How to think smarter, not harder, using your unfocused mind

Many of us would like to accomplish more of what’s important to us but with less effort. Suggestions for how to do that are typically gimmicky or ineffective.

However, you can learn faster, make better decisions, and get your work done in ways that are less draining by maximizing the work you do using your unfocused, rather than focused mind.

Creativity, and other forms of highly productive thought, occur from an optimal balance between imagination and controlled attention.

Your unfocused mind (aka diffuse mode or wandering mind) is better at some mental activities than your focused mind, especially big-picture thinking.

Most of us have a bias toward trying to improve by adding intensity (our bias to add rather than subtract), which is often an ineffective approach. It can be hard to counteract this pull, but specific suggestions can help.

10 Strategies to Access the Power of Your Unfocused Mind

1. Structure your time blocks with focused effort first. For example, work first, then shower.
2. Identify a task you plan to start with, then take a break. For example, read a problem on your problem set, then let your brain plan your approach to solving it in the background while you pack your gym bag for later.
3. Find activities you enjoy that allow your mind to drift. The classic examples are “bed, bath, and bus,” but there are many others, such as gardening, walking, or cooking.
4. Consider which variations of activities allow for more mind wandering. For example, exercising below your first lactate threshold allows for fast recovery and mitochondria growth. Exercise scientist Dr. Stephen Seiler points out that one way to tell if you’re working below this threshold is if your mind can drift during exercise. Similarly, strength training with two to three-minute breaks between sets creates a great environment for mind wandering.
5. Try mental exercises that promote big-picture thinking. For example, use forced analogy to explore relationships between seemingly unrelated concepts, like “How does Bayes’ theory apply to self-improvement?” One strategy is to ask an AI chatbot to provide 10-15 examples of how the concepts might be related, then do a mind-wandering activity to allow yourself to digest and ponder what it said.
6. Capture ideas that come to you as you’re waking up. Before you go to sleep, plan the focused activity you’ll do immediately on waking. When you do this, you’ll likely wake up with your brain already making plans about how you’ll start your work. Make sure you harness these ideas and energy. We tend to overestimate what we’ll remember when we return to focused states after being unfocused.
7. Shift to mind-wandering mode when you feel frustrated—even just a few minutes can be enough to unblock you.
8. Utilize your gaze. One way to get into unfocused mode is by gazing somewhere different. For example, look out the window, people-watch, or observe nature during a walk.
9. Shift to unfocused thinking when you want to do big-picture thinking, and use focused mode when you’re prioritizing precision. For example, use your unfocused mind to link concepts, estimate, or see previously unseen paths to success.
10. Use your drifting mind when you want to learn and understand deeply. For instance, while your focused mind might be better at applying a math formula, switching between focused and unfocused states can improve your understanding of how different areas of math, like fractions, geometry, and algebra, are interconnected. People who excel at understanding complex subjects tend to see how different concepts within the subject are connected, while those who struggle often view the subject as a collection of isolated methods.

Instead of Pushing Harder to Accomplish Your Goals, Maximize Your Unfocused Mind

By learning to balance focused and unfocused thinking, you can access deeper levels of productivity, understanding, and creativity while minimizing effort and maximizing results. Shifting between the two modes allows you to tackle both big-picture thinking and precise tasks effectively. The strategies here—such as structuring time blocks with focused effort first, exercising at intensities that optimize mind wandering, and using cognitive techniques like forced analogy—will help you achieve more with less strain.