Why Some of Your Best Ideas Come from Goofing Off

As sure as spring follows winter, you, like many other business professionals, will at times pack and head off to an exotic destination hoping for some fun and a lot of goofing off. Surprisingly, you may feel guilty and frustrated rather than happy and refreshed by the time you return; however, the time you spend at play can be just as important as the time you spend at work.

While on vacation, your mind may subconsciously keep playing horrific images of your inbox slowly filling up with important mail. At some point, you may even be tempted to call the office to confirm everything is okay. The sudden lack of schedules, deadlines and pressure may feel uncomfortably jarring, and you may suddenly find yourself yearning for the punishing regiment of your work days. You may not know it, but by failing to laze around and fully immerse yourself in the delights of your vacation, you are robbing yourself of a potent productivity boosting tool. Counterintuitive as it may seem, goofing off is actually good for you when done the right way.

The benefits of goofing off have to do with the way the brain is wired. It has two main attention modes, both leveraging a mesh of neurons in certain sections of the brain. The first, known as the task-positive network or central executive, kicks in when you are engrossed with a task. It enables you to create and edit complex spreadsheets, navigate convoluted strategic plans, manage your calendar, and come up with clever answers during those pesky weekly meetings. The second mode is known as the task-negative network. This kicks in when your mind wanders, such as when you are goofing off. The two modes operate in a similar way to the proverbial scales of justice; when one is active, the other shuts down.

The second mode allows the brain to unconsciously weave connections between a disparate jumble of ideas and come up with new concepts. You may have noted that solutions to seemingly intractable problems sometimes hit you when you are thinking about nothing in particular, such as when you're riding a bike, taking a walk or, yes, just goofing off.

The two modes are controlled by a part of the brain known as the insula. It turns either of the two modes on or off. However, if it switches too often, you will start feeling dizzy and tired. That is why it is so important to reserve certain periods of the day for particular activities. Checking work email and messages when you are supposed to be goofing off or focusing on something else interferes with the switch, and by extension, limits your ability to solve problems.

Many people are raised to regard any sort of slacking with derision. Work is an essential part of life, but so is rest and daydreaming. Goofing off is good for you, as it allows the mind to mull over events from different perspectives and come up with new ideas. Your best ideas may be only a daydream away.

Photo courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhoto.net