How to do it
- Catch it. Mid-task, notice you're somewhere else.
- Name the task once. "Driving." "Washing up." Then carry on.
- Once is enough. You're not trying to pin your mind in place.
- Leave the good daydreams alone. The interesting kind went with a better mood.
How a drifting mind dips
- Driftingabout half the time
People asked by their phones at random moments were thinking about something other than what they were doing about half the time.
- Mooddips
Wandering went with a lower mood, whatever the activity. The timing suggested the wandering came first. Still a link, not proof.
- What it's onchanges the cost
A later study found interesting wandering went with a better mood than staying on task.
- Youname what you're doing
Catching the drift and naming the task is my idea. Nobody has tested it.
Why it works
Your mind leaves the job in hand a lot. In a study using experience sampling, where a phone asks people at random moments what they're doing and how they feel, minds wandered in about half of moments. Evidence: decent Wandering went with a lower mood across activities, and the timing suggested it came before the dip. Evidence: decent That's a link, not proof it causes it. Evidence: decent
It's not all wandering. A later study found interesting wandering went with a better mood than staying on task. Evidence: decent So the target is the grey drift, not every daydream. Evidence: worth trying
The long readEvery step of the chain, each study with its numbers, and what's still unproven. 1 min read.
What happens in your brain
This chain is behaviour, not brain areas. The first two stops are one paper, the third another, the last is mine.
Drifting, about half the time. People asked by their phones at random moments were thinking about something other than what they were doing in about half of them. Evidence: decent
Mood dips. Wandering went with a lower mood, whatever people were doing. The timing suggested the wandering came first. Evidence: decent Correlation, not a controlled test. Evidence: decent
What it's on changes the cost. Interesting wandering went with a better mood than staying on task. Evidence: decent
You name what you're doing. One word to bring you back to the task. Untested. Evidence: worth trying
The proof
- Killingsworth and Gilbert, 2010: experience sampling by phone. Minds wandered in about half of moments, and wandering went with lower mood across activities. Evidence: decent Time lags suggested wandering came before the dip. Evidence: decent
- Franklin and colleagues, 2013: interesting wandering went with a better mood than staying on task. Evidence: decent
How to do it
- Catch it. Mid-task, notice you're somewhere else. Evidence: worth trying
- Name the task once, in your head: "Driving." "Washing up." Then carry on. Evidence: worth trying
- Once is enough. You're not trying to pin your mind in place. Evidence: worth trying
- Leave the good daydreams alone. The interesting kind went with a better mood. Evidence: decent
Watch out
The main study is correlational. Wandering went with lower mood and seemed to come first, but that isn't proof. Evidence: decent "Any mind-wandering makes you unhappy" is oversold: interesting wandering went with a better mood than staying on task. Evidence: decent Naming what you're doing is my idea, and nobody has tested it. Evidence: worth trying