--- description: Wandering minds are associated with creativity. Popular wisdom tells you to live in the moment. Huh? So is it better to be unfocused or focused?... title: Does Your Mind Wander? Here’s Why That Can Be Your Greatest Asset image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte05ab396786cb500/69876fa4e20a87557ea841e4/thought-bubble.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Does Your Mind Wander? Here’s Why That Can Be Your Greatest Asset by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 18, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  Thought bubble Thought bubbleGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 18, 2014 5:01 AM CUT Wandering minds are associated with creativity. Popular wisdom tells you to live in the moment. _Huh?_ So is it better to be unfocused or focused? Let’s look at the research. ## **The Upside of Mind Wandering** You spend up to 8 minutes of every hour daydreaming. Your mind will probably wander for 13% of the time it takes you to read this post. Some of us spend 30-40% of our time daydreaming. Via [The Science of Sin: The Psychology of the Seven Deadlies (and Why They Are So Good For You)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307719340/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- So why do we do it? It may be a form of problem-solving: --- > “” --- In fact, people whose minds wander a lot are more creative and better problem solvers. Via [100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know About People](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321821246/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- In [Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594485380/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1594485380&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"), Steven Johnson makes it pretty clear that creativity is messy. Ideas need to be sloshing around or crashing in to one another to produce breakthroughs: * Having multiple hobbies allows your brain to subconsciously compare and contrast problems and solutions, [forming new connections at the margins of each](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-hobbies-the-key-to-creative-breakthroughs "undefined"). * Similarly, reading multiple books at the same time vs serially lets your brain [juxtapose new ideas and develop new connections](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-it-better-to-do-all-your-reading-for-the-y "undefined"). * [ADD and bipolar disorder](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-creative-people-more-likely-to-be-crazy "undefined") are both associated with greater creativity. When you’re [drunk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-more-creative-when-youre-drunk "undefined") or [exhausted](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-you-most-creative-when-were-exhausted "undefined") your brain is poised for breakthroughs. Hold on though — this doesn’t mean daydreaming is all good. ## **The Downside of Mind Wandering** As Daniel Gilbert, author of [Stumbling on Happiness](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077427/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"), explained in the [Harvard Gazette](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/11/wandering-mind-not-a-happy-mind/ "undefined"), a wandering mind is not a happy mind: --- > “” --- And: --- > “” --- And yes, it’s a cause, not an effect: --- > “” --- And recent research shows a wandering mind may be [associated with poor health](http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/%5Fnews/2012/12/05/15681359-your-wandering-mind-is-aging-you "undefined"), perhaps due to that unhappiness and stress. ## **So What’s The Deal?** A wandering mind takes more in: good and bad. This leads to new ideas. But it can take you up — and it can take you down. Focus doesn’t allow the noise in. But the noise is what allows creativity to spark. **_What you want to do is spend most of your time focused but have rituals that allow your mind to wander on cue._** You have coffee in the morning and get ready to go. You unwind at night to get ready for bed. You already have rituals that put you into a zone, you just may not realize it. What you want to do is use them _deliberately_. This is the secret the pros know. [Michael Jordan was able to do it during games](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/07/what-secret-to-peak-performance-can-we-learn/ "undefined"). And research shows these rituals are powerful for creativity too. Via [The Winner’s Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738214698/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0738214698&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"): --- > “” --- How do _you_ get focused? How do _you_ unwind? Start using these more deliberately and you can make yourself happier as well as more creative when you need to be. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/12/wandering-mind-path-creative-genius-misery-early-death/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 140,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [6 Things The Most Productive People Do Every Day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/most-productive-people/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3638955/wandering-mind-asset/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3638955/wandering-mind-asset/"},"headline":"Does Your Mind Wander? Here’s Why That Can Be Your Greatest Asset","datePublished":"2014-12-18T05:01:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:05:34.202Z","description":"Wandering minds are associated with creativity. Popular wisdom tells you to live in the moment. Huh? 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