Supercharge Your Mind by "Zoning Out"
Generate better ideas and calm your mind by spending the in-between moments of life pausing and reflecting.
If you want to do your best work and feel less overwhelmed start zoning out more.
Our minds are magical at working behind the scenes with all of life’s problems. This ambient style of thinking is where our subconscious is processing tasks, ideas, and worries weighing on our psyche.
But we can’t peek behind the curtain unless we pause and give ourselves the attentional space to allow what’s processing in the back to come to the front.
To do that, we need to decrease our constant shifts in focus and increase the frequency and depth of being unfocused.
The Different States of Attention
Focused attention is the act of concentrating on a single object. It’s a straight and narrow line.
We live in the default state of focus. Stop and ask yourself when aren’t you actively trying to read, watch, listen, or speak.
There is even focus dubbed “good” and “bad” for us.
Meditation is a focus on our breath or body sensation. It helps us stay in the present moment. Scrolling our phones is a form of scattered focus. It’s frantic shifts in focus that hurt our attention spans.
If focus is linear, then zoning out is circular. It’s a balloon filling up with our subconscious thoughts.
Zoning out has two forms. The first is short bursts or what I call “intermittent” zoning out. This type happens naturally during moments when we should be focusing. Our minds drift for a second.
But intermittent zoning out doesn’t recharge us. It’s like plugging our phones. If you do it for a moment, it doesn't change the battery percentage. When you plug in for longer, the connection of what’s bubbling in your subconscious starts downloading into your conscious mind.
The Art of “Productive” Zoning Out
The underrated aspect of being outdoors is giving our eyes a chance to see far and wide especially if we’ve been cooped up inside staring at a screen.
Our attention needs the same treatment — a contrast from being in focus mode.
Zoning out is like meditation. It feels like doing nothing. Even the word “zoning out” conjures a sense of laziness. This is why I like adding the word “productive” to the second form of zoning out. It’s these intentional, longer sessions of contemplation that make a difference.
Productive zoning out not only downloads your ambient mind but also gives a break from constant input. And every creative thinker knows the best ideas come from these moments.
The Five Reasons to Zone Out More
Christopher Nolan is one of Hollywood’s best-known directors. He fills the seats when his movies debut. His movies need focused attention but his best ideas come from zoning out.
And he takes it seriously. He doesn’t own a smartphone. In a People Magazine article, he explained:
“I’m easily distractible so I don’t really want to have access to the internet every time when I’m bored. I do a lot of my best thinking in those kind of in-between moments that people now fill with online activity, so it benefits me.”
Similarly, Albert Einstein was known to play his violin and zone out anytime he was stuck on a problem.
Every thought leader takes time to zone out to let their subconscious mind not only germinate new ideas but to connect the dots on different ones. But scientists or filmmakers aren’t the only ones who benefit from taking an intentional pause.
Zoning out helps when your head is spinning. My anxiousness comes from overstimulation. But when I pause and let my mind zone out, it slows down the spinning. It shifts my mind from input to reflection. This reflection starts the process of putting order to everything in my head.
As a productivity nerd, I can’t help but tell you the power of capturing all the tasks that come when you zone out. Our minds are waiting to tell us what we are forgetting if only we stop and pause.
Processing everything that happened to us in the day is another benefit of zoning out. Those with insomnia are recommended just that. Along with a wind-down routine, they write their thoughts and worries. This way, they don’t unintentionally do it in bed.
Zoning out in bed heightens emotions that overstate our problems and worries. The fog of trying to sleep is one of the worst places to zone out.
Finally, productive zoning out allows our true thoughts to come to the surface. Paul Graham calls this the top idea in your mind. You can’t control your thinking but knowing the thoughts you continue returning to builds self-awareness.
A few years ago when my relationship was falling apart, my subconscious was whispering it to me. I should have noticed the signal and been proactive in digging into my negative thoughts.
It's important to note the difference between productive zoning out and rumination. The difference is purposefulness. Rumination is when thoughts loop continuously. It's a bug in the system that keeps displaying the same system error when you press the “X” button.
As mentioned, zoning out in bed isn’t productive because context matters. So when and where should you practice productive zoning out?
Modifying Existing Routines with Attentional Space
In a world that rewards doing over pondering, giving yourself the attention space to zone out is not easy.
Our brains have been conditioned for overstimulation too. I routinely put my phone in a lock box for self-control and restrict my media consumption so it doesn’t overwhelm me.
There is also the scariness of being left with our own thoughts. Philosopher Blaise Pasca is famous for saying,
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly.”
Sitting quietly doing absolutely nothing is intimidating, though. Instead, do what Einstein did. Find something that lets you space out.
I find walking one of the best ways to zone out. The key is to leave the AirPods and iPhone at home and carry a notebook and pen instead.
Don’t overthink it though. Find any pre-existing routine and take a tiny step towards reflection instead of more focus. This could mean simply filling in those in-between moments with space rather than your favorite podcast.
Another rule I set is anytime I am waiting on someone or something, I don’t reach for my phone. This adds to the frequency lost by having a phone within arms reach.
The Don Draper style of contemplation for hours on a sofa is romantic but not necessary. Nevertheless, when my head is spinning, I grab my journal and head to my sofa to do some slow journaling.
If “in the zone” means letting ourselves be in the moment, then zoning out means letting our subconscious self take the stage.
Thanks for reading!
Irfan
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