If you mean just 'thinking on things', pretty much all the time. I realized when I was younger I never felt 'bored' like everyone else seems to. I'm perfectly content to just sit and stare at the sky thinking of god knows what. Even my wife sometimes comes in and asks what I'm doing when I'm seemingly just sitting on the couch staring at the wall at times. The downsides are that I have trouble sleeping unassisted, as I'll just lay in bed thinking til the sun comes up, and also have trouble staying focused on movies or even conversation, as my mind will be elsewhere.<p>If you mean work/product/big picture specific... probably a few hours a week.
I've had a phenomenon occur to me this week that I've experienced a few times before.<p>I was stuck on a coding problem for the entire afternoon one day. For whatever reason things weren't clicking and I couldn't solve the problem I had. I went to bed and as I was waking up the next morning, the complete solution came to me.<p>I wasn't dreaming, but I was in that hazy half-awake half-asleep mode where I'm not consciously thinking about anything.<p>I've had this happen a few times before where I go to bed stuck on a problem and miraculously wake up with the solution. It's a very strange (but happy) feeling.
I wake up at 6:30am and feed my cats. Then I sit in a comfortable chair with my journal and Bible and stare out the window and I journal and contemplate and read and write and pray.<p>I used to do this with coffee, but I found the caffeine was actually shifting my energy window forward, even shortening it. Now I'll do calisthenics and spend a few minutes outside, taking deep breaths, if I need to wakeup before I sit down.<p>The amount of time varies, depending on what's going on in my life. I may spend more time journaling, note taking, reading, or just staring out the window and chewing on the thought. I have sessions that last fifteen minutes and others that last three hours.
My job is contemplating. I am a director at a well-funded startup. My day is meetings, design, and thinking. Cannabis helps me relax in the evening, and that's when I decompress and let my brain figure out the next steps I need to take across my projects, write explanatory documents, etc. I have to pay extra attention to health and sleep so that I can have more control over my focus and reliably transition my mind to family time.<p>In general, patience, strategy, and self-motivation have helped me achieve goals I would never have dreamed of 10 years ago.
I find the best way is walking in the woods, with no people around. I do that 3-4 times a week for 40-90 minutes. Usually with the dog. It helps to have a long retractable leash attached to my waist, so I don't have to hold it or negotiate every clump of grass she wants to sniff.<p>I can think through some smaller issues in my office, leaned back in my chair, feet up on my desk. But it's easy to get sucked back into the screen.
For those of you who struggle with going to sleep due to racing mind, this practice helps me:<p>I sometimes have brief moments of hyper-awareness as I approach sleep, where sounds are rich and images vividly detailed, but as soon as I attend to the experience it fades, like the wood-elf party in The Hobbit[0].
After reading about how USAF pilots used to be coached in the 1940s to fall asleep quickly (by flexing and relaxing body parts)[sorry, no reference yet], I started trying/not-trying to sneak up on the elves. One way I set the stage is to imagine my consciousness at the edge of the solar system, then galaxy, then universe, and further and further, then holding it there longer and longer.
Another way is to look at the colors inside of my eyelids and allow those to be seeds for abstract art and eventually concrete, recognizable images materialize. This took about two years of practice and now I have no anxiety about falling asleep, can do it quickly and without nagging my partner to turn the light off.
It is such a delight to finally see and hear the previously-elusive autogenous art. I don’t know how long the experience lasts, and unless I’m interrupted by a loud noise or touch it almost always leads directly to sleep.<p>Other factors: I’ve been off alcohol for more than a year, and reduced coffee to hot water added to the dregs of my spouse’s French press. I don’t run as much as I used to, and I feel running and lifting more would help me sleep better.
Good luck!<p>[0] <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/" rel="nofollow">https://www.worldcat.org/title/hobbit/</a>
Before the pandemic, I would walk 45 minutes to and from the office each day. It was magnificent time to think. I’d often leave the office thinking about a thorny technical problem, and on the way home, inspiration would strike. That happened so often that I started noticing it was always at the same point on my walk home. I’d see that place up ahead and privately joke to myself, “I’m about to have a great idea!” Then I’d forget about my private joke and go back to thinking and walking. Then I’d have a great idea! Sure enough, it was at that same spot.<p>The spot wasn’t magic. I’m convinced that it was the amount of time I spent walking. It was enough to start loosening my tight mental grip on the problem and let my mind roam. That relaxed mental processing was immeasurably valuable.<p>In a few weeks, I’m choosing to go back to office. What I’m looking forward to most is reaching that spot on my walk home.
