Do you have a monkey mind? I know that I often do and it has been one of my highest priorities to settle it over the last couple of years. It's gotten better, but there's still much further to walk on this path.
I've had the great fortune to be engaged in some leadership development training that is based on neuroscience.This brought me another term for my monkey mind: direct and indirect experiences. When we are in an indirect experience we're in a semantic experience. Listening to thoughts in our heads which may or may not be related to the situation at this time. It could mean daydreaming, making a grocery list for later in the day or even having a running commentary in your head about what you're currently doing. By contrast direct experience is sensory. It quiets our mind and focuses on what is happening around us. What does it smell like? How does it feel? What are the cues we're picking up from those around us?
Neither is good or bad. Our brain needs a balance of both throughout the day to function at its best. It is when there is too much of one or the other that we run into challenges.
Being a Force for Good 