The value of letting our minds wanders

What do cold showers and meditation have in common? They help make smarter, more imaginative brains.

If reading this is the first break you’ve had since that granola-bar-while-emailing you called a “lunchbreak,” then taking time to meditate may not seem like an achievable task. Good news, pouring cold water over your head isn’t the only way to help your brain out either.

The recipe for a productive working brain is simpler than you think: just let your mind wander.

Taking a 15-minute break with your coworkers can make you more productive with the remainder of your day.

While the science behind cold showers and meditation aren’t exactly the same, they still help produce similar benefits. Paul McCartney noted one of his top charting songs came to him in a dream and schools have been introducing meditation in their classrooms for years in attempts to increase student GPA. Each of these offer a solution to the average worker’s struggle – a much needed break.

A 2018 Gallup survey revealed that three in 10 millennials almost always feel burned out at work. Employers are responding by giving their employees mandatory vacation days – even monitoring that time to assure no employee checks even one email after leaving the office. The average worker today is spending so much time trying to be productive that a break in brain activity is spent being productive in other areas of life: staying in the loop on social media, caring for the family, or binge watching the latest shows.

When was the last time you let your mind wander? It may sound counterproductive, but there is value to sitting back and truly letting your mind free.

Step outside and take a 5-minute walk - it’s good for your body and mind.

The benefits of taking a break:

Facilitates problem-solving – After working on a project, taking a five to 15-minute break allows your brain time to process the information better. In a series of brain-scan experiments on rats, after resting from exploring a new maze, the rats were able to navigate it faster the second time.

Increases focus – Our body and mind tend to work best in 90-minute intervals, but coffee and our stubborn nature enable us to push past that, hindering how well we remember and pay attention to details. Students from grade school to college have found taking a break – whether spent doing mindful meditation or relaxing – helps adjust their focus to the lesson at hand or test ahead.

Creative thinking – Eureka moments don’t always happen in the shower – but when they do, it’s because you’ve let your mind think beyond where it has all day. Free association happens best when we’re *not* being intentional about our thoughts.

Increases resiliency  - Just like any muscle, your brain needs time to relax after an extensive workout. Resting after strenuous activity will only help your brain become stronger.

Relieves stress – We strive to achieve some “semblance” of work-life balance, but when transitioning from the office life to social life, we often bring work worries with us. Taking time to let our minds wander lets us rejuvenate and breath. Afterward, we’re better able to handle tasks at hand and enjoy the moments as they come.

Better information processing – When flooding your mind with deadlines, meeting notes, to-do lists, text reminders, news updates, grocery lists, social media comments, doctors’ appointments and family and social obligations –do you have time to truly digest what happened in that meeting? Or how you felt about that news headline? Whether processing information or emotions, giving your mind time can help.

Powering through a lunch break or working longer hours doesn’t necessarily mean better work. Finding time for self-care and mental freedom can help create a quality product you’ll be more than proud to show. But we need to be intentional and consistent in providing that time. We’ve got a few strategies to try.

Ways to integrate mind-breaks throughout your work-day:

Go for a walk – Not only will you help beat that step goal, but you can expose yourself to a new environment different than what you’ve been working in all day.

Stretch it out – If you sit in front of your laptop all day, shoulders crunched and back arched as you excessively re-type that sentence to make it sound less wordy…. Take ten minutes for some mindful stretching.

Let your mind wander when it usually doesn’t – Morning person or night owl, your brain is used to operating when it’s alert. Allowing your brain to think more when it’s not used to it can open your mind to new thoughts.

Breakaway and play – Playing a game for five minutes after working on a strenuous writing project can allow different parts of your brain to process information.

Breath in, breath out – Breathing exercises are an easy way to reset your mind. There are even apps available to help guide you through different exercises that can ease anxiety or stress.

Turn off your media – When you’re working on tasks that don’t consume all your mental power, like cooking, cleaning, or driving, turn off the TV, podcast, or music and see what comes to mind.

A quick nap can leave you both refreshed and reinvigorated for the second part of your day.

Taking time to let your mind think on its own terms might seem impossible – but maybe you just need the right physical space to do it in. Whether you’re thinking of switching to freelance or just need a change of place, Radius has an amazing workspace with a great community of freelancers, remote workers, and small businesses. Our environment is designed to help our members work in a healthy way – which sometimes means letting their minds wander down the hall for some delicious coffee or along the Bayfront for beautiful views. Click here to contact us and learn all Radius can do for you.