Daydreaming is one
of the best ways to come up with new ideas. When you give your mind time
to wander, you'll be amazed at how creative you can be. Daydreaming
about achieving your goals can also help motivate you to pursue them.
Next time you have a few free minutes to spend, consider daydreaming
instead of playing a video game or reading news articles online. You'll
feel more relaxed, positive and motivated as a result.
Part 1
Getting Started
-
1
Give yourself permission. Daydreaming sometimes gets a
bad rep, since some people see it as a waste of time. When you have 20
minutes of downtime, shouldn't you be using it more productively?
Studies show that daydreaming actually
is productive. It has the
power to help you be more creative and even motivate you to achieve your
goals. So go ahead and give yourself permission to make daydreaming
part of your day.
- A study conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara
found that daydreamers did 41 percent better on tests measuring creative
thinking than people who didn't daydream.[1]
- On the other hand, when you let your mind wander away from the
present to fantasies that will probably never come true, like wishing
you would win the lottery, daydreaming can actually make you feel less
happy. Studies seem to indicate that focusing on the present moment
leads to greater happiness, so try not to let your daydreaming turn into
escapism.[2]
-
2
Free yourself of other distractions. Daydreaming,
like dreaming at night, is best done when you're in a relatively
peaceful environment without a lot of pulls on your attention. Before
you start a daydreaming session, try to create a quiet, relaxing
atmosphere for yourself, even if you only have a few minutes to spare.
This can be done anywhere, anytime, whether you're at home or out and
about during your day.
- If you can, find a quiet spot in which to daydream, like an empty
room or even the bathroom. If you want to daydream in a public place,
wearing headphones is a good way to quiet your world enough to let your
mind wander. But make sure you pay a little attention to the outside
world every now and again.
- Before you daydream, make sure you aren't hungry, thirsty or
otherwise in need of something that could distract you from your
daydream.
- Listening to music can help tune out other distractions and also
make the daydream even better, as music is full of emotion. Just pick
songs that fit the mood of the dream you are having.
-
3
Gaze out a window or close your eyes. Everyone's
"daydreaming face" is a little different. Some people find it easy to
let their minds wander while gazing out a window or staring into space,
while others prefer to close their eyes. Do whatever helps you feel most
relaxed and able to think without getting too distracted.
-
4
Let your mind wander in a positive direction. There
are several types of daydreams, and they don't all have a positive
effect on your mind and mood. If you let your mind get consumed by
negative thoughts (like, say, taking revenge on your ex) you end up
dragging you down. But the great thing about daydreaming is that you can
control your thoughts (it's a lot easier than the nighttime corollary, lucid dreaming to make sure that each daydreaming session leaves you feeling uplifted.
[3]
- Positive-constructive daydreaming is linked with openness to new experiences, happiness and creativity.[4]
- On the other hand, guilty-dysphoric daydreaming, like fantasizing
about failure, bad things happening or hurting others, leads to negative
emotions like anxiety and guilt.
- The third type of daydreaming happens when you have poor attention
control; your mind wanders all over the place because you have
difficulty paying attention to the present. This type of daydreaming
doesn't have a positive effect, since it's not under your control.[5]
Part 2
Knowing What to Dream About
-
1
Dream about the future you want. Daydreaming with a
goal in mind can help you motivate yourself to achieve it. Let yourself
imagine your life as you'd like it to turn out. Play out your future as
you see it unfolding, giving yourself total freedom to indulge your
fantasies. Will you become president? Move to a tropical island? Start
your own company? Fall in love and start a family? In your daydreams,
anything is possible.
- Try imagining all the things that would make you happy and putting
them into a story. Keeping the story and characters consistent will make
it more fun and easier when finding yourself in different surroundings. Keep your stories and situations positive, and build on them each time you daydream.
