I learned it’s weird to talk to your coworkers about your showering habits.

The slightly uncomfortable laughs gave it away.

But it’s been on my mind because I’ve been doing something different in the shower lately. I think showers are more than just a way to get clean. They’re also a space to think. While most people have “shower thoughts”, I bet a majority can’t remember them.

When I say that showers are a “space to think”, I don’t just mean they’re a place to have thoughts pop in and out. I mean they are a place to do real thinking. To me, real thinking involves:

  1. Loading up your short-term memory to work through a web of thought.
  2. Moving the important bits over to long-term memory for future use.

Unfortunately, my brain is terrible at real thinking. It may be an inborn trait, or it may be a symptom of growing up a digital native. My brain feels like it’s wired for reacting: social media, texting, news cycles, etc. But I struggle to just… think.

Except I have a little trick to help me do real thinking: writing things down. The paper is part memory-aid and part memory-replacement. Seeing the words in writing helps encode them in my brain, but it also provides a hard-copy of the thought in case my brain fails to hold onto it. Yet even more helpful is using the paper as my short-term memory. I can follow a long chain of thought and remember every step I took. When my thoughts are trapped in paper, they are outside of me, so it is easier to separate my thoughts from my self. I can observe them with more objectivity.

So showers are a space for thinking, but real thinking requires writing. Therefore, showers are a space for writing.

But how does one write in the shower?

I use Aqua Notes.

Aqua Notes paper pad and pencil suctioned to a white plastic shower wall surrounded by water droplets.

This is not a paid post and there are no affiliate links. I just like Aqua Notes.

Aqua Notes has changed the way I shower

Some days I go into my shower with an idea I really need to think through: a complex challenge at work, a parenting dilemma, a tough conversation I need to have, etc. But on other days, I sleepily clamber into the shower and wait to see what rises to the surface of my mind while the warm water hits my back.

Regardless which kind of day I’m having, having a paper pad in the shower gives me a way to externalize my inner dialog.

Whether I’m showering with the intention of thinking or not, I always end up doing some thinking. The shower seems to have a unique capacity for shining a light on the recesses of my mind. Then the paper can capture the fleeting ideas that usually lie dormant in these recesses.

I have used Aqua notes to capture all sorts of shower thoughts, from random ideas, to poetry, to visuals. I want to tell you more about what Aqua Notes is, how I’ve used it, and other things I tried before Aqua Notes.

What is Aqua Notes?

Aqua Notes is a simple product. It is just a plasticky paper notepad, a pencil, and suction cups. It was founded by a guy that wanted to remember his shower thoughts, and all the component pieces are manufactured and assembled in the USA.

The Pad

The paper in the pad is waterproof and has a very smooth texture. It is surprisingly easy to write on with pencil, even when wet!

I have not seen this advertised or discussed anywhere, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that each piece of paper can be ripped off and stuck to the wall by itself. It just takes a little water, and I’ve never had a piece of paper fall off the wall from drying out. This lets me write on the reverse side of each paper and fill up my shower wall with notes like a mad scientist.

Aqua Notes pad and pencil alongside various pieces of paper stuck to a wet shower wall.

Being able to rip off pieces of paper also means that I can take my notes with me outside the shower if I need to.

The paper is a little difficult to rip cleanly (although it is perforated) so you have to be careful when pulling a page off the pad.

The Pencil

The pencil is a standard graphite pencil that needs to be sharpened occasionally. Inscribed on one side is the saying “NO MORE GREAT IDEAS DOWN THE DRAIN!”. It has an eraser, which works okay on the plasticky paper. It’s not as easy to erase as standard paper, but not too difficult either.

The pencil has been great, and I love that it’s a no-nonsense tool I can always expect to work. Unlike some of the other things I’ve tried…

The Suction Cups

I don’t have much to say here other than that I have had no issues with these staying on the wall. That was something I was concerned about when I bought this, so I wanted to mention it for others wondering the same.

