Why You Should Shower More
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Why You Should Shower More

I want you to picture yourself, alone in the small, steamy cubical of your shower, water rushing over you. There’s nothing on your mind other than the menial, almost autopilot-like task of washing. There’s only one sound — the steady hiss of water on walls and floor.

Your mind wanders. You’re not thinking about anything in particular, when BAM! it hits you. Eureka! The breakthrough you didn’t even know you needed. The brilliant idea that arrives in your head like the friend you didn’t even realize you missed. Desperately.

This is a real phenomenon. It’s called a “shower idea” — that thought or solution that comes to you in the magical space between shampooing and conditioning. It’s a wonderful occurrence that can include anything from the idea for a new venture, to remembering an item you need at the supermarket. Science shows that this meandering concentration that proves to be such fertile ground for thinking is brought on by the unique convergence of brain chemistry, sensory triggers, environment, and routine.

The problem? Most of us only shower once a day.

That’s right: The reason you should shower more isn’t because you smell — honestly. It’s not related to personal hygiene at all. It’s because the shower environment is the perfect place to cultivate one of the best brain states our minds can muster: relaxed focus.

So how can we recreate the experience of the hot pressure wash without becoming a permanent prune, or running up a gigantic water bill? There are four ways:

1. Reduce Visual Clutter

Common in most (but not all) showers is a distinct lack of visual clutter. Apart from a few shower products, white and chrome are common themes – not exactly stuff that’s going to distract your eyeballs. This likely accounts for part of the way our brains are able to wander – a sort of sensory deprivation.

Outside of the bathroom, how can you recreate this visual withdrawal effect? You can start with your digital workspace. For example, for years, I’ve used the simplest apps for my writing tasks. I prefer the no-frills, basic design of the default text editor in Windows — Notepad. Devoid of complicated formatting tools and icons, it’s designed to be basic black text on a white background. It’s straightforward, with nothing to divert attention — much like a white shower cubicle or a piece of blank paper. Which I also use with gusto. My house, laptop bag, and desk are filled with notebooks and scraps of paper. Some call it the “tyranny of the blank page” – I think of it as an exercise in possibility (#GlassHalfFull). 

I use the pure white page or the simple, uncluttered app to simulate a reduction in visual busy-ness for my environment – and it works. If your surroundings are distracting for you and there’s no way out, luckily we’ve all got a built-in visual clutter removal system: closing our eyes. Taking a few moments to not think can be the best investment you make in thinking all day.

2. Undertake Menial Tasks

One reason we have so many relaxed, meandering thoughts in the shower is that we’re on a form of autopilot. We’re performing a task we’ve done many times before, with very few (and minor) variances in thought: “Is today the day I wash my hair?” “Huh, I’m running low on body wash,” etc. It’s like riding a bicycle - a mix of muscle memory and the transfer of the task to a less conscious part of the brain.

To emulate this type of activity, we need a task at the same minimalist level – something that engages us, but barely. This allows our mind to focus only a small part of its attention on what we’re doing, leaving the rest of it free to explore.

Familiar tasks that require physical movement are great for simulating this – mowing the lawn, vacuuming, making the bed, emptying the dishwasher. Some people find that cooking brings this meditative state – although when I cook you might see more of the inner workings of a madman than Buddhist monk. That could just be me.

3. Tune The World Out

What’s the sound of the shower? Unless you’ve got a waterproof radio or enjoy complementary acoustics to showcase your singing voice, it’s basically the definition of white noise: the repetitive, calming hiss of water on the sides of the shower, your body, and the floor.

This form of unchanging background noise actually has positive effects on human imagination, bringing increased creativity and focus. Strangely, studies suggest that it doesn’t have to be as uniform as the hiss of water – the sound of a coffee shop will do it as well, as long as the levels are right (around 70db).

If you can’t go to a cafe, you can listen to a virtual coffee shop to help get you into the mood (note: this really works!). Or perhaps the sound of rain on windows is more up your alley. Personally, I’m a big fan of listening to music while I work. I’ve got go-to tracks that help with productivity and ones that I avoid (hint: stay away from Norwegian black metal). For those of you who enjoy listening to artistic endeavors rather that environmental sounds, stock up slow, slow, baroque music such as Bach or Purcell. It’s basically brain food.

4. Shower Smarter, Not Harder

I’m not encouraging more time spent washing here – but learning from the experience of the shower cubicle itself. It’s a magical place where our brains are distracted, but not too distracted to have imaginative thoughts, draw conclusions or otherwise reward us with the type of thinking we might not have a chance to do during our normal workday. By isolating the elements of the shower and even mixing and matching (mowing the lawn with your eyes closed listening to Bach, anyone?), we can all trigger those little neuron sparks beyond shower time.

Talk about a fresh, clean perspective.

Am I missing anything? How do you get your relaxed, creative juices flowing?

Comment below or connect with me directly! Tom(at)OpiaTalk

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Tom is Founder & CEO of OpiaTalk, the hyper-conversion company. We're experts at combining FOMO (fear of missing out) with urgency giving visitors a reason to buy RIGHT NOW. Our flagship product releases ‘disappearing promos’ — think Snapchat for eCommerce. Clients see:

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Willa Blewett

Retired from Home Instead senior care of Bowling Green Kentucky

7 年

Awesome way to manage your time and day constructively

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Mark J. Armstrong

Marketing Director at UNIQLO

7 年

...and the #Curry #Perfume.

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Mark J. Armstrong

Marketing Director at UNIQLO

7 年

#Silicon Valley non USA citixen will be more successful with an #HIb visa if you smell fresh and #Currie

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Heather Hanslin, ADR DC

I help people foster lasting resilience through my SIPP framework. Keynote Speaker I Cert. Trauma-Informed ADR Divorce Coach I Non-fiction Writer

9 年

Tom, your articles are always fresh, sassy and en pointe. Thank you! I like the comment thread for this article very much, and am given from it new topics to look into - like Ramsey's mention of Einstein's Window. Good stuff.

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