How to Use the Wandering Mind: Unlocking the Value of a Wandering Mind

How to Use the Wandering Mind: Unlocking the Value of a Wandering Mind

 

Sukjae Lee, Ph.D.
Creator of the Effectiveness Coaching Methodology
February 13, 2026

 

 

A Scene from the Workplace

Team members held diverse opinions regarding the progress and scheduling of a team project. The team leader was facilitating a meeting to coordinate their views and reach consensus. After an hour passed without agreement, fatigue began to show on the faces of the team members.

At that moment, one team member’s attitude during the discussion irritated the team leader. Habitually, he felt a surge of anger rising within him. He suppressed the thought, “Who is the owner of this team? I don’t see any ownership here.”

Although he tried to focus on the meeting, his attention shifted as he struggled to manage his irritation. His mind began to wander.

He had repeatedly emphasized the importance of staying focused during this critical phase of the project. The face of his supervisor—who had criticized delays—came to mind. Just thinking about it made him tense and frustrated. He began worrying that it would be difficult to receive a favorable performance evaluation in the first half of the year. He regretted not establishing authority over the team from the beginning. The more he thought about it, the more suffocated he felt.

Initially, he intended to caution only that particular team member. However, as his suppressed thoughts burst outward, he ended up raising his voice at the entire team:

“What are you all doing? If this is how we’re going to run the meeting, let’s just stop.”

What began as internal frustration escalated into an avoidable incident.

Many readers have likely experienced similar moments—where the mind wanders and a surge of emotion leads to unintended reactions. At first glance, this appears to be a failure of emotional regulation. While the team member’s behavior may have contributed, the leader’s outward expression of anger ultimately reflected a lapse in self-management.

Yet if the leader had known how to use his wandering mind effectively, his response could have been very different.

Instead of habitually reacting with irritation, what if he had chosen a way to release his sense of frustration constructively? For example, rather than forcing the meeting forward, he might have suggested a ten-minute break to reset the emotional tone of the group.

 

Why I Wrote This Book

I believe that solutions to many of life’s challenges are hidden within the wandering mind.

Over the past twenty-five years, I have conducted an in-depth review of academic journal articles, institutional publications, expert blogs, and news reports on the wandering mind. I have also drawn upon nineteen years of field experience as a professional coach.

Through this work, I discovered the unique properties and intrinsic value of the wandering mind. I also identified ways to increase its productivity and strengthen its psychological foundation.

This book was written to convey four essential messages:

1. The wandering mind is a new resource for productivity.

Traditionally, wandering thoughts have been viewed as distractions that hinder performance. People rarely evaluate how their wandering mind relates to their genuine interests. It is time to pay closer attention to the concept and content of the wandering mind.

2. The wandering mind searches for what we truly desire and value.

Wandering is not psychological confusion. People often struggle to express their inner desires. The wandering mind is an inner psychological journey in search of unmet needs and meaningful rewards.

3. We must shift our perception of the wandering mind.

It is not merely a symptom of anxiety or a barrier to task completion. For too long, wandering thoughts have been dismissed as useless mental noise. This conventional assumption must be reconsidered.

4. The wandering mind can be harnessed effectively.

Many people feel exhausted and anxious because of intrusive thoughts. My aim is to help readers use their wandering mind to revitalize motivation and improve their lives.

 

Definition and Psychological Mechanism of the Wandering Mind

The wandering mind is a spontaneous mental state that arises when attention shifts inward due to reduced concentration on a task. It occurs freely and often without conscious awareness.

[Figure 1] Psychological Mechanism of the Wandering Mind

In contemporary life, we are overwhelmed by more stimuli and topics of concern than our limited attentional capacity can manage. Yet we cannot endlessly expand our attention. As a result, attention falters and the mind frequently wanders.

The team leader’s example is only one manifestation. Many people feel fatigued and anxious due to wandering thoughts in both workplace and daily life contexts.

In 2010, Harvard psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert used a smartphone application to investigate how frequently people’s minds wander and how they feel during those moments. Participants were asked what they were thinking about in real time. The results were striking: 46.9% of the time, people reported that their minds were wandering away from the task at hand. Moreover, they reported lower levels of happiness when their minds wandered.

