During the campaign Michelle Obama was worried that Barack's schedule allowed him "no time to think."

You hear the expression a lot. But how many people actually budget thinking time on their calendar? You don't often see:

9:45 - 10:00 AM: Meet John Doe

10:05 - 10:20 AM: Conference call with team

10:20 - 11:00 AM: Meeting with client

11:00 - 11:20 AM: Think

11:20 - 12 noon: Meet with direct reports

Even if you had "thinking time" on your calendar, what would you do during that time? Sit in a chair, stare straight ahead, and ponder the world?

Because for some that would feel unacceptably unproductive, people usually do the kind of thinking Michelle was referring to -- synthesis, reflection, processing events and data -- while actively engaged in something else, albeit something that's not too taxing.

Driving is the most popular activity of this sort. Driving requires some level of attention, but you have plenty of cycles to think about other stuff, especially if you're driving a familiar route. "When Joan Didion moved from California to New York, Didion realized