a creative solution only for the answer to sneak up on you later when you’re thinking of something else? This is because your preconscious keeps ticking away in the background, processing your initial request which springs it upon you later. These works of genius come about when our minds wander, generally, while we do something mundane, the epitome of which is while in the shower (ever wondered why they’re called ‘shower thoughts’?). Nothing makes the mind wander more than staring at a blank wall!
Research shows three benefits of mind wandering:
- Can lead to better problem solving
- Can be a source of creative inspiration
- Can help us make successful long term plans
Further, it’s stated that ‘mind wandering occupies up to a third to half of the awake time in healthy adults’, meaning that if we don’t give the brain time to wander it will find the time when we’re actually trying to concentrate. This is also why a lot of the information we take in may not stick, as we haven’t given ourselves a chance to think it over and digest it.
For more information, check out the Ted Talk below, titled ‘How boredom leads to your most brilliant ideas’ where Manoush Zomardi breaks down her ‘Bored and Brilliant’ challenge and its results.
Disconnecting and getting bored is important. So, next time you go to pick up your phone be conscious of what you’re looking for.
I challenge you
Put your phone away for 3 hours on any given day (maybe a weekend). Don’t have it near you, lock it away in a drawer and see where it leads. Go for a walk, do some colouring-in, some tidying up, anything you want but without your phone.
At first, it might feel pretty weird, you may even feel uncomfortable, but stay strong and keep at it. Once you get comfortable with 3 hours, build that number up – can you go a whole day without your phone? See what happens, document any thoughts and ideas you have and do share your experience with me.
This idea fits in with the topic of Digital Minimalism which I’ve written a whole post about. You can read it here.
PS. If you manage to think up the next New York Times bestseller don’t forget to give me a shout out!
