The Power of Daydreaming

Wake Your Creative Abilities

Amy Fries is a writer and editor. She is the author of Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers. See full bio

November 23, 2009

How to Use Your Imagination to Fortify Yourself for the Holidays

You can use your everyday creativity in obvious ways to help you get the most out of holiday get-togethers--from the way you dress, to what food or gifts you bring, to how you choose to respond to any verbal gauntlets thrown. You can also get creative in advance by tapping into your powers of imagination to visualize your response to stressful situations and to help strengthen your overall sense of well being. Read More

November 12, 2009

Our Capacity for Interruption or . . . How We Get Away with Daydreaming

At least the two Northwest Airlines pilots who flew 150 miles past their appointed runaway didn't claim "daydreaming" as a distraction. Instead, they asserted that they were caught up in doing business on their laptops. Read More

October 9, 2009

How Daydreaming Helps Children Process Information and Explore Ideas

For the most part, children are natural, prolific, and happy daydreamers, and the process plays an important role in their developing lives. Too often, however, parents and teachers are quick to label daydreaming as a symptom of an Attention Deficit Disorder or the sign of a slacker in the making. A new study finds that "positive-constructive" daydreaming, even when heavy in pattern, is not related to psychological disorders as some have previously thought, but rather is a normal activity that reflects the daydreamer's imaginative tendencies and enjoyment of daydreaming. Read More

September 16, 2009

Daydreams as a Source of Innovation & Motivation

The most dynamic and innovative people in any endeavor--business, science, athletics, politics, or the arts--are visionaries. And what exactly is a "vision?" At the end of the day I argue that a "vision" is just an upscale word for "daydream," and "visionary," an upscale word for daydreamer. . . . When people say they "dream" of being president or a billionaire or an artist or whatever it is they fantasize about--they are daydreaming those goals, literally envisioning them in their mind's eye. Read More

September 1, 2009

"Aha" Moments Caught on Tape

Research has caught on "tape" the moment of insight that comes to us in a daydreaming state of mind. These are the proverbial "aha," "eureka!" or "light bulb" moments of discovery that come to us whether it's something simple like suddenly remembering the name of an old friend or some truly innovative insight like the key to a new computer program. Read More

August 12, 2009

Wishing and hoping and dreaming . . .

We daydream for a variety of reasons, and one reason is that daydreams give us hope and help us get through the rough and boring patches of life. This isn't a small thing. All of us face our challenging days, and without the capacity to envision a brighter future or new goals, life would be bleak indeed. Could it be that when the world goes flat and gray that our daydreams have ceased to work their magic and the world looks one-dimensional, without possibilities, without hope? Read More

July 30, 2009

How Music Feeds and Steers Your Imagination

Some people have auditory daydreams, in other words, instead of primarily visualizing a scene or creation, they hear the "sounds of music." Even for those of us who are more visual in our imaginings--music remains one of the most powerful daydream launchers. In fact, it's so powerful, I sometimes avoid listening to it at certain times because I know it has the power to send my thoughts in a very particular direction. Here are some ways music affects your mood, creativity, and energy levels. Read More

July 21, 2009

Cathartic and Do-Over Daydreams

We've all had the experience when we've been in an argument with someone and then mentally rehash the conversation in a daydream, fine-tuning and improving our performance. In the fantasized version, we undoubtedly make the perfect comeback remark or score the debate-winning point. In these kinds of daydreams we're analyzing conversations, giving ourselves an ego boost in the face of a stressful event, and planning how we might better deal with a similar situation in the future. Read More

July 7, 2009

Are Your Daydreams Stuck in a Rut?

Daydreaming and fantasizing are great ways to explore options, escape the routines of daily life, and find outlets for intense emotion. But sometimes even your daydreams can get stuck in a rut. Check out seven ways to jump-start your imagination. Read More

July 1, 2009

The Great Paradox: Daydreaming vs. Mindfulness

To daydream or not to daydream . . . and why do we have to make that choice? Yet we get conflicting messages on this all the time. In the abstract, we tend to admire traits such as creativity and imagination, yet we're constantly told to focus, to live in the present moment and not think about the future or the past, to be mindful only of what is and not what could be. Read More

Books by Amy Fries

Daydreams at Work: Wake Up Your Creative Powers

Creativity Basics

Even those of us not in explicitly creative fields must come up with new ideas and insights in order to move ahead. How can we shake up our thinking patterns?

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