#ThinkfullyHabit: Clean your mind
It may sound cliché to talk about getting your best ideas in the shower, but there’s a lot of evidence to suggest it’s a great habit for your mind. Did you know that 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower*.
Stepping away from a difficult problem and creating space for solitude distracts the brain just enough to give it a chance to stop thinking deliberately about your challenge and daydream a little.
“The relaxing, solitary, and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely, causing people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams.”
WHY?
Firstly, we’re not distracted by tasks in the shower. It may be a blessing that mobiles and other devices are not yet fully waterproof as it means that when we take a shower it’s one of the few times we leave our devices on the shelf. As psychologist John Kounios said, when showering "you become less aware of your environment and more aware of your internal thoughts.”**
On top of that, many people find showering to be a relaxing activity and in no way cognitively taxing. As a result, the shower ritual is often the perfect time for our minds to wander and to mull over ideas. All in all, a precious 10 minutes in anyone’s day.
A major hotel chain even recently introduced novel touch-sensitive technology built directly into a shower door to be used as a canvas to record any thoughts people have whilst taking a shower so their ideas don’t get washed away!***