When I was young, I used to take 45 minute showers.  I'd wake up extra early (5:15 AM, since high school started at 7:45), and my dad used to get really angry with me.

"You only have a square meter of surface area on your body, what can you possibly be doing in there for that long??"

I made up some excuse, saying that I had long hair that took extra long to wash ...

Years later, now that I live alone, I realize exactly what I was doing back then.  In high school, I had a busy life; 8 hours of school a day, work, family, clubs, and hours on the phone with many friends every night.  Life was hectic.  I was around people constantly.  It felt good to be active, but I needed time to recharge.  It was the same reason why I used to take long walks at midnight.

I simply needed time to think.

Some of my most important realizations and decisions happen after I've had time to let my mind wander and explore, uninterrupted and free.  Difficult problems, both the kind that I do for homework/research and the kind related to people and life in general, are best solved not by focusing on them, not by struggling and staring at a blank page for hours, but by getting up and walking away.  The importance of time set aside simply to think is so often overlooked..  And so few people take the time that they need to do so.  It's easy to do things without giving them plenty of thought, to act on impulse and pay little heed to the world and people around you.

Today, give yourself a little time to think.  Go for a walk.  Stare at the stars.  Clear your head and let your mind wander.  Breathe.

Don't be afraid to take that 45 minute shower; it might be the most important part of your day.