Only recently did I write about sleep as an essential part of your workday as well as another article on taking a permanent break, but today’s post takes the cake when it comes to slacking off. This day we’ll discuss how daydreaming can be a fundamental part of your work.
Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t discover it (but you already know what a slacker I tend to be, so it’s too late for these disclaimers).
In a recent article from The Boston Globe, scientists from several universities in the US and England discuss the importance of daydreaming in our lives.
Traditionally, we see daydreaming as a waste of time or a luxury we can’t afford in today’s hectic workplace. The truth is that it stimulates creativity, since our thoughts are more abstract and we’re not bound to whatever is going on at present.
Research from the East Anglia University in England shows that kids who lack imagination tend to be those who don’t have idle time to daydream. However, Jonathan Schooler from the University of California claims that not all daydreams are created equal. Some daydreamers get too caught up in the moment and don’t realize that their minds are wandering, while others become aware of these daydreams and put their abstract ideas into good use.
“The point is that it’s not enough to just daydream,” Schooler states. “Letting your mind drift off is the easy part. The hard part is maintaining enough awareness so that even when you start to daydream you can disturb yourself and notice a creative insight.”
Source: “Daydream Achievers” by Jonah Lehrer, The Boston Globe
So how do we make daydreaming work for us?
Be active when you’re daydreaming. Don’t just sit and watch your daydreams as if you were sitting on your sofa and watching Television. It helps to be aware if you’ve struck a particularly interesting idea or imagery that you can use in other aspects of your life, including your work.
Don’t edit yourself. Sometimes, after hitting a golden idea, negativity starts getting in your way. You start thinking “That would never work” or “That’s stupid”. If something struck you, it’s likely that it will be useful for something, someday. Jot it down no matter how absurd it might seem.
Know if the moment is appropriate. Daydreaming while crossing a busy street is a bad idea. However, daydreaming while you’re on a break, eating lunch, or washing the dishes is perfectly fine.
The writer, Jonah Lehrer, ends the article beautifully:
One of the simplest ways to foster creativity, then, might be to take daydreams more seriously. Even the mundane daydreams that occur hundreds of times a day are helping us plan for the future, interact with others, and solidify our own sense of self. And when we’re stuck on a particularly difficult problem, a good daydream isn’t just an escape - it may be the most productive thing we have the ability to do.
Source: “Daydream Achievers” by Jonah Lehrer, The Boston Globe
Tell that to your boss the next time she catches you daydreaming.
Or, on second thought, don’t.
Pic Credit: Image from Sophie from stock.xchng
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