Fun & Famous

WHY YOU GET GOOD IDEAS IN THE SHOWER

by Adeline Mans

I'm just thoroughly lathering my hair or, worse, with the razor on my left shin and then I get one of those Eureka moments. But really, in all modesty, a brílliant idea. The light bulb is almost on. And nine times out of ten, such an idea strikes in the shower. But why there?

In the shower, you are a bit nicely lonely. It's still difficult to check Instagram there (bummer, right?) and you are undisturbed showering with yourself (usually). No flow of information means space for all sorts of ludicrous and Eureka moments. This kind of me-time (uhlgh) is essential to really sweep through your brain. There is no single idea hotspot in the chaos up there. After a few hours of sleep, which is the incubation time of the mind, and a shower creates new connections in the brain with genius as a result.

Really, I think it's fantastic. But why at the moment when I don't have an iPhone or notepad within arm's reach? I need to write down good ideas, because otherwise they wash away with the shampoo residue down the drain. My short-term memory does pretty well, but when it comes to ideas, it slips away from me while I'm standing or showering. So I repeat it like a mantra until I turn off the tap, dry my right hand, and can grab my phone to note the brilliant idea.

Well, here's the thing. When you're in the shower, you might just find yourself in a semi-meditative state. And this is the state for all that intelligent chaos up there to create those insights and hallelujah moments. Zen is also not the most fertile ground, because then it's too quiet and calm for the best idea in the Netherlands. You want semi-meditative, not the Dalai Lama. Are you the type of showerer who is dried off and ready within a minute (hello there, if you exist)? Then this is not the end. Drive home, cook, clean, bike, and walk to your heart's content. There's a good chance that semi-meditation (?) will kick in. By the way, in the shower, it all sticks a bit more, because you don't expect them there. A bit like: didn’t see that one coming. While at a super productive brainstorm an idea demands from your head and then it doesn't stand out as much. Fourteen percent of your fellow humans jump under those inspiring water streams for some creative input. Hey, I totally get that. Showering, brainstorming, showering, brainstorming.

But after your creative nap (up the tree with that beauty) and during that morning shower, it's not the intention to force it. The think-of-a-pink-elephant doesn't apply here. Just enjoy showering like a blank head. And if that idea suddenly pops up in your head, then you jot it down as quickly as possible on a notepad. It gives the new material free rein again. In theory, I can get much more out of such a shower session if I don't cling so panically to my mantra. I have the solution, you know. Aquanotes is my savior in desperate shower times. I can write down those Einstein moments completely waterproof.