Philip J. Fry
Zoning out can be pretty useful. It can also come with several risks if you do it in the wrong place. Should you avoid it? No, but be careful by following these Pros and Cons.
- Pro– You can focus on a thought with no distractions. Nothing else is important at this point, so enjoy the ride and see what you come up with. Betting many problems were solved this way.
- Con– Staring ahead because you’re unaware of your surroundings can result in getting slapped. People won’t realize you’re zoned out. They just know you’re staring at them without blinking and occasionally making weird facial expressions. This is very dangerous for men in public.
- Pro– Zoning out could be a sign that you’re overstressed. So, now you know that you need to get some relaxation. You might feel a little refreshed after zoning out, but know that it’s just enough to get you to when you can really rest.
- Con– There is a chance of falling asleep. This can lead to snoring, drooling, and falling out of your chair. Not a problem at home. Embarrassing in public. Dangerous if you’re driving.
- Pro– Mentally escape a boring or stressful situation. If you can’t physically get out of a situation and nobody is really paying attention to you then you can zone out. Let your mind get away while your body goes through the motions of existing.
- Con– Missing conversations and lectures if you zone out at the wrong time for way too long. Not everyone is willing to repeat themselves and most will take offense at having been ignored.
- Pro– For authors, you can get some ‘writing’ time in without having to write. Zoning out allows us to process ideas that are struggling in our subconscious. That story twist giving you trouble? Zone out and see where you go with it.
- Con– Always a chance that what your subconscious comes up with is junk. It doesn’t have to deal with the brunt of criticism and rejection. It just hordes the trauma in the hopes of using it for later antics. Trust your subconscious to a certain point, especially when you have it take the wheel.
- Pro– Helps you remember things you may have forgotten. Again, it’s the subconscious doing something useful.
- Con– Makes you forget what you were doing. Again, it’s the subconscious being a pain in the rear.
That’s what I came up with. Anybody have other pros and cons of zoning out?
Legends of Windemere 
Pro – You can travel to exotic places without the cost.
Con – you don’t have photos of your travels with which to bore your friends.
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Good points. Unless you have the right kind of memory and skill to draw what you dream up.
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Yes indeed.
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Con: You zone out at the wheel and wind up totally lost for an hour like I did. I couldn’t use GPS because my phone died and I didn’t have my charger with me.
Pro: You discover places you wouldn’t have discovered had you not been lost.
Bonus Con: You discover bad neighborhoods you wouldn’t have discovered had you not zoned out in the first place.
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Zoning out when driving is a definite challenge. I remember reading about how people zone out while driving in a way that they still control the car, but don’t remember what happened. It’s a weird sensation.
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I like this. I find it really helps me with plotting, story challenges, and such. I had a post scheduled for Story Empire about baiting your Muse, but scheduled it on Memorial Day. We close down on holidays so it got replaced.
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Damn. Will it be used later?
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No. It had some timely experience from my daughter’s move. That’s old news now. I might revive it under different circumstances later on.
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That’s a shame. Hope it can be revived.
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Zoning while driving – pro, you get there, con, you don’t know how. And I’ve done this.
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I’m noticing how most people mentioned driving here. Had to make sure I didn’t say it was only about zoning out while driving.
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