Daydreaming With a Purpose: Warrior Mind Podcast #477

Over six years and going strong!  With over 1M downloads from over 15 countries and 7 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.

In this episode of the Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to be talking about the benefits of daydreaming, especially if there is a purpose and intention behind it.

Daydreaming With a Purpose

One might wonder how does daydreaming and reasoning correlate, since daydreaming is often judged as illogical and a total waste of time. A mere conscious escape from reality into the realm of sheer imagination and wishes, which in the end has zero impact in bettering your current predicament. Thus, we are bluntly asked to snap out from it and face reality head-on. However, this common reaction to daydreaming is correct if and only if one is daydreaming in an unhelpful manner. Actually, daydreaming can be very productive, and it is also the best form of learning when utilized appropriately.

At this junction I’m inclined to ask, when was the last time you learned something valuable you could apply to your life? Was it from a class you took, a book you read, or a video you saw? Also, where were you when you learned it? What made it meaningful? How did you feel when you learned it? And how has your life improved since?

Do you know you cannot gain knowledge from any piece of writing, if you just read the words and repeat them in your head? Rather, learning comes when something you read makes you pause and daydream about past experiences, current interests, important relationships, or future goals that relate or align to what you just read. Factually, you can from such lessons help improve your performance and meet your goals.

When you turn your attention away from reading and peer inward to recall past memories or imagine future scenarios, you activate the Default Mode Network (DMN) in your brain. DMN is important for learning, creativity, self-reflection, empathy, and finding meaning in events. In comparison, you use the Executive Control Network (ECN) of your brain to pay attention or complete a task.

Enjoy this podcast on daydreaming with a purpose

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (15.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The importance of concentration and staying focus during a task or job is highly valuable and is in no way being undermine by this article. Frankly, it can be quite frustrating when you are unable to remain focus during a task or at work. This feeling of frustration is also felt when your buddies, or love ones are also unable to pay attention to you, or a task you are all performing. Thankfully, there is a silver lining to this sometimes worrisome situation.

Have you ever read an entire article and—at the end—realized you had no idea what it said because you were daydreaming about something else? Truly you must have felt frustrated because you had to reread it. Well it is the aim of this article to help you learn that perhaps daydreaming was helpful to you at that particular time. You could have used ECN to read and remember what you read. However, you activated DMN instead and daydreamed about something else. Whether that time daydreaming was productive or not, helpful or unhelpful, is directly dependent on the type of daydream you embarked on.

Daydreaming can be categorized into two groups; Productive Daydreams and Unhelpful Daydreams.

Let’s Talk About Productive Daydreams.

Helpful daydreaming, or positive constructive daydreaming, happens when you free yourself of distractions and reflect on what you can learn. Or you might wonder how something might apply to your future goals. Maybe you think about how to creatively solve something, approach a situation differently, or explore how something might affect someone else. Let say your reading a book on how to expand your business, and chapter two is centered on exploring new opportunities. You could take a pause and daydream on your current business and what sort of opportunities can you likely explore in the nearest future, or the opportunities you explored in the past. By doing this you are daydreaming positively and it is highly beneficial. Productive daydreams help you grow from your experiences and achieve meaningful goals. It is reflective and educative.

However, not all forms of daydreaming have these benefits.

Unhelpful daydreams.

Distracted daydreaming is when you turn your focus away from tasks and let your mind wander. For instance, you’re attending a brief but can’t remember what’s being explained because you’re thinking of your date tonight. Or you completely miss what your spouse just said because you’re planning what your favorite football team has to do to win tomorrow’s game. While distracted daydreaming can be fun and okay at times, it still can get in the way of getting important things done.

Instead of focusing on a task, perhaps you’re consumed with replaying frustrations, fears, or criticisms over and over. For example, you’re distracted at work because you’re chewing on an annoying comment your coworker made. Or you can’t focus on a task because you’re worried about what might happen if things don’t go well. Or maybe you fail to enjoy a conversation with your kid because you’re annoyed with how long the store cashier is taking to help the person in front of you. It can be productive to reflect on how you can learn from past problems or address future ones, which can boost your readiness and performance. However, it becomes unhelpful when negative thoughts are preventing you from problem-solving or focusing on the task at hand. The goal therefore is to ensure you always Daydream Productively.

Try these 3 strategies to help ensure your daydreams stay productive, beneficial and helpful.

• Conduct personal after-action reviews (AARs). Productive daydreaming helps you learn. After attending a meeting, reading an article, or listening to a lecture, stop and ask yourself: What did I learn? How do I apply it to past experiences? And how can it help me in the future?

• Put away technology! You might not be giving yourself the chance to engage in helpful daydreaming because you pull out your phone as soon as you get the chance to reflect. Think about how often you’re distracted by your phone, emails, social media, television, or talk radio throughout the day. Try to find time to free yourself from technology, so you can think. For example, maybe you take a walk after work or turn off the radio during your daily commute.

• Change the channel when you’re in an unhelpful daydream. When your mind is wandering, ask yourself, “What should I be focusing on right now?” Perhaps you need to refocus on the task at hand, or it could be a good time to review the situation and think optimistically.

Bottom line

Our conception of daydreaming and how it benefits us can change for the better, when we stop viewing it as the act of wandering in our thoughts; but rather as a means of reflection, and a better model of learning. One can learn, grow, be creative, and achieve future goals with productive daydreams. This sort of daydreams should be encouraged and regularly done. To find ways to regularly daydream productively, read HPRC’s “Create good habits with these 4 easy strategies.”

Like most unproductive activities, unhelpful daydreaming is more fun though it is a total waste of time. Also, as sensual beings we are incline to engage in such daydreams, since they are enjoyable and through them we escape from reality temporary.  Therefore, practice mindfulness to help clear your mind and focus on the present if you’re having trouble breaking out of unhelpful daydreams. Reasoning should be your guild, as you strive to daydream productively.

I do hope as you read this article you paused at intervals to daydream productively on how what you are reading could positively impact your future? Or how it affects your past? If you did not, make it a habit to do so in the future.

For a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory Consultation.

Subscribe to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.