LIFE HACK FOR WRITERS ... or for Anyone Who Does Their Best Thinking in the Shower

Take a look at this photo and see if you can guess what the blue thing is on the top shelf, next to the shampoo.

Think you got it? It’s one of a pack of…

…bathtub markers.

So why do I keep a bathtub marker in the shower? Because inevitably that’s where I happen to be when some of my best story-related solutions come to me—but if I don’t write them down, I tend to forget them by the time the shower is done.

Thus, a few years ago I bought a pack of bathtub markers, and I keep one in the shower at all times, for when inspiration strikes. That usually looks something like this:

A few tips if you decide to give this a try:

• There has to be one wall in your shower that doesn’t get hit directly with water from the shower head, otherwise it might rinse off as you’re writing it.

• Once your shower’s done, either take a photo of your notes or jot them down, then go ahead and rinse the marker off the shower wall right away. (Not sure but it might stain if you left it there too long.) 

• Of course, follow directions on the package to prevent other kinds of staining, such as with grout.

The best part about this little hack is that by writing down your thoughts, you don’t have to focus on remembering them, and thus your brain is free to keep rolling around some more—and keep coming up with other great ideas.

One caveat, when I shared this idea with a friend, she told me about this:

Sorry the image is so small!

which looks like it might be an even better solution, I’m not sure. Either way, if you’re a “shower genius”, then I highly recommend you try one method or the other, just to make your life a little easier.