Have you ever noticed a steady stream (sorry) of good ideas come to you in the shower? You’re not alone. It’s a common side effect experienced by the millions of people who remembered to shower today. Think about all those recruiting problems where you could just use a creative approach or out-of-the-box solution.

If you know why it happens, you can even replicate the steps (out of the shower) and supercharge your creative mind for work.

The first player is dopamine. A warm shower causes your brain to release the feel good chemical, which is one of four in the happiness quartet. It’s much easier to have a great idea when you’re feeling good.

Getting dopamine flowing can happen in a number of ways that don’t require nudity. Some vigorous exercise may help. Or listening to music. Heck, go dancing and you have both.

You know what you’re (probably) not doing in the shower? Checking your phone. Watching TV. Listening to the news. Arguing with a client. You are distracted, but with something so mindless your brain is doing it on autopilot. You’ve opened the door for your subconscious to come out and play.

Jason is great about doing that with long, silent drives. He is known for driving for hours with no radio or conversation. The driving is enough to occupy him, but lets his creative mind be free.

For some people that activity is housework, yardwork, sewing – you get the idea. Find something to occupy your time, but not really your mind.

Final reason: You’re relaxed. A shower is a warm, relaxing environment. Studies have shown that being sleepy, or even a little drunk puts you in that same creative state.

So if you can’t find that candidate, or can’t think of a way to get a potential client to respond you may be best off throwing in the earbuds, going for a jog, coming back for a shower and a glass of wine. It may seem like you are taking a break and not getting anything done, but you’re really giving your brain a chance to solve the problem.