The "thinking" benefits of doodling.

I doodle a lot. Always have. This article from Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, by Srini Pillay, MD, Contributor, explains how it can be a good thing for the brain. Excerpts:

Traditionally, we have thought of ...doodles as a sign of distraction — an indication that your mind was not where it was supposed to be. Yet, recent research has shown that doodling is not an enemy of attention; it may in fact be a friend.

Doodling and memory

Surprisingly, when…asked to recall details from the call, those that doodled were better at paying attention to the message and recalling the details. They recalled 29% more information!

When you’re bored, your fight-or-flight system [“Cortisol Hits”]  will do all that it can to rally and stay alert.  The permission to “free-draw” keeps your brain online...

…paying continuous attention places a strain on the brain, and doodling may be just the break your brain needs to keep attending without losing total interest. 

Doodling for stress relief and improved focus

Spontaneous drawings may also relieve psychological distress, making it easier to attend to things….doodles can reveal what is going on in the unconscious. 

It seems then that if you’re struggling to concentrate, find yourself stuck or feeling “incomplete,” a time-limited doodle expedition could be just the thing you are looking for.