The Magic of the Mid-Day Shower

A simple way to reset your day and increase productivity

Chris Jennings
4 min readMay 14, 2022

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Photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

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Let’s get personal today. Let’s talk about our hygiene habits!

I specifically want to talk about showering. It may be a non-negotiable part of your morning or evening routine. But I want to examine the benefits of the mid-day shower.

The Standard Shower Schedule

Obviously, everyone will have a different schedule. Maybe you like to take a shower before work and you need to be at work at 9 am. So that becomes your default time to take a shower. Or some people think it’s a great way to unwind before bed. I think for a lot of parents, you just take a shower whenever you get a bit of free time away from the kids!

Like most of the things I write about, let’s examine this through the eyes of a modern knowledge worker. Let’s assume that you’re working remotely and don’t need to be at a given office at a specific time. Then what time do you shower? Do you still do it first thing in the morning? Do you feel unable to work until you’ve cleaned up and gotten dressed after a rinse? Or are you the type that can just jump right into work without a shower?

Let’s not forget about the other factor here. Working out! Some folks won’t shower until after they’ve done a workout. Gotta earn that shower after breaking a sweat. But then when are you able to fit in that workout? In the morning? After dinner? Whenever you can?

I’m asking a lot of hypothetical questions on this subject just to set up how I feel about it. I love the mid-day shower.

Rethink Your Shower Schedule

For the past few years, I have worked remotely with no physical office space to visit. Maybe this affords me a bit more flexibility with my schedule. It’s a flexibility that I appreciate and don’t take for granted. It allows me to structure my day (and my showers) in a way that suits me best.

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Chris Jennings

I write about the intersection of technology, productivity, and mindfulness. See more of my work at iterate.substack.com