3B – Bed, Bathroom. Bus
Visiting my parents a few days ago, I happen to watch an expert being interviewed on how to maximize our brain potentials. In short, according to their research, the brain perform best on 3B – Bed, Bathroom, and Bus. How come ?
Basically, those places are where we stop, and gave the brain time to reflect and analyze the data gathered so far (instead of busy doing everything else).
The Bed
You may have heard the saying “just sleep on the problem” — there’s truth to it. Even Michaelangelo used to sleep while he was working on his painting (if only we can do that in our cubicles..). Being on the bed / sleeping forces our brain to stop doing anything. Therefore, it’ll instead use this opportunity to do data analysis. It ended up as dreams sometimes. But after we woke up, many times we’ll have better understanding (and potential solution) to the problem.
A bit of deviation from the topic – praying have same (if not better) effect; especially since it takes very little time (10 – 15 minutes). When we pray, we’re forced to forget about our businesses, and focus only on a single point. This gives us clarity on that moment.
My friend once said (rather jokingly, but also seriously) that if you want to find the stuff that you’re missing – then pray. You’ll remember where you left it when you’re praying.
The Bathroom
My wife used to complain that I took so much time to bath. Well, beside the fact that I like things clean, it’s also my experience that I tend to get the best ideas when I was in the bathroom. Other variations might be the spa, sauna, etc.
It’s for the same reason as the Bedroom, in the bathroom we’re relaxed and thus able to think more clearly. Forcing your brain to be in overdrive all day long is not really healthy. The 3B give us breaks from it.
Nowadays she no longer complain about it. But I also try to avoid using the bathroom on “peak-hours” 
The Bus
Basically just another place where you are relaxed and can think about things more clearly. While on the bus (or subway, train, whatever), you’re only standing up / sitting down, and doing very little else. Thus you’ll also tend to have the “eureka!” moments here.
So, how about you ?
December 18th, 2006 10:49
Bathroom works best for me. The few times to getaway from getting involved with kids and got distressed
Second best is bed, if I don’t fall asleep as soon as I touch the matress :p
December 18th, 2006 11:57
toilet!
December 18th, 2006 13:44
nice post
but bathroom is the best place to think
December 18th, 2006 15:21
Tidur itu paling enak
di bis juga enak asal di temani musik
December 18th, 2006 22:43
saya kapok tidur di bis..
waktu dari rumah mau ke kos dulu.. kan naik patas AC 44 Senen-Cileduk. Disitu saya tidur, tau-tau ada yang bangunin.. mas-mas.. sambil menjulurkan tangannya..
Kirain kondektur bis! Soalnya dia minta duit dari penumpang yg lagi tidur.. Rogoh kantong, ambil duit yang cuma 20rb-20rbnya..
Kasih orang itu.. dia kemudian pergi ke belakang bis.. kirain mo ngitung kembalian.. gak lama tau-tau ada seorang yang serem pake kemeja bertuliskan jelas “MAYASARI BAKTI” sambil berkata.. “Mas, ongkosnya??”
Wayah!!! Tadi siapa???
Buru-buru tengok kebelakang..
Siyal! ternyata itu tukang “ngamen” yang gak ngamen..
Dan tukang “ngamen” tadi udah turun..
Hiks.. akhirnya saya jadi curhat sama kondektur..
untung kondekturnya pengertian…
“Lain kali ati-ati mas..”, nasihat kondektur tsb..
Turun di Kreo, saya langsung naik ojek sampe kosan..
Trus sampe kos, buru-buru pinjem duit temen buat bayar ojek..
** Weksss… jadi bikin blog disini.. ?? **
Intinya kapok tidur di bis
December 19th, 2006 10:49
Hmmm … tidur?
Saya sih manusia bidang datar, selama ada bidang datar, tidur pun pulas! hehehe
December 20th, 2006 10:46
Seperti tulisan Iwan Setiawan (baca diblog Jay) kalau gag salah..
Soekarno – Revolusi dari kamar tidur!
Niwe bener tuh om risiyanto, toilet tuh juga cucok untuk relax..
December 20th, 2006 12:55
too bad i always sleep during trip ( bus, train, plane )..and I never really have a good time in bed because most of the time i get falling into sleep at sofa, bench, car,studio, parking lot, hill ( waiting sunrise for shooting )..and bathroom ? Im kind of quick user of any kind of bathroom or WC…
December 22nd, 2006 07:57
Nope, I prefer “time” rather than “place”. For example at morning, I can work virtually anywhere and churn out many quality (muwahaha!) piece of articles. On the contrary, however cozy the place is, I can’t churn out any articles at night (just using that time slot for my research)
December 12th, 2007 07:32
The bathroom does it for me every time. I love to take long bath and yes I do use the time to think. The only problem is that I rarely get the time to take long baths anymore.
