Thoughts are like magnetically charged particles. One thought leads to similar thoughts and they clump together in a particular landscape. You start to think of J, then k,l,m,n,o barge in, can’t help themselves. It’s predictable. The meditation thing makes some relief because it actively engages the dance of the try-to-think-less, whether a mantra, staring at a candle or following each breath. It is like trying to practise interrupting the usual clumping. But inverting the whole thing might also be possible. Seeing the magnetic motion for what it is, a process less about content than procedure. There was a player who came to the jam and when paired with a musician whose choices he didn’t favour, could either internally complain about his partner or else try hanging back, observing the temptation of the inner thought process going down a rabbit hole. Just watching it instead of performing in it. Might result in more enjoyable music.