The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction

The digital era is beset by distraction, that prevent us from focusing, staying concentrated, and remaining attentive. We fantasize about escaping our screens and technologies around us. We imagine retreating into solitude and singlemindedness, almost like latter-day monks. A life of mindfulness did not, in fact, come to them easily. Delving into the experiences of early Christian monks in the Middle Ages, a prominent researcher and a world-renowned expert Jamie Kreiner shows how, day after day, they resisted temptations and fought distraction, sometimes losing, sometimes winning. How can one devote oneself entirely to contemplation when the body needs to sleep, eat and wash? Can books help monks be closer to God, or do they distract them with their fascinating stories? What techniques did monks use to train their memory, and how can they make our lives easier in the 21st century? Is it true that a clear daily routine promotes focus, and that working overtime does not actually promote productivity? Monks discussed all these topics many centuries ago: many of their stories, methods, and lessons — from cognitive exercises to schedules and self-discipline — are still useful to us today.
Blending in-depth research and self-help, history and psychology in her narrative, Kreiner has created a witty, illuminating account of human fallibility and ingenuity with which we confront them. By learning what distracted the monks and how they coped with distraction, we can better understand and discover ourselves.

Jamie Kreiner. The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction / Translated from English by Valentina Ionova. Literary Editor Ilona Yakimova. Executive Editor Maryana Terekhova. Publishing Editor Elizaveta Solodovnikova. — Moscow: KoLibri, Azbuka- Atticus, 2024.