Shower Essay

I love this idea: the top idea in your mind is the one that you think about when you are in the shower. There is a fantastic essay from Paul Graham that explains it in detail http://www.paulgraham.com/top.html

The premise: of all the things pay our attention to do during the day, it is in the shower that the most important ideas for us personally come to the surface! As I think about it, it has huge resonance.

I guess it’s that moment where you allow your mind to drift. A place where by drenching yourself with water and connecting through the senses to your body, you are centring in the moment physically. This act connects you with the present moment releasing control of your thoughts. It’s a space where the mind naturally flows! Enter subconscious, ambient thought, where things percolate and ideas come forward, that which is important to you is able to rise to the surface.

I must admit that until I read the essay I was less aware of the shower moments importance. Of course I have now started watching and consciously taking note of what I am thinking about in the shower. Intuitively I know that a lot of great ideas do come in the shower. There is also a lot of self talk that comes up for me. Things like sharing ideas with people and making sense of situations that I find are important. A lot of planing also rise to the surface. Future based creativity and planing for the day ahead and longer term.

And what better time is there than in the shower to let the mind do its work? It happens every morning and isn’t an extra time related option. The shower is a regular and part of my daily routine. Sure it’s usually short (I’m a cold shower fan), yet long enough to let my thoughts wander. This morning my mind drifted to thoughts about my daughter and how proud I am of her growth. She took the bus home by herself (with friends) last night and at 10 that’s a great achievement. And now I have a free weekend to spend with her and connect… obviously, after being busy the last weeks with the dance project, something that is important to me right now!

Something that Graham hits upon in his essay is how you can only indirectly influence these thoughts. They are by design drifting thoughts. If you controlled them, they wouldn’t drift. His point was to be aware of them and realise when they are less than constructive. Of course, as with everything, awareness is the first step to making lasting change.

For example the essay highlights the wasted time aspect. Wasting time thinking about what I would call “drama” or sink holes. Graham specifically talks about money and disputes. Subjects with high reactivity. I would expanded it even to things out of your control. All these things get in the way of the creativity through expended energy. They are reactive subjects rather than productive. In the shower, being aware of these thoughts, I can take a moment to recognise them and be aware of where I am.

I’m going to keep observing my shower thoughts and journal them. I’ll update you all on what comes up and its meaning for me. I’m guessing it’s going to be interesting and good for a laugh, if not a mind blowing revelation.