wool-gather
Let thoughts drift
To wool-gather is to indulge in idle daydreaming or aimless reverie, letting the mind wander instead of attending to the task at hand.
The image is of someone wandering fields to collect tufts of sheep's wool caught on fences and bushes—a task requiring little mental effort.
She spent the meeting wool-gathering instead of taking notes.
The noun wool-gathering names this habit of abstracted musing.
Abstracted, pleasant daydream
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- musingReflective contemplation
- dreamingMental imagery during slumber
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
escapism · whimsy · dreamscape · abstraction · fanciful · make-believe · pipe dream · visionary
Unable to concentrate
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- inattentiveNot paying attention
- unfocusedWithout clear direction
- scatterbrainedLacking mental focus
spacey · oblivious · dreamy · vague · lost · heedless · unmindful · unaware
Reflective contemplation
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
meditation · thoughtfulness · pensive · wistful · brooding · cogitation · wondering · speculating
Leisurely time-wasting
- loafingPassing time idly
- loungingReclining in idleness
- fritteringWasting gradually, carelessly
- driftingMoving without purpose
meandering · pottering · puttering · dillydallying · lollygagging · time-wasting · procrastinating · stalling
reverie
Abstracted, pleasant daydream
- fantasyImaginative mental wandering
- musingReflective contemplation
- dreamingMental imagery during slumber
imagination · escapism · whimsy · dreamscape · abstraction · fanciful · make-believe · pipe dream · visionary · storybook
distracted
Unable to concentrate
- preoccupiedMentally elsewhere, not present
- inattentiveNot paying attention
- unfocusedWithout clear direction
scatterbrained · spacey · oblivious · dreamy · vague · lost · heedless · unmindful · unaware · bemused
musing
Reflective contemplation
- ponderingThinking deeply about something
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
rumination · meditation · thoughtfulness · pensive · wistful · brooding · cogitation · wondering · speculating · philosophizing
dawdling
Leisurely time-wasting
- loafingPassing time idly
- loungingReclining in idleness
- fritteringWasting gradually, carelessly
drifting · meandering · pottering · puttering · dillydallying · lollygagging · time-wasting · procrastinating · stalling · trifling
wool-gatherconcentrate
Reduced, potent form
focus · pay attention · attend · heed · stay alert
wool-gatherbuckle down
Apply oneself determinedly
get to work · knuckle down · apply oneself · get down to business · hustle