I'm really into mindfulness. I downloaded the Calm App[1] recently, and it has been really beneficial. I feel like Alan Watts[2] would be really into it, if he was alive today (RIP).<p>My routine is waking up at 6AM, taking a cold shower, and then sitting down on the tile of the bathroom, freezing cold, and thinking about my next startup. I feel like this is my way of Beating the Averages[3].<p>[1] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calm_(company)</a><p>[2] <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Watts</a><p>[3] <a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html</a>
Wake up, coffee, start working until I get stumped, lunch, work until stumped again, take a half hour walk or shower, then depending on the time either take detailed notes about my ideas or put them into code. If a problem is too big to chew in those breaks then thinking about it _is_ the “work” for the day.<p>To actually answer the question, probably around 6hrs per week. I work on half wacky theoretical idea projects and half code monkey implementation
Define "contemplate" :)<p>Carved out time to "sit and think"? I consider this a suspect method, because undirected thinking on demand is difficult. (It might work for you. It doesn't for me)<p>Carved out time to contemplate a specific problem? Depends on how many big problems are at the stage where that makes sense. I'd say 1-4h/week.<p>Making random connections and sort-of daydreaming about them for 5 minutes? All day, every day. It ends up in a commonplace book. I don't currently review the book, the act of taking the note alone is valuable enough. If I notice I keep thinking about something, I transfer it into a doc and grep through that during directed sessions.
Often. I read a lot of philosophy type books and often think about them when I'm idle. I often subject my partner to my contemplation, and thankfully they're willing to engage.
Ill sit in the shower sometimes for hours and just think.<p>I have to be careful that the thinking doesn't turn into unsubstantiated worry and fretting though.<p>I have to manage my thoughts.
I have structured and unstructured contemplation.<p>I journal every morning right after I write my to-do for the day, which is pretty much self-reflections.<p>I also have a weekly review on Sundays where I reflect on my week, what I did well, what kind of sucked etc.<p>For work, I contemplate first, then write code second. A lot of times I do it while typing my thoughts. An actual example after a failed test<p><pre><code> > FAILED: the container doesn't have git so it can't run...so that means git tagging should happen prior to the gradle or docker container...
> I kind of like this because that means it will only have to happen once outside both workflows....which eliminates a bunch of the issues
> I need an init workflow in a way....checkout workflow
> I can't test this, I think test jenkins pushing to prod gitlab is causing issues. Commented it out.
</code></pre>
Then I pretty much think during most of my spare time whatever piques my interest at the time. The only times I am not contemplating is when I try to be present for my children, or watching a show with my SO.
Oftentimes when I'm working on a problem I lie on the floor face down and think about it for hours.<p>In terms of what you might call "mentally detoxifying contemplation", physical work on my house and yard and whatnot is great. I think the mentally salubrious effects of hard work are the real deal and too much overlooked these days.
Interesting topic.<p>I've recently started to re-connect with acquaintances around the globe via virtual coffee meetings (video calls), and with a steaming pot of hot liquid in tow (even decaf does the job, it's more about holding on to something steaming than caffeine for me) this can be quite contemplative.
I try to do one such call per week, typically towards the end of the week, and often I manage, occasionally not when work is too crazy.<p>It's not as good as physical travel to see people, of course, but we all need to make the best of the current situation. (Speaking of travel, train rides and walking are great activities to foster contemplating - see also
<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp/1781688370" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philosophy-Walking-Frederic-Gros/dp...</a> ).<p>BTW, stay safe, all!
Think about this. Imagine a gambler that wins a game and wants to keep his money. Then he stops and never plays ever again in the same casino. But he wants to win some more money. So what if he takes his money to another casino? He could lose or win. Let's say he wins again, and goes around the city playing in different casinos. In the long run his earned money will be 0. So, it's better to win once in the first casino and then stop.<p>The gambler dies, and his son gets the money. Now his son is a new gambler who lives in a different city. If he plays in other casinos he could win or lose, but in the long run his earned money will be 0 too.<p>It means that for a gambler to actually win he must win only once, then he must not play ever again, or any other gambler with his money, since entropy is "connected" to that money, because money makes part of the same system.
