our minds are wired to wander. Wandering is their default. Whenever our thoughts are suspended between specific, discrete, goal-directed activities, the brain reverts to a so-called baseline, “resting” state—but don’t let the word fool you, because the brain isn’t at rest at all. Instead, it experiences tonic activity in what’s now known as the

The Cost of Distraction

• Attention is a habit; letting it wander builds bad habits and errors.


• Multitasking harms focus and productivity, and even brief distractions cause lasting impairment.