“Researchers looking into shower habits across the nation found two thirds of those polled are a self-confessed ‘Multi-Tasker in the Shower’, doing other things while getting themselves clean, with 30 per cent saying that they feel bored if they have nothing else to do. “
Are these people MAD?? Do they have nothing else in their days?
Seriously. I bloody love my shower. Because most days, my shower time is frankly the only part of the whole day that’s for me. Just mine. I stand, and I think – washing my hair seems to wash my thoughts into some sort of tamed order too. And then sometimes I just don’t think. It’s just me and the water running, and perfect blankness.
Heavenly.
And yet it seems I’m in the minority – two thirds of those polled are self-confessed ‘shower multitaskers’, with 30 per cent saying that they feel bored if they have nothing else to do. They’re bored. Seriously?
I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’ve had four kids – I’ve been that mum showering in 26 nanoseconds while the baby sits outside the cubicle in the bouncer chair, or the toddler is clamouring for a poo.
Those people are not multi-tasking, they’re just trying to have a damned shower, for crying out loud.
Image By alphaspirit | Shutterstock
No – this survey is about people choosing to fill their shower time with extra things. Three in 10 adults will brush their teeth while under the water as part of their regular routine (actually – my teen does this. Not to save time, mind you, just because he read that brushing teeth in hot water will removed the minty taste in your mouth which destroys his first cup of tea of the day #TheThingsTeensLearnOnYouTube ), while four in 10 will clean the facility.
(Ah, okay, I’m torn on that one. Because I DO have a quick schwizz over the shower cubicle once I’m done. I have long hair – it’s only fair to the rest of the family to clear the plughole at least).
A spokesman for Triton Showers, which conducted the study of 2,000 adults who shower, said: “The shower room is clearly so much more than an area simply designated for washing.
“Busy Brits are opting to eat, drink and even go on social media when showering – because they are time-strapped and therefore try to juggle lots of tasks all at once.”
So are you a Multi-Tasker in the Shower?
One in 10 people have washed an item of clothing in the shower (erm… okay, so I’ve rinsed off a swimsuit during a post-beach shower. That’s not really ‘laundry’ though, is it?
and they claim 43% like singing along to music – well frankly, that’s not multi-tasking, that’s just a little me-time. Weirdly, I rarely do this. Despite singing to myself for most of the day, I’ve just realised I’m a silent showerer. Huh.
Listening to an audio book, watching a TV show on a tablet (??? HOW?) and even washing a pet also take place in the shower room at times.
(Shower cat By Olleg | Shutterstock)
Sorry, people wash their pets? There’s no WAY that’s multitasking! I’m sure people use the shower to freshen up family fido, but there’s not a single cat owner I know who would willingly place their cat, running water, and their naked selves inside a small sealed cubicle. That just sounds like a Japanese game show, doesn’t it?
The average shower takes just under nine minutes, with multitaskers saving more than 10 minutes a week by getting some ‘jobs’ done in the water.
Ten minutes a week?
Frankly I’d rather take that time to breathe quietly in running water and not think.
Just under half of Brits say they use showering as their time to think (again, I’d say that’s precious me-time, not multitasking) – although for 28% of men this just means thinking about sex. Women, on the other hand, are twice as likely to plan an outfit for the day than think about getting frisky.
Here’s the serious sad crux of this survey though. We might laugh at people who choose to drink their morning coffee in the shower to gain just two more minutes in bed. But the fact is that nearly half of those polled think that their life is just too busy, and 62 per cent say their time in the cubicle is their only chance to switch off.
So this Multi-Tasker in the Shower thing? It’s not that funny. We all know it feels like life is ever faster and busier – we’re all so damn pushed.
I remember when I became a mother twenty years ago, I read a new statistic that stated something along the lines of ‘our greatest personal wealth is factored in time’. That we were headed for a time when our absolute most valuable asset would be our time – having enough to give and share would become extraordinarily difficult, and having enough of it is near on impossible. I think in the last twenty years we got to that place. We don’t have time to sit and sip our morning coffee, we can’t justify the time to catch up on an audiobook by just sitting and listening.
And that’s whats leading to a mass of Bonkers Brits drinking their tea in the shower whilst they catch up on Stranger Things and shave their legs while their hair conditions.
Though if any you actually own up to being the person who says they eat biscuits in the shower? Yeah, you’re just actually weird.
TOP 20 SHOWER TASKS
- Sing along to some music
- Clean the shower/bath area
- Shave
- Brush your teeth
- Do a wee
- Have sex
- Make a life changing decision
- Have a dance
- Take a phone call
- Wash an item of clothing
- Do some exercise
- Do some stretching/yoga exercises
- Listen to an audiobook
- Have a beer
- Watch a TV show on a tablet
- Have a cup of coffee
- Have a cup of tea
- Wash a pet
- Eat a biscuit
- Go on social media
