Puttering is much maligned. Those of us who putter are a bit defensive about it. It is a guilty pleasure. But I protect my putter time because I know how necessary it is. I think the heart of puttering is at the heart of many activities that have other names. But if a rose is a rose is a rose, then puttering by any other name is still…puttering. Puttering may be a way that the brain keeps neural connections in areas that are not receiving direct attention. Perhaps if we don’t putter, in different ways and by different names, we lose links to aspects of our brains. Think, for example, of how gossip keeps us in touch with our social connections, or games keep our minds alert to patterns.

 Puttering and Attachment
 Puttering as Poetry
 Puttering and Power
 Puttering and Unexpected Outcomes
 Puttering and Gender
 Futzing, Frittering, loitering doodling, fiddling, niggling, pottering tinkering   messing around, goofing off, shuffling, poking at, prodding, tapping 
 Puttering as Flirting
 Puttering as Gossip
 Puttering as Play
 Puttering as Creativity
 Puttering as Professional Exploration
 Oral Puttering: Pipes, Cigars, Candy, Gum
 Auditory Puttering: Music and Beyond
 Tactile Puttering: How many ways can something be re-arranged?  
 Games as Puttering 
 Puttering as an Aid to Reflection, Priority-Setting, and Decision-Making
 Puttering and Business: Yellow Sticky Notes process
 Hand Puttering: Doodling 
 Mind Puttering: Online games
 Identity Puttering: Trying on Alternative Selves  
 Puttering as Outlet for Frustration
 Puttering in its Place: Gender, Age, Class
 Permissible Puttering and Forbidden Puttering
 The Emotional Foundation for Puttering: Paired with Fear: Paired with Joy
 Puttering and Procrastination: On Target, Off Target? 
 Puttering and Divergence (Exploration); Puttering and Convergence (Focusing) 
 The Science of Puttering