All I Have to Do is Dream

It’s always interesting what I run across when I’m doing research for a story.  For my Dream Weaver series, which kicks off with Dream Man, I did a lot of research on the subject of dreaming.  It was fascinating to learn about the sleep stages, what happens during REM, and what dreams might mean.  Yet one article I kept regarded daydreams or mind wandering.[1]

According to research results, on average people aren’t thinking about what they’re doing thirty to forty percent of the time.  That’s a lot!  The human brain just seems hard-wired to wander.  Most often, the mind slips to everyday things such as “to do” lists.  Fantasies are the next most common, with worries coming in third.  In this way, the human mind seems to devote time to problem solving or planning for the future.

My wandering thoughts are like everyone else’s…  I go to my “to do” list.  Yet my “to do” list includes my writing.  If I’m stuck on something, the answer often comes to me in these little flashes of random thought.  If I think too hard, though, the answers just won’t come.

So how do your daydreams work?  Do you get more than grocery lists and carpooling schedules?  Do you think the list is in the right order?  I’m curious about what’s more interesting – your daydreams or the ones you have at night?

[1] Science Paying Attention to Not Paying Attention by Malcom Ritter, Associated Press, http://www.msnby.msn.com/id/17690541/