Why the Mind Wanders

With the many 'How To' guides sprouting all around, I have thought of coming up with my own pointers on..... wait, I forgot. Oh, okay that's it - "How to Keep Your Mind from Wandering". Sounds very challenging, don't you think? I will be able to provide useful hints on how to stop this pervading psychological phenomenon called mind-wandering from ever bothering our mental faculties again. Mind-wandering is that abstract nuisance that prevent students from keeping their focus on textbooks and lectures, drivers from keeping their minds on the road, and employees from concentrating on beating deadlines set by their bosses. I am thrilled no end by the prospect of seeing everyone starting to do something and finishing it without being interrupted even for a second by a wandering mind.

I am sure many of you now are eagerly waiting for my pointers to come out and are probably asking how I am progressing with this set of hints. Unfortunately, I have not even started it yet. My mind simply goes astray faster than I can put in those first few words of my supposed first suggestion. It doesn't matter how hard I try, I seem to be so overwhelmed by this mind-wandering thing and realize that I can't avoid it myself. Which brings me to this question: "Can mind-wandering be stopped?". [Read Full Article]