That most of us have times we dedicate to thinking about the things that make us money and times we dedicate to thinking about other things? I'm not sure what's wrong with that. Obviously we don't have the strict control to turn our thoughts completely on or off so this doesn't preclude what might be considered "background processing". Still, surely it is reasonable to dedicate some times to some things and other times to other things, even if the things in question are creative processes. For most people, deciding "I'll just work through this new research topic whenever I spontaneously happen to be thinking about it" is probably not their best way to contribute to the field.
>That most of us have times we dedicate to thinking about the things that make us money and times we dedicate to thinking about other things? I'm not sure what's wrong with that. Obviously we don't have the strict control to turn our thoughts completely on or off so this doesn't preclude what might be considered "background processing". Still, surely it is reasonable to dedicate some times to some things and other times to other things, even if the things in question are creative processes.