The best idea I ever had for a race came in the shower.
Not on the ice. Not in a strategy meeting. Not during visualization. In the shower, thinking about nothing in particular.
Brain scientists have a term for this. Something about your Default Mode Network activating when you're not focused on a task. Doesn't matter what it's called—here's what matters:
Your brain keeps working even when you're not trying.
Showering. Walking. Driving. Waiting in line. Staring at the ceiling at 2am. All those "wasted" hours? Your brain is processing in the background whether you tell it to or not.
The problem: Most of the time, it processes garbage.
Old arguments you replay with better comebacks. Embarrassing moments from years ago. Catastrophic scenarios about things you can't control. Anxiety loops that go nowhere.
During training, my brain had one target: the next race. Everything else was noise. So during all those hours between sessions—driving to the rink, eating dinner, lying in bed—my brain kept chipping away at one problem. How to get faster. How to read opponents better.
Breakthroughs showed up in random moments because my brain was always working on the same thing.
This principle of background processing is something I explore in keynote speeches on mental performance. When I work with executive teams, I help them understand: You can aim that background processor. Give it something specific to work on, and it will. Leave it empty, and it fills itself with garbage.
I've seen this pattern in every successful founder and executive I've advised. The ones who have breakthrough insights aren't the ones grinding 18 hours a day—they're the ones who work intensely, then step away strategically. They've learned to use their background processor intentionally.
In corporate workshops on peak performance, I teach a simple protocol: Before a big decision, state the problem clearly—out loud if you have to—then let it go. Stop trying to solve it consciously. Do something else entirely. Walk. Shower. Sleep on it.
More often than not, clarity shows up when you're not looking for it. Because your brain kept working while you stopped trying.
When I advise leaders through complex strategic decisions, I often tell them to stop thinking about it. Not forever—for a specific period. Define the problem precisely, then walk away. The background processor needs space to work. Constant conscious attention actually interferes with the insight process.
The shower breakthrough wasn't random. It was my background processor delivering what I'd been feeding it for months.
What's your brain chewing on when you're not paying attention?
That's either working for you or against you.
About Apolo Ohno: Apolo Ohno is a sought-after keynote speaker and leadership advisor known for translating elite performance principles into practical leadership behaviors. His work focuses on authentic leadership, executive presence, and the Gold Medal Mindset - helping executives and teams perform with clarity under pressure, communicate with conviction, and lead with credibility when the stakes are high. In his keynotes and workshops, Apolo helps leaders identify the unseen patterns, narratives, and habits that quietly limit performance, then replace them with a repeatable system for focus, resilience, and decisive action.