{"id":5007,"date":"2025-05-13T17:37:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aomtodayprod.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=5007"},"modified":"2025-07-09T15:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:46:02","slug":"the-mindfulness-vs-mindlessness-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aom.org\/today\/the-mindfulness-vs-mindlessness-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Daniel Butcher<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Mindfulness\u2014attention and awareness of experiences in the present moment\u2014certainly has its benefits, but mindlessness\u2014a mental state characterized by thoughts that are disconnected from the situation at hand\u2014is an overlooked source of creativity and innovation. Sometimes stepping away from your desk and going for a walk or a jog while letting your mind wander is the best way to come up with a solution to a problem.<\/p>\r\n

Academy of Management Scholar Abbie Shipp<\/a> of Texas Christian University, who coauthored an Academy of Management Annals article on that topic <\/a><\/em> with Karen Jansen<\/a> of North Carolina State University, said that mindlessness is underrated.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a real big push right now for mindfulness, and I’m a huge proponent of it\u2014I have a mindfulness meditation practice myself,\u201d Shipp said. \u201cBut we also know that mindlessness, letting your brain wander, that\u2019s the source of creativity.<\/p>\r\n

\u201cThe way in which we perceive time matters for how we manage it\u2014we should be able to manage time and get the most out of it,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can miss opportunities for just sitting, thinking, and daydreaming that really result in innovation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n

A sample of Shipp\u2019s AOM research findings:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n