Your brain may be doing its most important work when you think you’re doing nothing

Research suggests people remember significantly more information if they simply sit comfortably and rest quietly for several minutes after learning. KieferPix/Shutterstock

You finish a lecture, a meeting, a conversation with someone you care about. And what do you do? You reach for your phone. You stick in your earbuds. You fire up a podcast, a playlist or whatever algorithmic feed is currently consuming your life.

It feels productive. It feels like filling empty time.