I recently remodeled my small bathroom. You can read about it here Bathroom Remodeling Idea
March 20th, 2008 01:08
The bathroom works for me too, I love to take a long hot bath with lavender oil, or something else that smells lovely!
April 17th, 2008 03:43
The Bed works best for me
..
May 20th, 2008 22:46
Absolutely Bed is working for me.. more relaxation I can get there
May 26th, 2008 15:42
I think there is always a good time for making some changes at house. Enjoy it!
regards
May 28th, 2008 00:39
Too many time spent on bathrooms?
Make your time more pleasant, check this out…
May 28th, 2008 03:19
Too many time spent on bathrooms?
Make your time more pleasant, check this out…
June 21st, 2008 03:44
Definately the bed…
June 22nd, 2008 13:19
Must be the bed, better if its warmer… than it should.
July 3rd, 2008 06:29
I tend to sing more often in the bathroom, but if I were to have a bathtub, that might be very different. I’ve often had the best ideas or clarity whenever I’ve been relaxing in a bathtub but those times were usually in a hotel.
The bus is a great one for me. During the longer bus trips, I often find myself drifting off thinking about certain issues and coming out clearer about them.
July 25th, 2008 09:14
I definitely agree, the bathroom can sometimes be the absolute best place to think! I do find when I lay in bed at night before I fall asleep is also a very productive time for me
July 25th, 2008 22:41
At least your wife finally got over it. Bathroom is definiely the best place to “think”.
August 3rd, 2008 15:58
blog yang sangat bagus!
September 6th, 2008 00:26
I totally agree. The bathroom is the place to go to clear your mind..LOL
September 20th, 2008 02:16
I like to go to the bathroom to clear my mind to..LOL.
September 24th, 2008 05:27
The bathroom has always been a relaxing place to me. Growing up my father would read the daily paper in the bathroom because he technically couldn’t be working while in the bathroom (he was a workaholic). I used to read Popular Science and Wired while in the bathroom but now I discover that I usually bring my laptop and continue to work…… thank you wi-fi. I’m worried about getting internet access while on flights in the US soon. It’s one more place I will not be able to relax.
Jason
October 15th, 2008 23:35
I get my Eureka moments either while relaxing in my sauna or walking by myself. I need to be on my own, though.
November 14th, 2008 16:44
Some of my biggest inspirations in life come from either lying in the bed or bath.
Strange isnt it.
December 4th, 2008 03:05
All 3Bs work for me. It seems that I always think, although I don’t like to think too much, I can’t help but to think.
December 4th, 2008 03:12
All 3 work for me.
December 5th, 2008 05:40
i dont like to think too much but i need to think…hahaha
December 11th, 2008 04:35
Wanna know another one of my favorite places that I have an endless flow of ideas? The shower.. Seriously I have no idea why and it gets so annoying having so many great ideas and then later forgetting about them. I’m gonig to make a product that I can write on in the shower and wifi’s up to my computer to save for later analysis.
December 31st, 2008 01:42
Definately the bath tub!!
January 13th, 2009 10:03
I agree that the bed is a great place to rest and recharge along with doing a lot of thinking. I would even say the bathroom too depending on the situation.. hehehe…
As for a bus, I really haven’t had that much experience with travel on buses. I would expect that there is a lot of time to sit back and be reflective though. Some interesting thoughts. I’d add kicking back in a recliner.
January 20th, 2009 15:41
Nice post. I’d definitely say bathroom…i always to my best thinking in there! Infact thats where i came up with my dissertation title.
January 21st, 2009 05:59
I’m the same way, it’s all about a long bath/shower and relaxing. I have some of my best ideas while relaxing in the bath. Now I’m looking for a solution that will allow me to remember the thoughts Ihave while in the bath..
January 22nd, 2009 16:09
Good topic. I would say in bed just before sleeping but like one post said, you then have the problem of remembering your great idea that you had the night before. I used to do a bit of song writing and the best way for me was the pad and pen on the bed side table @~}
January 26th, 2009 03:11
Another great place to relax and gather your thoughts is in the sauna. Why the recent surge in popularity? Many sauna enthusiasts and doctors have heralded the abundance of health benefits of saunas. Perhaps the most obvious and immediate advantage is the sense of calm that comes with prolonged exposure to therapeutic heat. In today’s fast-paced, hectic lifestyles, unprecedented levels of stress have the potential to weaken our immune systems, making us more vulnerable to illnesses and disease. Regular sauna sessions can help to reduce these high stress levels, contributing to an overall enhanced sense of well-being and a greater resistance to sickness. Sweating also helps the body to release heat, regulating our core temperature.
March 12th, 2009 15:44
Bathroom? Well…yang namanya kamar mandi haruslah bersih plus sueger. Karena pas ada tamu and kebetulan tamunya pengen pipis trus masuk kamar mandi…lha…itulah cerminan diri kita…So, what will we do?
