This effect used to be the bane of my ADHD-addled existence until I found these: https://www.myaquanotes.com/ . I buy them in 5 packs now.
You don't just write in the water droplets?
The science of having ideas in the shower
111–120 of 178 posts
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
I experience EXACTLY the same thing moments before falling asleep (no thc). It's truly amazing. If I manage to jolt myself awake I will write them down, otherwise they will be surely forgotten. And the ratio is similar to yours, good idea/gibberish(or not feasible).
You can force the hypnagogic state by holding something heavy that you drop as you fall asleep. https://institutducerveau-icm.org/en/actualite/sleep-and-cre...
Cellphones are perfect for this. For maximum effect, hold it above your face while falling asleep.
(Only semi-joking, I've done this multiple times.)
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#113I have a theory that it’s also related to heat. Try drinking a pot of coffee in a hot tub if you can find one, set to a high temp. It’s quite the creative experience.
I've always enjoyed drinking hot coffee / tea on hot days, and found out this is a sort of tradition for some people (e.g. kopi in Singapore). Supposedly, it cools you down by kickstarting your sweat, but for me it also makes me feel instantly clearheaded (whereas the caffeine high takes 30ish minutes).
Maybe some of us need that kind of stimulation just to feel fully awake. I'm a generally lethargic person, and in that state I can't really think clearly. A little shock to the central (or sympathetic?) nervous system helps counteract that and get the ideas or work flowing.
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#114Maybe I’m discovering the obvious, but I began using THC for sleep in my 30s and as a side effect, I kinda get a little bit high for about 20 mins before bed. I’ll be having a shower that usually turns into a bath for safety and I just close my eyes and think. And it’s truly miraculous… My brain just wanders so freely among the ideas of the day. But what interests me most are these “eureka!” moments. They’re so fast…
I started reading _The_Electric_Kool-Aid_Acid_Test_ by Tom Wolfe a few months ago. He relates how Ken Kesey would write while high as a kite, to help the flow of ideas, and then edit sober. I didn't end up finishing the book, because it was all just too foreign a subject for me to get into.
> I didn't end up finishing the book, because it was all just too foreign a subject for me to get into.
Might I recommend starting it again? The beauty of the book has more to do with Wolfe’s writing style than anything else. And if you think about it, it’s not all that foreign. Much of it comes from the spirit and ethos of the Beats (with Neal Cassady at the wheel no less); it might help you get into what Wolfe is talking about by first starting with Kerouac. Once you get through his work, the Wolfe book will make perfect sense. I think if I hadn’t read Kerouac first, I might have felt the same way as you. I’ve found that the themes expressed in both Kerouac and Wolfe are quite universal, and can be found in many different cultures. Give it another try, it’s not as foreign as you might think.
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#115If you think your shower ideas are good, you should try meditation!
I’m more of a brisk walk kind of guy, day or night. I’ve always had the best ideas pop up during walking rather than from showering or meditating. It’s the increased cerebral blood flow to the brain that works like a charm.
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#116I see this concept often cited when mathematicians talk about how they had a breakthrough on a proof, but I have to say, I don't think I've ever noticed it in myself, sadly.
I have good ideas, and sometimes I need a break before my idea generation is back to a good state. Perhaps this is because I spend most of my time coding on complicated but not groundbreaking stuff.
But a little bit of jealousy certainly at seeing this described as a "universal human experience."
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#117It makes sense why people get all their ideas in the shower. That's about the only time the modern human has where you aren't distracting yourself with some other external stimuli. I've even seen people use a public urinal with a phone in one hand.
Yup. I've been saying for years, the first things that humans did when we started inventing things, is we got rid of all the "boring tasks" that were letting our brains organize themselves.
Chopping firewood? Got machines for that now. Knitting? Mechanized. Walking to the next town over? Now it's a high-concentration game of GTA with a radio for extra distraction.
All of these things also had a mechanical element to them. Hands busy, mind wanders.
We've _so_ deprived our brains of this organizing time, that we had to _reinvent boredom_, and now we call it meditation.
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you explain the energy price gap portion of your hypothesis? From my personal experience showers take less energy than a bath. For my usage, if I block the drain, take a shower, there will only be about a foot of water in the tub, maybe a 1/3 of what I would need to take a bath. Are you assuming other forms of washing or that Americans shower more frequently? Just curious!
You have a three foot deep bathtub? I'm jealous. Standard American bathtubs are 60" long, 30" wide, and 18" tall -- external dimensions. That's what you'll see in 90+% of apartments and homes.
Maybe they mean ankle deep. A foot turned sideways is only ankle-high, you see... (Metric ain't got nothin' on this kind of versatility, baby!)
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#119I have a theory that it’s also related to heat. Try drinking a pot of coffee in a hot tub if you can find one, set to a high temp. It’s quite the creative experience.
Have you tried a sauna?
Re: The science of having ideas in the shower
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
I started reading _The_Electric_Kool-Aid_Acid_Test_ by Tom Wolfe a few months ago. He relates how Ken Kesey would write while high as a kite, to help the flow of ideas, and then edit sober. I didn't end up finishing the book, because it was all just too foreign a subject for me to get into.
> I didn't end up finishing the book, because it was all just too foreign a subject for me to get into. Might I recommend starting it again? The beauty of the book has more to do with Wolfe’s writing style than anything else. And if you think about it, it’s not all that foreign. Much of it comes from the spirit and ethos of the Beats (with Neal Cassady at the wheel no less); it might help you get into what Wolfe is t…
See, the names Neal Cassady and Ken Kesey don't mean anything to me. I enjoyed the writing, but I think it was a story for people who knew the people involved. I honestly spent much of the time trying to decide if it was fiction or biography.
I do have On The Road on my list, I figure I'll give it a try. Also figured I should try Bonfire of the Vanities. Especially once I finish building the new vanity for the bathroom remodel.