Week Two
In the second week of this program you will learn about mind wandering. Your practices this week will focus on identifying when your mind has wandered, then refocusing your attention to breathing and body sensations.
Mind Wandering
Mind wandering: The tendency to drift your thoughts away from the task and hand and think about something unrelated to what you are doing.
How does mind wandering affect well-being?
Killingsworth and Gilbert (2010) ran a study which examined the prevalence of mind wandering in our day-to-day lives. This study collected data by texting participants three questions at random times throughout the day: “How happy are you right now?”, “What are you doing right now?”, and “Are you thinking about something other than what you are currently doing right now?”
Data analysis of the responses first showed that people’s minds wander a lot. Mind wandering occurred in 46.9% of the samples taken, and was present in at least 30% of samples for all activities other than love making. In other words, mind wandering was prevalent in daily life, regardless of what participants were doing. Second, the researchers found that mind wandering was a stronger predictor of unhappiness than the nature of the current activity. Even doing something unenjoyable (such as driving through traffic) predicted higher ratings of happiness than mind wandering. Finally, across all samples taken there was strong evidence that mind wandering led to unhappiness, but a lack of evidence that unhappiness led to mind wandering. That is to say that mind wandering preceded unhappiness, but unhappiness did not precede mind wandering.
Mindfulness meditation and mind wandering
In your first week of mindfulness meditation, you might have observed your thoughts drifting away from your breath and body. Research indicates that our minds especially tend to wander when we are engaged in an idle task. When we are doing something of value that would be disrupted by mind wandering, such as working or driving a car, it is much less prevalent. But when the cost of thinking about something unrelated to the task at hand is low, it is very common to do so (Smallwood 2013). So when you are just sitting still and paying attention to your breath and body, your mind often tends to drift away.
You likely have spent a good amount of time mind wandering in your first few mindfulness meditation practices. This is a completely normal experience as you first begin, as learning to keep your attention focused on the present moment takes time and practice. A common misconception about meditation is that you must completely clear your mind to do it effectively. Rather, meditation is about identifying distractions which make your mind wander, then refocusing your attention to your breath and body. To requote Taft, “The goal is not to empty your mind of thoughts; the goal is to pay attention to some aspect of your sensory experience” (21). When you notice your mind wandering during mindfulness practices, complete the following two steps: 1. Acknowledge that your mind has drifted away from the present moment. 2. Refocus your attention back to your breath and body. As you continue to complete mindfulness practices, it will gradually become easier and easier to recognize when your thoughts have gone awry, then refocus your attention to the present moment.
Thought Patterns Awareness Practice
In this practice you will aim to be aware of your thought patterns. The first goal for this practice is to be mindful of when your thoughts escape the present moment. The second goal is to refocus your attention to your body when it has wandered.

Thought Patterns Awareness Practice
Click the button below to access a present moment mindful awareness recording
After you have listened to this recording, please take a look at the “Review of Thought Patterns Awareness Practice” section below.
Review of Thought Patterns Awareness Practice
How often did you observe your mind wandering?
If you observed your mind wandering during this practice—well done. The first step to keeping your mind on the present moment is to be aware of when it goes awry. The practice tracking sheet for this week contains space to note how much you observed your mind wandering. Whether it wandered a lot or a little, please note the state of your attention during this practice.
Did anything make it difficult to refocus your attention when it wandered?
Even when you observe your mind wandering, it can be difficult to refocus it to the present moment. If there are distractions in the environment around you—or distractions coming from within your body—your attention may naturally stick with them. Even when you are aware that something is drawing your attention, it can be difficult to keep your mind from wandering. If you observe something holding on to your attention even when you try to refocus it to the practice, note it on the tracking sheet below.
Practice Goals for this Week
For this week of practices, prioritize being mindful of internal and external distractions, recognizing when your mind has wandered away from the present moment, and refocusing your attention to the present moment after you observe it wandering. Also try to practice in different locations and note how different environments affect how much you minds wanders. Importantly, however, remember to not meditate while operating heavy machinery, as it puts both you and others at risk.
Below are some alternative recordings which focus on helping you be aware of your thought processes. I encourage you to try a practice or two without using a recording this week. Aim to keep your attention on the present moment even without a voice reminding you to do so, and note if and how the practice feels different while doing it on your own.
Identifying Thought Patterns: 9 minutes and 19 seconds
Week Two Practice Tracking Sheet
Click this button to download a .pdf file of the tracking sheet pictured below