"Ever wonder why a good shower relaxes your imagination and body or why it seems to release a stream of creative thoughts about a problem that may have vexed you?"

"When the rational mind focuses on a problem, it eats up much of your allotted bandwidth, whereas letting the mind wander while you carry out a “mindless” task lets your subconscious thoughts roam beyond the activity at hand."

"By ""mindless,"" I mean a relatively automatic routine, such as walking, driving a habitual route, following your exercise workout, hiking in nature, or, yes, taking a shower."

"These are all solitary activities that let us disconnect from the outside world. They can become meditative, relaxing intervals that open us to new ideas and perspectives."

"An additional benefit of the shower is that its white noise blocks outside stimulation."

"Carving out mental space and freeing the mind of deliberate thought is a proven incubator of creative insight."

"Two widely agreed features of “shower thoughts” are that they are insights from the subconscious and the result of not thinking deliberately about anything."

"Walking is another mindless—or should I say mindful—activity that grounds us in the present moment."

"Showers and walking can be meditative experiences and opportunities for introspection and reflection. They are also times when great ideas can pop into our heads."