It’s true… I admit it.
I don’t know why these thoughts creep into my mind once the hot water starts running.
But I’m telling you they are sneaky, highly stimulating, and pretty much inevitable…
I simply have zero control over these mental images which by now have turned into uncontrollable physical impulses…
This happens to me everywhere…
At the gym.
When I’m a guest at people’s homes.
Even at public beach showers.
Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing!
But once the water starts running down my back, I’m not in control anymore.
Let me explain…
Normally I walk around with a small moleskine notebook…
I also have thousands of notes in my voice recorder, Evernote app, and other tools I use for note taking and idea strategy.
Plus I take pictures of anything I think could be useful for a copy or content piece.
Rarely does a creative thought escape the physical traps I’ve laid out for it in the wild theme forest that is my brain.
Except in one place…
The Shower!
For some reason this is the place where I get constantly blitzed with provocative and creative ideas…
It’s also where I’m most vulnerable…
And the least prepared to harness the power of such inopportune rush of creativity.
It’s unfair… but it is what it is.
I don’t fret over harsh realities for very long…
But it drove me insane not being able to know why it happens this way…
Or even how to take advantage of it.
So I did a little digging…
And found some pretty interesting stuff…
Including a scientific paper explaining this interesting phenomenon I’m now referring to as:
“Eureka Showers”
Did you know that 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower?
This is exactly what cognitive scientist and coauthor of “Wired to Create” Scott Barry Kaufman found, in a recent study he did…
The study focuses on the importance of relaxation for creative thinking.
“The relaxing, solitary, and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely, and causing people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams.”
–explains Kaufman.
All this is great…
I knew now I wasn’t a freak… Good!
And that almost two thirds of my fellow human creatives experience these Eureka Shower moments too…
But I still had a problem…
I needed to figure out a way to harness the power of Eureka Showers?
And it had to be inexpensive, portable and water proof of course.
I needed a Fred Flintstone-like solution now!
Then ironically… while taking a shower…
It hit me like a lightning bolt…
Why on earth didn’t I think of this before?
The solution was staring me right in the face..
It’s cheap. It works.
It’s portable, and waterproof!
The answer to my problem…!?
A Promate Underwater Writing Slate…
On sale at Amazon for $8.45!
Done!
No more reading ink smudged notes on wet paper…
No more rushing out of a relaxing shower to not lose an idea…
No more stepping out all soaped up… to then dry the one hand I’m using to record thoughts on my phone…
No more of that sh**t!
I had finally found a way to close the capture-loop on thoughts and ideas.
I now have full control of the unpredictable nature of Eureka Showers!
So what if my water bill is a little higher…
Who cares!
Some of these ideas have already paid for about seven lifetimes of water bills anyway!
So far the slate is working … I’ll let you know if I upgrade.
But hey… while we’re at it…
Let me share with you some of the tools I’m currently using for idea capture, development, and canvassing (where I actually do the writing)
By the way, I communicate mostly by writing.
But this applies to any content creator, regardless of the communication medium you feel most natural using.
So here it is…
[*none are affiliate links]
To quickly record thoughts and ideas especially while in motion, I use:
–Iphone voice recorder – quick and easy access
–Rev.com – I can later transcribe to text
–Pocket – Quick bookmarking of articles on the web
–Evernote – Voice recorder feature
For quick note taking outlining, and visualization of ideas I use:
–Logseq – my second brain!
–Imindmap – iphone app. for idea connections and visual relationships
–Sticky notes app – iPhone app (quick and portable)
–Underwater slate – (newest tool!) Handy, waterproof, and portable
–Noteshelf – (Loving it!) for quick idea capture
–Notability – Also for quick idea capture
–Blank sheet of paper – old school, but very reliable when all else fails
For actual writing and editing, and organizing ideas I use:
–Google docs – especially when collaborating on a content piece w/ clients and colleagues
–Trello – When I get ideas, I send them here after jotting them down on my other tools
–Ulysses – my favorite canvas for all my writing. From here to distribution
So there you have it…
Fourteen tools… of which 2-3 are backups. So really eleven!
But this is what works for me.
I’m constantly testing new apps and ways to decrease the friction between my thoughts and ideas, and the physical world.
You need to find what works best for you.
Sometimes I feel all you really need is…
A good idea, paper and pencil, and a quiet place to work.
Claudio “Eureka showers dominator” Alegre
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