This week I am back to full-time work after a short break. I kept myself reasonably busy during this time off, but one habit I did develop was to relax, both physically and mentally, during the mid-afternoon. On such occasions I would allow my mind to wander, or to “daydream” as this is commonly known. Daydreaming is basically a state of mind where the thoughts you experience are unrelated to what is going on in the environment around you.
Interestingly, this habit initially brought with it some guilt. I’m sure this was related to being in a “non-doing” state in a culture that increasingly values productivity. With time, however, I came to shed most of this guilt and use this period of rest in a positive way. The following are a selection of potential positives and negatives to daydreaming:
Friend
Ideas: I found that allowing my mind to wander was an excellent way to generate new ideas. For example, many of my ideas for blog articles came during this peaceful state. The key was to keep a notebook close by so that when I came out of my daydream I could quickly capture the idea.
Daydreaming is great for generating new ideas because it lets the mind entertain a range of possibilities which, in normal circumstances, aren’t possible. According to Wikipedia, “there are numerous examples of people in creative or artistic careers, such as composers, novelists, and filmmakers, developing new ideas through daydreaming. Similarly, research scientists, mathematicians, and physicists have developed new ideas by daydreaming about their subject areas.”
Relaxation: I found that, like meditation, daydreaming allowed my mind to take a break. This is a very healthy practice as it can help reduce stress and tension.
Productivity: somewhat ironically, there were certain circumstances where daydreaming improved my productivity. If you feel overwhelmed by a multitude of tasks or find yourself getting easily distracted, it may actually be beneficial for you to just relax for 15 minutes and come back refreshed.
Foe
Laziness: daydreaming is often derided as a lazy and non-productive pastime. Personally, I believe there are certain cases where there is some truth to this opinion. It just depends on the individual and the context (see more below on this).
Appearances: to an observer, a daydreamer can appear to have a blank look on their face. I daydreamed in the comfort of my own home, and I certainly wouldn’t suggest you daydream in places such as your work (unless, perhaps, you have one of the careers mentioned earlier).
Danger: daydreams, by their very nature, take a person away from their immediate surrounding. For this reason, there are obviously certain tasks (eg driving) and certain jobs (eg anything involving machinery) where daydreaming could have dangerous consequences.
The Verdict
“All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” – T. E. Lawrence
Similar to the above observation by T. E. Lawrence , I would say that all people daydream; but not equally. Ultimately, it depends on the individual and the context in which it is done. One thing is clear though: daydreaming should not automatically be derided as being lazy and unproductive as there are many potential positives to the activity. So the next time you are in a situation where you can allow your mind wander, give it a go and don’t feel guilty about it.
Photo by José Manuel Ríos Valiente
Great article Peter, I think daydreaming in healthy doses is an excellent goal setting process for everyone. When you daydream you start feeling as you already had made that dream come true, and by itself this is a poweful motivational tool. It keeps the fire burning :)
As every other aspect in life, the key is finding the right balance between thinking and taking action.
Well put Santiago. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the great comment :)
Peter,
I have come up with some of my best ideas when I have been thinking about something completely unrelated.
I think that allowing the mind to be free is a powerful ally in our efforts to be powerful and creative.
That T. E. Lawrence quote is great! Good find.
Interesting insight, Peter! Daydreaming is definitely a friend for me because of the many creative and somewhat “outrageous” ideas it has generated. If not for it, I wouldn’t have the wild idea of quitting my job! I’ve to assert here though, daydreaming without deadlines are plain daydreaming. Slap it with a date and it can become a powerful goal.
It’s rather sad that most people around us (eg, bosses) don’t see Daydreaming as an attribute. When a left-right-brainer test revealed that I am a right-brainer (of which daydreaming is a characteristic), my boss took to me with a kinda “amused expression”. In the practical corporate world, being logical, analytical is so much more treasured than daydreaming… even though, the latter’s the reason why we’re having so many wonderful inventions, creations today and the crux to creativity in the office. Ironical.
Cheers,
Ellesse
Aaron, I’m the same. There is nothing worse than trying to force myself to come up with an idea for an article. I carry a a notepad around with me to most places the ideas can come anytime and anywhere – the key is to be able to capture them on the spot or soon after.
Alex, I agree – it is a quote I love and one which I have been wanting to use in an article for sometime.
Dark Sociologist, I’m glad you found your way to my site :) . I’m the same with transport – I have missed many a stop because of daydreaming. When I was younger I actually lived at the end of a bus route, so I would always drift off into my own world and the bus driver would have to yell at me to get off because the service had finished.
Ellesse (Goal Setting College), very interesting comment. I’ve actually got something coming up about left and right thinking.
Hi Peter,
I fully agree with your observations and conclusions about day dreaming. They usually occur to me when I have some time to take my mind off of immediate matters and begin to think about other concerns in my life.
The peaceful atmosphere allows me to relax and work out things that have been bothering me or things that really needed some thinking about. The only problem is that I usually get this time when I’m traveling, which means I sometimes miss my exit or stop and have to backtrack.
Don’t worry about the negative perceptions of daydreaming. It may make you seem like you aren’t doing anything, but it also makes it that better when you seemingly pull out an amazing thought out of thin air.
Peter,
I agree. Constructive daydreaming can help us to figure out where we want to go, but not before we reflect upon where we are today. We run into problems when we cannot practice being satusfied with how far we’ve already come.
David