Now that you know what Aqua Notes is, you might be thinking “but what would I actually write on there?” The answer is: all sorts of things!

What I write in the shower

Tasks

I used to think of something I needed to do while showering, and then would forget it right after.

Now I can write down any pesky to-dos that come up during my shower. After I shower, I’ll take a look at my notes and transfer any tasks into my phone or elsewhere.

Random thoughts

Some random thoughts are worth capturing. This could be a spontaneous idea for a product, self-reflection about how I am living my life, or anything in between.

Intentional thoughts

Occasionally I’ll give my shower a goal. In these cases there’s a very specific thing I need to think through, so I will use my shower as a chunk of dedicated time to work through it. I write through each step of the process and work out my thoughts methodically.

Podcast notes

Sometimes I listen to a podcast while I’m in the shower, so I will write down any memorable quotes. I also write down my own notes about impactful ideas I want to remember.

Visuals

Many thoughts are better captured in a visual rather than words. I might be trying to work through a complex topic, or there might just be an image in my brain that I want to hold onto for later.

I love that the empty pad gives my notes the flexibility to take whatever form they need.

Haiku

I enjoy writing haiku occasionally. I use it as a way to capture an idea in short, memorable prose.

Love notes for my wife

Short shower notes are a sweet, thoughtful surprise that I use to lift up my wife.

Alternatives I’ve tried for capturing shower thoughts

Before Aqua Notes, I had tried to perfect the art of capturing shower thoughts. My previous attempts had revolved around using technology, but they all fell short. I had assumed digital capture would be better because it would be quicker and easier to retrieve my notes. But I found all the digital options to be unreliable and have come to appreciate the way that the slowness of handwriting allows me to simmer in my thoughts.

Smartwatch

I thought for sure the smartwatch would be the answer. I could dictate my notes into my watch and then have them seamlessly uploaded to the cloud for safekeeping and retrieval later. But this didn’t play out in reality the same way that I dreamt it up.

For one, dictation into my watch (Galaxy Watch 5) sucked. It was bad outside the shower, but inside the shower with all the noise I could rarely get it to capture a single sentence correctly.

I also ran into an issue with the apps I tried to use to capture notes. I tried Google Keep and the recording app that came on the watch. The recording app would just randomly shut off in the middle of me talking, which was irritating. And I think something similar happened with Google Keep, although I can’t quite remember.

And don’t even get me started on interacting with the watch screen while it was wet.

Maybe an Apple Watch could do better, but my Galaxy Watch was NOT a good shower notes companion.

Alexa

I also tried setting an Amazon Echo Dot right outside the shower so I could shout notes to it, but it did a poor job capturing what I said as well. It was also pretty annoying to try shouting outside the shower, or opening the door and poking my head out each time I had a thought.

Phone

When I got frustrated with my watch, I tried using my phone for a little while, but that was destined for failure because I was too scared to get it near the water. It was hard to interact with if my hands were wet, and voice commands didn’t work out too well for me.

After going through all of these iterations of digital tools, I realized that sometimes the simplest tools are the most powerful.

Takeaways

Writing is great for thinking is great for showering. So writing is great for showering.

I’ve been amazed at the insights I’ve captured while in the shower. It brings me joy to see an idea from a shower months ago that sparks new thought patterns in me today.

Aqua Notes is the best tool I’ve found for thinking and writing in the shower. It’s simple but effective. It can flex to accommodate two-word ideas, long chains of thoughts, visuals, and everything in between. Though flashier digital tools like smartwatches and automated home assistants seemed better, I’ve found pencil and paper to be the best tool for the job.

Let’s say we spend 15 minutes in the shower daily. That’s roughly 91 hours in a year. Getting clean is a noble enough way to spend that time, but I’d encourage you to also intentionally think and write.

Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions. What comes up might be important. And the important things should be captured, not washed down the drain.