-
2
Dream about your favorite things. Maybe it's not
quite as productive as dreaming about your goals, but it's fun to
daydream about your favorite things. Dream about things that make you
happy, like certain people, activities, places, even foods that bring a
smile to your face. Keep in mind, however, that if you make a habit of
dreaming of your favorite things as a way to take your mind off of
what's right in front of you, you might experience a decrease in
happiness.
[6]
- For example, give yourself a lift by daydreaming about your favorite
vacation spot. Your daydream will increase your happiness more if you
actually have plans to go there at some point.
- But if you let yourself daydream about something that's
unattainable, like getting romantically involved with someone who isn't
single, daydreaming can be a recipe for frustration.
-
3
Roleplay in your dreams. Imagine a real life
situation and act it out in your mind. Act out the movements in your
mind just as powerfully as if you were going to do it. This will will
enhance your problem-solving ability and your ability to think from
another person's point of view.
- For a different twist, imagine yourself thrown into the world of
your favorite book or movie. What would you do? How would the other
characters react to your sudden appearance? (Unless you were there all
along?) What would the antagonist say?
- You could also imagine yourself as someone else, and think about
what qualities you admire in them. How would the person react to
different situations and problems?
-
4
Dream up something creative. Daydreaming is an
excellent way to come up with brand new ideas for stories, music, art
and innovative products. Let your mind run wild and see what you can
dream up. Don't let anything be off-limits!
- For example, you could think of a product you like and figure out what would make it better and how you could achieve that.
- If you like your ideas, don't forget to write them down. You just may end up using them.
Source : wikihow.com
1Give yourself permission. Daydreaming sometimes gets a bad rep, since some people see it as a waste of time. When you have 20 minutes of downtime, shouldn't you be using it more productively? Studies show that daydreaming actually is productive. It has the power to help you be more creative and even motivate you to achieve your goals. So go ahead and give yourself permission to make daydreaming part of your day.
2Free yourself of other distractions. Daydreaming, like dreaming at night, is best done when you're in a relatively peaceful environment without a lot of pulls on your attention. Before you start a daydreaming session, try to create a quiet, relaxing atmosphere for yourself, even if you only have a few minutes to spare. This can be done anywhere, anytime, whether you're at home or out and about during your day.
3Gaze out a window or close your eyes. Everyone's "daydreaming face" is a little different. Some people find it easy to let their minds wander while gazing out a window or staring into space, while others prefer to close their eyes. Do whatever helps you feel most relaxed and able to think without getting too distracted.
4Let your mind wander in a positive direction. There are several types of daydreams, and they don't all have a positive effect on your mind and mood. If you let your mind get consumed by negative thoughts (like, say, taking revenge on your ex) you end up dragging you down. But the great thing about daydreaming is that you can control your thoughts (it's a lot easier than the nighttime corollary, lucid dreaming to make sure that each daydreaming session leaves you feeling uplifted.[3]
1Dream about the future you want. Daydreaming with a goal in mind can help you motivate yourself to achieve it. Let yourself imagine your life as you'd like it to turn out. Play out your future as you see it unfolding, giving yourself total freedom to indulge your fantasies. Will you become president? Move to a tropical island? Start your own company? Fall in love and start a family? In your daydreams, anything is possible.
2Dream about your favorite things. Maybe it's not quite as productive as dreaming about your goals, but it's fun to daydream about your favorite things. Dream about things that make you happy, like certain people, activities, places, even foods that bring a smile to your face. Keep in mind, however, that if you make a habit of dreaming of your favorite things as a way to take your mind off of what's right in front of you, you might experience a decrease in happiness.[6]
3Roleplay in your dreams. Imagine a real life situation and act it out in your mind. Act out the movements in your mind just as powerfully as if you were going to do it. This will will enhance your problem-solving ability and your ability to think from another person's point of view.
4Dream up something creative. Daydreaming is an excellent way to come up with brand new ideas for stories, music, art and innovative products. Let your mind run wild and see what you can dream up. Don't let anything be off-limits!
