I swear that while I’m bent over the toilet bowl using a scrubber, I sometimes get the best ideas. Perhaps it’s because I secretly wish I was somewhere else? I’ve pondered why, in my experience, cleaning using the best dishwasher detergent for septic systems always seems to coincide with creative epiphanies and this phenomenon. Does tidying foster creativity?
Why Cleaning Promotes Creativity
Apparently, I’m not by myself! Science says that doing light cleaning and being creative go hand in hand.
It all boils down to several neurological processes and the anatomy of the brain. Essentially, the portion of your brain responsible for muscle memory ignores the part responsible for creative thinking when you’re sweeping or cleaning countertops, letting it go about its own business (like thinking about your next great creative breakthrough!). This “autopilot” function that our hands do when our minds are preoccupied really improves cognitive and creative reasoning.
What Is Considered Lowly
All of the internet research I did revealed that, in general, you can’t be on autopilot when doing jobs that need human connection, like browsing Facebook or Instagram. The repetitive actions that get your body moving—folding clothes, cleaning dishes, for example—are what actually trigger creative brain processes.
A useful metric to determine whether the job you’re doing is menial (meaning it can be completed automatically) is whether it can be “categorized as done/not-done rather than done-well/not-done-well.” “Sew ten sweaters” might turn into a chore. “Design ten sweaters” is not possible since making a sweater involves quality components that call for original thinking and helpful reasoning.
How to Write Down All Those Thoughts
We now understand why our creative ideas arise whilst performing our mundane chores. Writing down such ephemeral “Eureka!” moments is the true challenge. I can record mine in a few different methods that I’ve worked out (please share any other!).
In summary
And that’s all, my friend. You might be surprised to learn that mindless, tedious cleaning isn’t as horrible as you think—though I will always volunteer for toilet duty last. Another argument for why being a mother and being creative go hand in hand. Go ahead and tidy up something! 😉 Organizing inspires creativity!