Often during dissertation work, we struggle and try really hard to stop our minds from wandering away from our work. When reading something complex and dense, or trying to articulate complicated concepts in our writing, our brains want to focus just about anywhere else—on reading the news, on thinking about lunch, on wondering what our friends are up to—and we try and bully them into submission. You can’t think about that right now, you have to FOCUS.
But what if allowing your mind to wander from time to time is actually really important?
Research in neuroscience suggests that the “wandering” mode may be the brain’s “default mode” and that this “default mode” brings with it benefits that include empathy, creativity, improved memory, and improved ability to “navigate the socio-emotional world” around us. In other words, while focus on the present is important, the ability of our minds to wander into the past, the future, the unknown, and the make-believe is crucial for putting our thoughts into context – helping us determine what they mean.
You know – like when you have to write your discussion and recommendations chapters. Cool, you found a lot of data – but what does it mean? You may need to let your mind wander for a while before it can find the answer to these deeper questions.
So, if you are about to dig into the deeper-thought areas of your research, here are three tips for infusing more mindwanderfulness into your life:
As with all the tips and techniques I share, not everything works for everyone – so try it, and if it doesn’t work for you, abandon it. If you try it, please share what you found useful about it!