I used to work with a guy who said "Friday is for big thoughts". I live by that now, and each week I don't do much actual work on Friday, instead opting to think about the work I did earlier in the week, and to intentionally think about what I'll do the following week.
I can "think" for a long time, but my peculiarity is that I think with my hands. So I make things, and play music. Also, I'm terribly disorganized, and I speculate that making things, even programs, is a way of helping my brain with organization.
About a third of my waking life is spent contemplating. It has been this way for a couple of years.<p>Overall it has been productive. I've explored countless ideas, learned about new topics, articulated my views, understood concepts and viewpoints I disagree with, changed my mind on some both ways in the process. It has been a little counterproductive. It is easy to get lost in your own head after a while. Overall I wouldn't recommend spending so much time in deep thought, but spending a decent amount at least for some period in your life will really help you discover who you are, who other people are, and things about the world around you that you wouldn't otherwise.
Journalling twice a day: post waking up and pre-sleeping. Meditation: once a day for 15 mins. Whenever I am stuck on a problem, idea or try to digest a paper.<p>So overall 10-20 hrs a week, with the third outlet consuming the maximum time
Depends if you mean on purpose or accidentally.
Because I contemplate on purpose perhaps once or twice per week, where I lie down and think a little about life.<p>But the accidental ones, those are the real deal. As an ever fateful watchmen, just when I stray a little, a wild thought pops in my head which takes my focus for at least half an hour, where my imagination goes wild on the ride.<p>I would say it happens once or twice per day at least, and I must say that I noticed it became more often after I started listening to audiobooks. I don't know exactly why, but I would assume it stirs the imagination?
at the moment, my formal meditation practice is 3 hours per day. 60 mins on wake, 30 mins before bed, and 15m/30m sits punctuating transitions throughout the day.<p>for me, contemplation occurs in the echoes of meditation.
I journal most nights pretty much about whatever is bothering me emotionally. This helps me get it out there and be more conscious of underlying emotions. A lot of stress for me comes from bottling up emotions...<p>Also i like to go on long runs with no headphones. This helps me step back and process whatever is happening and think of new approaches to rough problems when I’m not in the weeds of the problem.<p>Anything that triggers boredom, IMO, is a healthy tool. Sometimes thats a day off in solitude on a long hike. Other times it’s just a vacation where I don’t bring my laptop.
Once or twice a week i choose to not take the bike to work but rather walk instead. Id lucky this puts me in a somewhat inspiring contemplative state for 30 min. Not much room/time elsewhere.
I'm not sure if it counts as "contemplation," but I spend a lot of ideas pre-packaging responses to the various beliefs I have that are unintuitive and therefor will make me look dumb (or evil) if expressed poorly.<p>I used to think about the future and dreams and stuff... nowadays, I don't think I'll ever really find a place I fit. So I live in the mountains, and nature is very good up here.
I've started contemplating less and less and started almost immediately asking for feedback, even on tiny nuggets of an idea. If my knowledge is limited to the point where I have to wonder about something, there is likely someone out there who already knows the answer :)
Finding them is the hard part, but people love connecting information-havers with information-seekers!
A lot. Find it impossible to listen to music because I start thinking and then have to turn the music down to focus on my thoughts.<p>One thing I've noticed is that thinking is like a habit. It does not matter what topic I think about, I can sit there and be in my thoughts for days and sometimes even weeks.
Contemplation for me is a sign of something is missing or not totally dialed in in my life.<p>Or it can be that i need to process something emotionally.<p>I believe it is healthy to spent time on. It's your therapy some how.
Went in an all afternoon hike yesterday up to a mountain lake as soon as my afternoon meetings were done. Thought about the life universe and everything. It was great, going to do it more.
10-ish hrs a week.<p>Methods:<p>* Long conversations with a fellow contemplator
* Long replies to certain intriguing ideas on internet forums with fellow contemplators
* Also digesting as a subconscious activity all the time
I try to avoid contemplation except when I am in front of my computer because that is where it is easiest to transition from contemplating something to taking actions about that thing.<p>(An example of an action would be my setting a reminder for me to contemplate further in the future.)