Spend Too Much Time In Your Morning Shower?
It is not rare that, on some days, what I want to be a 10 minute “quicky” shower, unfolds into something more like a 30 minute “relaxing” shower.
Although the latter shower is a great time investment and worthy of its own merits, sometimes it’s just not realistic. I’ve compiled a list of tips to try to make it out of your morning shower in time.
(1) Bring a watch or install a clock in the bathoom.
This is probably the most important tip. Without an external source, one’s perception of time is liable to change, especially if one is tired. Having a clock nearby will make you wary of each minute of whower-white-noise induced indolence.
(2) Have something waiting for you when you get out.
If you are the type to check your RSS Reader, email, news websites or any other media outlet as soon as you wake up, make it into something you do after and only after a shower. This will spur you to speed up your shower so you can get to things you enjoy quickly. After you are capable of trimming your shower time to roughly 10 minutes, try putting on your coffee maker before you get in the shower. The idea of the delicious, first cup of coffee just waiting for your emergence will be more than enough to drive you out of the bathroom.
(3) Try brushing your teeth or even shaving in the shower.
Brushing your teeth doesn’t really require a mirror and taking 2 or 3 minutes while you let your conditioner do it’s magic or while just relaxing in the shower otherwise, will shave those same 2-3 minutes off your overall shower-time. If you have the guts and/or ability to shave in the shower, give it a try. Although I have never had much luck shaving in the shower without a mirror, non-fogging showers are relatively cheap for the amount of time they’ll save you. Check ‘em out Here.
(4) Don’t listen to music or the radio in the shower.
Although music is great for the “relaxing shower”, they are nothing but a hindrance to the “quicky shower”. The most common cause of elongated showers from music is that “I’ll get out when this song is over.” rationale. This alone can often extend your shower another 2-3 minutes. Not to mention, when that song ends, odds are, the next song will be another song you want to hear, thus increasing your shower time by another 3-5 minutes. Solution, no music for “quicky showers”.
(5) Save time during your week for that “relaxing shower”.
This is arguably even more important than having a watch with you in the shower. If you set time aside each week for that “relaxing shower”, you’ll have something to look forward to during your quicky morning showers. Set aside maybe 30-60 minutes to take a long shower. Do it with all the bells and whistles: music playing, dimmed lights, maybe a significant other will join you. The big thing is to differentiate a “relaxing shower” from a “quicky shower” by time of day, sensory intake, and overall expectation.
Give these tips a try and see if you can shave some time off your daily routine.
