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A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

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Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#41

Post by Dowwie »

A wandering mind isn't always an unhappy mind. When undertaking "engaged wandering", great ideas may emerge. A wandering mind isn't wandering in an entirely random, chaotic fashion. If you're solving challenging problems, sometimes you may discover a novel solution by relaxing and letting your mind wander for a while. I've found mind wandering particularly useful while designing/architecting.

However, aside from "engaged wandering", I've found a lot of pain from a wandering mind. I am working as a solo-preneur on a high-risk venture. Anxiety seems to be ever-present at the door step of my attention, waiting for the next moment that my mind wanders and anxiety may enter.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#42

Post by Dowwie »

dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

Yes, I can relate-- deeply. Are we a unique archetype? Maybe.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#43

Post by Dowwie »

acorkery wrote: post #29
dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

I can relate with the reading issue. I've occasionally read 2 pages of a book while thinking of something else entirely, then realise I didn't absorb any of what I read. Not just tuning in and out - nothing.. I also can't skim text - need to almost pronounce all the phrases in my head, which is a pain when reading long books. I do read a lot, and have no literacy or comprehension issues - just seems like there's inte…

I don't regret not being able to finish a book when I go off into deep branches of thought, provoked by ideas from a book. It's not an issue unless I really need to read something and focus. While I may not finish a book, I've gotten so much from the experience of reading it. The experience is gratifying and worthwhile because of the creativity a book can spark.

A good book is a catalyst for the creative mind.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#44

Post by interfixus »

My mind rather determinedly started wandering after the very first sentence:

>Unlike other animals, human beings spend a lot of time thinking about what is not going on around them

Did they interview all these other animals, all of them, Noah's ark style? The proposition may well be true, but it's still a proposition presented a fact in what's presumably meant to look like a somewhat scientific report.

My mind doesn't just wander. I lose all further interest.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#45

Post by rnmjr »

throwaway437998 wrote: post #17
ycombinete wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A shot in the dark here, but is it Retroactive Jealousy?

That is correct. To give insight as to why it seems a little too close to hopeless, I feel the only solutions physically possible are just twisting words to make it seem okay but the hard facts remain at the end of the day. I say this maybe preemptively to your response, but I say it respectfully (or rather with no intension to disrespect your response) and, for my own health, wish to be proven wrong. For me in the e…

I laughed at this comment chain, because I relate to the general idea put forward here.

I'm finding this difficult to comment on so intangibly. Try and suspend your convictions as stupid or empty the rest of this might seem.

You really have to change your perspective.

For me, that meant making new memories. I struggled with the reminders of that past relationship. It overlapped very many areas of my life, there were a few I just couldn't avoid and many were dear to me. The good becoming bad in that aftermath, it all seemed tainted by the past, not going anywhere.

I took a new approach altogether in those areas, piece by piece. Sooner or later I stopped having those initial and seemingly involuntary attachments. I don't even recognise it anymore, but I do still remember things and it isn't always bad. It does undo itself in time, with that new perspective.

Those hard facts are a good thing if they are part of a process. Like grieving [1].

Our thoughts determine our feelings. You seem to have a great awareness of your situation which has always been a good starting point on many things for me. You can challenge your reality, the present moment being based on what you're making of the past and not a whole lot else (or so it seems).

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#46

Post by Dowwie »

Apocryphon wrote: post #7

When I'm very sleep-deprived, I tend to be better able to focus on the present, and not worry about ambient anxiety-causing topics. My mind has less resources to wander as much as usual. Between that anecdotal experience, and previous stories about sleep deprivation as a treatment for depression, I wonder if there's something to be set about forcing your mind into a single-threaded mode, to avoid the usual distractin…

Interesting point. I can relate to these experiences, too. In fact, I just learned Rust in the last few months by driving myself harder than usual. I pursued it with relentless determination, ending many days in mental exhaustion.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#47

Post by majos »

dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

Yup.

I find it helpful to use a scrap of paper as a bookmark and write down the page numbers of excerpts that strike me. Then when I'm done I go back and type the excerpts up into a big Google doc I keep for this purpose along with a paragraph or two of my thoughts on the book.

Usually the quotes trigger the tangential ideas I had while reading and I can synthesize them into something useful.

I'm happy I found this technique. I think it's significantly upped the utility I get from books, since I can go back and remember what hit me about them.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#48

Post by dvtv75 »

acorkery wrote: post #29
dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

I can relate with the reading issue. I've occasionally read 2 pages of a book while thinking of something else entirely, then realise I didn't absorb any of what I read. Not just tuning in and out - nothing.. I also can't skim text - need to almost pronounce all the phrases in my head, which is a pain when reading long books. I do read a lot, and have no literacy or comprehension issues - just seems like there's inte…

This sounds quite similar to my experience. I have a Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, and if I don't sub-vocalize everything, I end up with no idea of what I've just read. Often, I end up with my mind wandering in the same way and I'll have to go back and re-read everything I'd just read. While individual sentences and phrases will seem irritatingly familiar, I still have no idea of what I've read until I re-read it.

I'll sometimes find myself unable to grasp what I'm reading as if I were daydreaming while reading it, and I have to read it four or five times before I can get a clue about the material. It's easier if I break it down into the smallest fragments I can, and really force myself to understand those little bits, proceeding through it until I've stitched together a few of these into a larger concept. Rinse, repeat.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#49

Post by trentmb »

Regardsyjc wrote: post #38
dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

I could be wrong but your mind wandering off on a tangent while you're reading might be a sign of creativity. Creativity could be when you find relationships between two things that might not have been initially connected in your head. Your mind wandering could be your brain literally making new connections between the new material you're reading and existing material in your brain. Also, I think comparing and contra…

I assure you I am not creative.

Re: A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind (2010) [pdf]

#50

Post by mk4p »

majos wrote: post #47
dschuetz wrote: post #28

There's a plenty of occasions, causes and distractions to make your mind wander. To me personally the most prominent ones are when reading a book (which is also the most infuriating) and while riding some sort of public transport. The latter one helps me to reduce head buzz which is generated by randomly reading HN posts or working on a demanding task. Reading a book, where I actually need to concentrate on the book,…

Yup. I find it helpful to use a scrap of paper as a bookmark and write down the page numbers of excerpts that strike me. Then when I'm done I go back and type the excerpts up into a big Google doc I keep for this purpose along with a paragraph or two of my thoughts on the book. Usually the quotes trigger the tangential ideas I had while reading and I can synthesize them into something useful. I'm happy I found this t…

When you say "synthesize them into something useful", what do you mean? What's something useful that's resulted from this habit?
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