Have you ever been caught in a daydream mid-conversation, or been asked to stop doodling in the margin of your notes during class?

Maybe you've even found yourself planning out your next creative project while you should be paying attention to an important meeting. The truth is, most people have. 

That raises the question; why do so many people naturally gravitate toward counterproductive behaviors that educators have told us?

We were raised on the idea that such behaviors can impede cognitive development, but it may be that these are healthy habits embedded in our DNA, meant to expand our minds. 

When we focus on a task, be it learning or working, we are expected to have linear focus and to produce X amount of widgets per hour. The idea of having other thoughts divert our attention seems contrary to achieving what our bosses, teachers, or colleagues would like us to do. However, that may not be what happens when we allow our minds to travel.

An article for Forbes citing mental health experts from Harvard University initially published in the Journal of Science and Psychology Research elaborated on the inherent purpose a wandering mind can serve. 

Creative Thinking

The Harvard study concludes that mind-wandering is paramount in giving our brains a chance to explore creative thoughts and ideas. The 2019 study even showed that 20% of innovative and creative ideas link back to the time your mind spent exploring or wandering. 

Mind-wandering allows an activity called creative incubation to take place. Creative incubation is the process by which your brain evaluates the new ideas that it has generated while wandering and absorbing or using that information. It is an essential part of the process of making non-linear connections. While not all your thoughts may have "creativity" ingrained in them, this process helps you wade through and determine what does.

Mood

Research has shown that mind-wandering directly relates to your mood.

According to brain science experts, the time you spend mind-wandering takes space from your daily stress of activities to allow you time to think and relax. The more time you spend mind-wandering, the more beneficial of an effect it has on your mood, and the better your mood is, the more time you can devote mind-wandering, so it works synergetically. 

Because of the correlation between mood and mind-wandering, research is being conducted on the connection between mind-wandering behaviors and mental health issues such as depression and mood disorders.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive flexibility is essentially your brain's ability to adapt to different challenges and situations.

A study, published by the Psychology Research Journal connects the mind's wandering ability to cognitive flexibility. By allowing your mind to explore hypotheticals and existing scenarios, you build your problem-solving and adaptive skills to fit future scenarios.

When your mind wanders, you evaluate past decisions and experiences you've had for their outcomes, which allows you to base future decisions on information you know from your past. By practicing mind-wandering daily, you increase your cognitive function.

Productivity

While it might sound counter-intuitive, allowing your mind to wander can increase productivity.

Increased daydreaming is linked to increased work memory. Giving your mind a break to refresh can boost your productivity when you return to focused work. By letting your mind explore, you may be helping yourself to reach your long-term goals more efficiently.

Conflict Resolution

Another important aspect of problem-solving is conflict resolution in personal relationships. Daydreaming can carry you through your emotional and logical responses to a conflict with a significant other or friend to help you determine the best solution. 

By imagining your conversations and daydreaming about that special person, you positively reinforce your relationship with them while also gathering helpful information to deal with whatever situation you are presented with.

Visual Thinking

If you're anything like me, you've been reprimanded in middle school for doodling on your lesson notes during class... However, doodling is yet another way to strengthen your cognitive pathways.

In an article for the Wall Street Journal, doodling is explored as a means to improve your focus and memory, similar to mind-wandering. The article explores different scenarios and professions where doodling helps the… doodler… with their tasks.

Doodling can allow you to visualize something in your mind that otherwise wasn't coming together for you or simply solidify specific ideas in your mind by engaging regions of the brain that should maintain activity. If mind-wandering isn't enough for your busy brain, try doodling to improve your cognitive abilities.

Strategies for Effective Mind Wandering

To utilize your mind-wandering time to the best of your ability, follow these helpful tips compiled by Forbes from their expert opinions.

Pay Attention

Your thoughts and feelings are linked closely together. By developing awareness of your thoughts, you can more effectively notice your emotions and behaviors coinciding and determine whether certain things help or hurt you more.

Find the Right Time

In general, a positive mood is the best time to let yourself daydream. Your open state of mind will allow you to explore more creatively and be more open to learning about yourself and your world. However, a less happy mood may even be able to help you with more focused, detailed tasks or problems. Know when the right time is for the specifics of the brain activity you're looking to improve.

Know When to Stop

Not all the time is a great time to let your brain take a vacation. When you're doing something which requires focus to stay safe or spending time with people you love, you might want to put in an extra effort to keep your brain checked in.

Incorporating Mindfulness

Using the time your mind wanders to the best of your ability often means incorporating mindful thoughts. This can help to lessen your anxieties instead of worsening them. This may show up in positive affirmations or simply calming strategies you know help reduce your stress.

Whether you're a known daydreamer, creative thinker or simply interested in expanding your creative mind, there are many benefits to gain from letting your mind wander. The next time you find yourself lost in thought, you might travel a little deeper before coming back to the task at hand. For an optimal mind-wandering experience, consider trying out our compiled strategies.