Recognize wandering thoughts for what they are—distractions.

We are working on an overdue project, one that requires concentration. But it’s also close to lunchtime. 

Up pops an image of a veggie burger and salad. We may well smile and congratulate ourselves on having decided what to eat, but those thoughts are distractions that break our concentration.

Or maybe we’re chanting “Amituofo” at a Pure Land center and remember that we need to stop by a store on the way home and get a birthday present for a friend. Maybe that book she wants? Yes, this too is a distraction—thinking about where to get that present as opposed to chanting.

If we’re busy with one task and our thoughts stray elsewhere, then our original train of thought is broken. These wandering thoughts distract us. It will take time to get back into what we were previously doing. That’s time wasted. No matter how brilliant a distracting idea, that’s what it is—a distraction.

So think this way: wandering thoughts equals distractions.