17/08/2025

ON SUNDAY August 17, 2025 theSunday Special IX

I T’S just you, warm water and white noise. You’re not taking notes. You’re not multitasking. Yet sud denly – boom! – a fully-formed idea about a work problem, a life decision or even that birthday speech you’d been dreading slides into your mind fully formed, as if waiting behind the fog.” Welcome to one of life’s simplest para doxes: the best ideas often show up when we’re not chasing them. It’s not just poetic. It’s proven. This phenomenon is known as the default mode network, a part of the brain that activates when you’re not focused on anything in particular. Instead of going blank, your mind quietly reorganises, connects dots and surprises you with creative leaps. Showers, walks and repetitive tasks allow our brains to wander and in that mental “meandering,” brilliant thoughts often appear. That’s why Einstein swore by sailing alone and why Steve Jobs walked for hours to think. It’s not magic. It’s what happens when your brain shifts out of goal mode DQG LQWR ÀRZ Mini-eureka moments Let’s get specific. When you’re under the shower, you’re warm, relaxed and distracted – but not so distracted that you’re overwhelmed. This sweet spot activates the brain’s creative circuitry. You’ve essentially unlocked “incubation mode” – the same mental state tapped by musicians, inventors and writers through out history. It’s not just showers. You’ve probably had mini-breakthroughs while driving alone on quiet roads, washing dishes in a rhythm, wandering in a park, or even folding laundry without urgency. These everyday moments share something in common: they’re mildly engaging. Just enough to keep your hands busy, yet gentle enough to let your mind drift. In Malaysia, this mental drift often manifests during long LRT rides, slow evening drives along DUKE or while wait ing in yet another JPJ queue. What feels like dead time usually turns into fertile compost for ideas. And just like that, you remember where you left your passport, how to end that essay or exactly what to say in that tricky email.

Solitude and motion are powerful trigger for creative thinking.

Ever notice how ideas appear when you’re not trying? Turns out there’s C UEKGPVKƓE CPF FGGRN[ JWOCP TGCUQP YJ[ ENCTKV[ QHVGP ƓPFU WU KP VJG DCVJTQQO PQV VJG DQCTFTQQO Why do our best thoughts come in the shower

BY CECELIA FONG

into a fridge. They’ve learned to jot notes quickly, even on damp napkins or with ZHW ¿QJHUV RQ SKRQH VFUHHQV It’s not unprofessional. It’s human. For some, it has become a productivity strategy. Making space for quiet insight So, how do we encourage more of these idea-sparking moments? Ironically, by doing less. Try this: • Take “boring” walks with no podcasts. Just walk. Let your mind breathe. • Schedule “blank” time. Block it in your calendar. No calls, no emails, no plans. • Have a “thinking spot” – a shower, balcony or garden chair where you can just be. • Use your hands. Do the dishes. Water WKH SODQWV 6ZHHS WKH ÀRRU (QJDJH WKH body, free the mind. I Q D IDVW SDFHG Ṙ FH FXOWXUH ZKHUH WDN ing breaks is sometimes frowned upon, more companies are exploring “deep work” sprints balanced with real mental UHVW 6RPH ORFDO FUHDWLYH ¿UPV HYHQ R̆ HU extended lunch breaks or walk-and-think policies to prevent burnout and boost ideation. If you’re worried about forgetting those thoughts, keep a waterproof notepad in your shower. They exist. Similarly, YRLFH QRWH DSSV R̆ HU RQH WDS UHFRUGLQJ FDSDELOLWLHV *HQLXV LV ÀHHWLQJ PDNH LW catchable.

The science of doing nothing We often think rest is the enemy of productivity, but neuroscience suggests otherwise. Studies show that the brain is never truly idle. Even when you’re doing “nothing”, a network of regions known as the default mode network (DMN) lights up. This network is linked to self-reflection, memory consolidation, future planning and, yes, idea gen eration. It’s the same part of the brain that activates during daydreaming, unfocused play or light manual tasks. In fact, some of the most creative breakthroughs in history, from Newton’s apple to Archimedes in the bath, didn’t happen under pressure. They hap pened when attention wandered. What’s more, alpha brainwaves, associated with relaxed alertness, often peak during these passive moments. They allow disparate ideas to connect, like puzzle pieces fitting together seam lessly without conscious effort. So next time someone accuses you of zoning out, smile. Your brain might be doing its best work.

Stillness isn’t empty. It’s where thoughts find space to grow.”

The myth of the brainstorming room Here’s where we go wrong: we try to force creativity by sitting at a desk, staring at a screen and hoping for inspiration. But pressure doesn’t help. Focused attention narrows thinking. Unfocused attention widens it. That’s why corporate “brainstorming” sessions often feel fruitless. Real creativity UDUHO\ DUULYHV XQGHU ÀXRUHVFHQW OLJKWV DQG forced smiles. Instead, it appears on your towel, halfway through drying your hair. Why? Because without the fear of look ing silly or the urgency to perform, your thoughts become bolder, looser and truer. There’s no audience. No judgment. Just you and the drip-drip of a showerhead. Many Malaysians in creative fields – designers, writers and campaign strate gists – report that their best ideas arrive at random: on motorbike rides, while waiting for teh tarik or while staring

The best ideas don’t always come in boardrooms. Sometimes, they drip in quietly.