Once again, I’ve had one of those revelations that are so fundamental that I can’t believe I did not know this. It’s like that time I found out that people eat when they’re hungry.

Damjan tells me that sometimes, especially at meetings, during dull conversations and at classical music concerts, he starts to daydream. By daydreaming, he means that without realising it, he loses concentration and thinks about something else.

I don’t think I do this. When I’m bored, I usually have to decide to think about something else. My mind doesn’t free float easily.

In fact, I find it very difficult to fill my mind with undirected thoughts. I hate having an empty mind. When I eat breakfast or brush my teeth, I usually carry around a magazine just so that I can avoid generating thoughts, which is kind of tiring. Five minutes without some kind of external stimulation is dull for me. When I walk to work, I am listening to a pod cast. If not, it’s because I have an agenda such as mentally planning my day. And when I’ve finished mentally planning then I think, ‘Okay, now what do I think about?’

This also means that when people are talking to me, I am really, really listening. I thought everyone was listening too. But I believe Damjan, now that he tells me that often people are only pretending to listen or have switched off without realising it.

How very odd! And I think it’s me who is the odd one. And maybe this is why I don’t doodle or fidget, and why I’m organised but not creative.