Other studies confirmed that mind-wandering is a common human experience. Many individuals attempt to suppress wandering thoughts through meditation or mental discipline. When unsuccessful, they may experience heightened anxiety or even depression.

 

Minds Bound to Performance

Imagine someone in a performance-driven society who cannot concentrate due to a wandering mind and consequently fails to achieve desired outcomes. He may attribute failure to his wandering thoughts. Repeated experiences of this kind reinforce the belief that wandering thoughts are obstacles to productivity.

Performance evaluators may attribute underachievement to lack of focus, insufficient engagement, or weak ownership. These perceptions form the roots of the negative narrative surrounding the wandering mind.

When daily life becomes overwhelming, people intentionally create downtime to relieve stress—through yoga, meditation, daydreaming, or walking. Others engage in intense physical training or survival challenges to strengthen concentration. These activities share a common aim: enhancing attentional control to perform tasks more effectively.

However, while people invest heavily in “doing,” they often neglect “being.” The wandering mind emerges from the domain of being. Yet when viewed solely through the lens of execution, it appears as distraction and inefficiency.

We have been observing the self-generated world of the wandering mind exclusively from the standpoint of performance.

 

Why We Must Pay Attention to the Wandering Mind

The wandering mind possesses intrinsic properties and hidden value. If properly understood, it can meaningfully enhance life. Some psychologists have even declared the 21st century “the era of the wandering mind” (Callard et al., 2013).

Research in cognitive science and neuroscience reveals positive functions of mind-wandering. By paying attention to wandering thoughts, we can bring hidden life themes and emerging concerns into conscious awareness.

These include:

• Future envisioning
• Self-reflection
• Prospective planning
• Autobiographical structuring
• Creative incubation
• Present emotional concerns

If we repeatedly dismiss wandering thoughts as meaningless distractions, the brain learns to ignore them. Over time, this conditions the brain to suppress valuable internal signals.

Those who recognize the hidden value of the wandering mind can change their way of living. When used to facilitate goal attainment, wandering thoughts can improve not only outcomes but also the manner in which goals are achieved.

We must train the brain toward virtuous cycles rather than suppression.

 

Applying the Wandering Mind to Life Improvement

Through years of coaching leaders and individuals, I have witnessed both the stress caused by unmanaged wandering thoughts and the creativity unleashed when they are harnessed effectively.

From these contrasting experiences, I concluded that modern individuals need guidance on how to understand and use the wandering mind constructively.

To provide this guidance, the book is structured into six chapters.

 

Chapters 1–3: Core Properties of the Wandering Mind

1. Intentionality
2. Value Orientation
3. Variability

These properties are essential to enhancing the productivity of the wandering mind and connecting it to purposeful action.

 

Chapters 4–6: Strengthening the Psychological Foundation

1. Centering the Mind and Managing Anxiety
2. Cultivating Psychological Flexibility
3. Making the Mind and Brain Allies

These chapters introduce principles and case examples for strengthening the psychological foundation of the wandering mind, including reflection and mindfulness practices.

 

An appendix summarizes key theories and approaches from cognitive science and neuroscience for readers seeking deeper academic understanding.

 

If you often feel exhausted or anxious because of wandering thoughts, this book will help you see them in a new light.

If, after reading, you are able to draw out the value of your wandering mind and improve your life, then the purpose of this book will have been fulfilled.

As you read the case examples, reflect on your own wandering mind. Practice the methods presented in the “Thinking Partner’s Psychological Coaching” sections at the end of each chapter.

Your thoughts and behaviors will change positively.

 

Source: Lee, Sukjae (2020). Coaching Methodology. Seoul: Korea Coaching Supervision.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction – Unlocking the Value of the Wandering Mind

Chapter 1: Cultivating Intentionality

Chapter 2: Stimulating Creativity

Chapter 3: Activating Change Energy

Chapter 4: Centering the Mind

Chapter 5: Developing Flexibility

Chapter 6: Making Mind and Brain Allies

Appendix – Cognitive and Neuroscientific Understanding of the Wandering Mind

Conclusion – Enjoy the Wandering Mind. The Answer Is There.

References