Waywardness is the natural characteristic of the mind. It is like the wind. That is why Arjuna described it to Krishna thus:

Chanchalam hi manah Krishna
Pramaathi balavath dridham
Thasyaaham nigraham manye
Vaayoriva sudushkaram.

That is to say, "O, Krishna, the mind is very wayward; it moves very fast; it is very powerful; it is very difficult to bring it under control." Then Krishna replied, "Arjuna, no doubt what you said is correct. But by uninterrupted attention and discipline and by the practice of renunciation, it is possible to control it". Hence, practise Dhyanam, as a first step.

Impulses and desires have to be suppressed in order to get mastery over the mind. Desires excite the mind and make it rush towards the senses, as a dog runs behind its master. The Jiva, poor thing, falls into the meshes of Maya produced by the illusion-creating senses and the pleasure-pursuing mind! To escape all this agony, one should have recourse to Dhyanam, freed from the clutches of desires and slavery to the senses. Do Japam and Dhyanam. Then you can cultivate and develop along proper lines your Will, Memory and Imagination too. Without Dhyanam, it is not possible to control and master the mind. All other methods are as useless, as is the attempt to bind a wide elephant in a rut by means of a thin and tiny thread! Dhyanam is essential to immerse the Mind in the Atma.

Therefore, first, free yourself from the bondage to Desires. Some students and householders reserve a few wants and desires for their private satisfaction while giving up the rest. Even those householders who are engaged in concentration, Dharana and the like, find it difficult to give up certain desires. They retain these for their secret satisfaction. So their energies get spent and they achieve little progress in the Sadhana they are engaged in. These aspirants slide down the ladder which they climb so laboriously. To gain control over such unsteadiness, Dhyanam is of great help. It is not enough if one sense is conquered; all should be mastered, from all sides. Of course, this is a very hard task; you might feel like giving up the entire struggle. But never lose heart. Be patient and persevering; final success will be yours. Only, you should not, like some Sadhakas, stray away from the path of discipline as soon as you feel you are not succeeding as much as you hoped. That is not the road to victoy. Persevere; be patient; and earn victory in the end.