Jogging Your Mind, and Hand

I had an insight recently. Put most people in a meeting, or any similar situation, where they're sitting there with a pad of paper and a writing instrument, and most of those people will start doodling on the paper. Usually, we interpret such doodlings as evidence that the person with the pen is bored. However, I've come to suspect that that's not true.

I think that when someone starts doodling in such a situation, what he or she is actually doing is something similar to running in place. Joggers run in place when they are not moving forward, such as when waiting at a stoplight, but want to keep themselves at the ready and on their toes for when they do get the green light to go again. Doodling performs a similar function during note-taking situations: it's a way to keep your writing hand revved up and ready to move while there's nothing to note, so that you can quickly jot down your notes when there is something worth writing down.

Thus, it's unfair to accuse the doodler of being bored or not paying attention--he's actually paying attention and keeping his hand at the ready for the task ahead.

Not the most earth-shattering insight, perhaps, but it's an example of how everyday actions, when interpreted from another angle, can turn into something radically different from what we've always assumed them to be.