The Power Shower: How This Impromptu Hygiene Habit Can Supercharge Your Creativity

Marissa Brassfield -

I swear by a peculiar habit that helps me crank up creativity: the power shower.

Unlike regular showers, which happen as part of your daily routine, power showers are strategic.

[contextly_auto_sidebar id="ibsTZGHB1dhp2rGc32o9BGeJmbevdc1Q"]The moment I have an inkling of a good idea, or have a solution to a prickly problem seemingly almost within grasp... I take a shower.

It sounds silly, but for whatever reason, those 10 minutes of getting away from my desk always seem to allow me to flesh out an idea, think through all the options and obstacles, and identify the best and clearest path forward.

Why the Power Shower Works

  • We're relaxed: Showers trigger trigger dopamine flow, which improves our mood. And research reveals that positive moods are tied to increased creativity.
  • We're distracted: The mere act of lathering up distracts us from the task or problem at hand, enabling our brains to incubate creative ideas. Distraction, as Harvard psychologist Shelley H. Carson says, "may provide the break you need to disengage from a fixation on the ineffective solution."