April 3rd, 2009 10:34
Its funny with all the mentions of sleeping. I actually tend to fall asleep in the bath and on the train (and of course, the bed).
But when i am awake, i do find these great places to get all my thinking done. Sometimes, i wonder, especially with such long travelling times on the train, whether i am doing too much thinking. And overanalysing my life.
But it is great to hear that an actual expert has studied this as i can really relate to these places, especially when i am trying to think of new stories to write.
April 17th, 2009 05:21
I say the bed. When we sleep, we let our minds relax and our brains need to recharge for another day of working the following morning.
April 21st, 2009 01:12
I couldn’t agree any better. Our brains are best relaxed when we are sleeping in BED. The cool running water in the BATHROOM keep us cool and calm. The different views we see beyond the glass windows of the BUS make us appreciate everything around us.
April 29th, 2009 18:47
Is there any location of bathrooms prescribed in Vastushastra?
May 5th, 2009 21:16
the bath is the best place for a long reflection of the day,look the door and soak the stress out.Lucy
May 6th, 2009 16:43
I dont think you can beat a good bath after a long day,, one of the free things in life :_)
Jill
May 6th, 2009 17:49
Great idea love a good bath then bed.
Sam
May 8th, 2009 17:15
My other half says I use the bath to much but its the place you can relax and think,
Jill
May 13th, 2009 04:25
I seldom have those moments of sheer “eureka” in the bathroom unlike Archimedes. I normally take cold showers so I don’t expect to stay long, wet and cold.
June 2nd, 2009 17:13
Great Idea I love sites like this
Sammi xx
June 3rd, 2009 21:06
I love a good long soak in the bath. This is where I get my best inspirations from!!
Kirsty x
June 19th, 2009 13:53
i like things clean, it’s also my experience that I tend to get the best ideas when I was in the bathroom. Other variations might be the spa, sauna, etc.
June 22nd, 2009 18:53
Bathroom is best place to get laid……Well decorated bathroom makes it 10 times more enjoyable
June 24th, 2009 13:58
The b’s, bedroom, bathroom, and bus is a very interesting concept. However I wonder if the type of flooring has anything to do with if, for example does it make a difference if the house has laminate flooring or hardwood flooring?
August 3rd, 2009 13:47
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I love the way you write post!
August 5th, 2009 21:35
I think that the bus would be a great place, certainly works for me but I don’t use them very much. Ok, now I have kids, that rules the bed out, the only thing that I do in bed is sleep, same as with most young parents. That leaves the bath, I have a lovely stone bath that is custom made, cost a lot of money but worth it. I never used it though until last week because i was so busy. then I though I’d de-stress and have a bath, I think I’ll try it again for inspiration tonight!!!
August 14th, 2009 19:27
well i cant remember the last time i got on a bus and as for in bed the second my head touches the pillow i am fast asleep so it must be the bathroom for me!!!!
Jen x
August 20th, 2009 08:04
Good afternoon, thank you for sharing this story with Sostres an excellent article, thank you for sharing this with us.
August 22nd, 2009 10:09
Hey you got some good writing skills..
Thanks for the good read nice post..
August 25th, 2009 15:41
thanks for sharing…
October 9th, 2009 09:20
I dont understand
October 21st, 2009 15:42
Hi,
Which is the best magazine on Interior decoration and home decor-all in one?
November 6th, 2009 04:56
i find it relaxing sitting in my whirlpool bath with the mood light changing colours.
November 7th, 2009 02:14
good works. Thank you very much for this information. I like This site! Thanks!
November 10th, 2009 23:56
I read once that rituals we do daily are the best times for moments like this. That is why in Japan the tea ceremony is such a meditative state because they do it every day and can turn of their minds from the task at hand. In America, they say it is during our commutes, that our mind goes off into these meditative states. Anything you do without thinking about it.
November 15th, 2009 18:14
I totally believe this. I’ve often thought that I have the sort of Columbo style of thinking. It takes me some time, but I usually get there in the end. Teachers at school tell you not to day dream, but I find it really helps me solve problems and I’ve had a few eureka style moments especially about my business esp when it comes to making money. Give it a go.
December 8th, 2009 15:50
useful,i like it!
thank you for your work!!:)
December 16th, 2009 18:18
Good question! The bath is normally as great place to relax and reflect.
December 16th, 2009 20:10
thx bro
December 24th, 2009 17:51
Thank you very much for this information. I like This site! Thanks!
February 2nd, 2010 22:25
The bath is a perfect place to gather ideas and figure out what you want to do.
February 16th, 2010 05:27
Soaking in a nice hot bath is not only relaxing but a place of refuge but where my cat always seems to find me!
March 18th, 2010 15:41
3B rules! I totally agree, it does not work for me in the bus, though
cannot relax in a crowd you know.. but I should definitely learn! 