Start with a literal clean slate. 
 
 June 13, 2017 2 min read 
 
 If you are stuck on a big project, sometimes the best thing you can do is step away and take a break. You can go for a walk, do completely unrelated work or talk out your frustration with a friend or co-worker. 
 
 But there's a simpler thing you can do to clear your mind: According to a new study from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, cleaning your hands can actually shift your mindset and help you focus on a new goal. 
 
 In a series of experiments, the researchers asked the study participants to think about a particular goal in a process called “priming.” They were then asked to either look at or use a handwipe. 
 
 Related: The 5 Golden Rules of Goal-Setting 
 
 The study found that the people who used the handwipes were less likely to still be thinking about their initial goals. Their behavior was also less likely to be consistent with the pursuit of that first goal. 
 
 After the action of cleaning their hands, the researchers ultimately found that first goal to be less important to the participants and that it was easier for them to focus on a new objective. So if you find your mind wandering, wash your hands to help you start new. 

 Cleaning your hands doesn't just get rid of germs – a U of T study suggests it also helps wipe away old goals and reorients you toward new ones. 
 
 Previously, research has shown that the physical act of cleaning reduces the impact of previous psychological experiences, such as guilt arising from immoral behaviour. 
 
 The new research by U of T's Rotman School of Management unpacks the underlying psychology behind cleansing – it includes a component of separation. Researchers say that wiping away dirt serves as a physical proxy for mentally separating ideas that linger from a previous experience – think of the term “beginning with a clean slate.” 
 
 The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. 
 
 Researchers initially focused participants on particular goals through word games or a short survey, a process called “priming.” 
 
 They then had participants evaluate the goals or use a hand wipe. 
 
 Those who were asked to use the wipe became less likely to think of the previous goals, less likely to make behavioral choices consistent with it and less likely to find it important. They were also more easily reoriented towards a subsequently primed goal. 
 
 “For people who were primed with a health goal, for example, using the hand wipe reduced their subsequent tendency to behave in a healthy manner – they were more likely to choose a chocolate bar over a granola bar,” says Ping Dong, a PhD student in marketing who conducted the research, with Spike W. S. Lee, an assistant professor of marketing. Dong will be joining the faculty at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management later this year. 
 
 While it may be premature to suggest that people intent on achieving goals should significantly alter their personal hygiene routines, the findings do suggest that when it comes to finding practical tricks for redirecting one's priorities, an antiseptic wipe may come in handy. 

 June 12 (UPI) -- Hand-washing has surprising effects on the human brain. According to a series of experiments conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto, the act of hand-washing leads to more flexible thinking. 
 
 Researchers found the intellectual priorities of study participants who had disinfected their hands with cleansing wipes were more malleable. In other words, a person's goals were more easily reoriented after hand-washing. 
 
 To begin the experiment, researchers at Toronto's Rotman School of Management primed participants for a specific goal or behavioral outcome using word games or surveys. Participants were then asked to either evaluate a cleansing hand wipe or use one. 
 
 Participants who used a hand wipe proved to be less influenced by their priming. They were less likely to act in ways accordant with their primed goal or behavior. 
 
 "For people who were primed with a health goal, for example, using the handwipe reduced their subsequent tendency to behave in a healthy manner -- they were more likely to choose a chocolate bar over a granola bar," Ping Dong, a PhD student in marketing at Rotman, said in a news release. 
 
 The psychological benefits of "cleansing" behavior have been previously documented. Taking a shower after immoral behavior can lessen the levels of guilt experienced by a person, for example. 
 
 The latest research -- published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology -- further detailed the ways in which cleansing behavior can impact a person's thinking. 
 
 Hand-washing effectively cleansed a person's brain of old ideas, and made people more susceptible to new ways of thinking. The psychological phenomenon could be used to help people shirk bad ideas and poor behavior in favor of new, healthier habits, researchers say.
– Looking for an easy way to clear your mind and refocus? Scientists say they've found a simple activity we should all be doing daily anyway that will help get us there: clean your hands. Researchers at the University of Toronto call it "reorienting one's priorities," and report in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General that wiping our hands acts as a physical proxy for mentally separating ideas that are still kicking around in our heads. This allows us to refocus on a new goal. The researchers tested this by having participants focus on certain goals by taking a short survey or playing word games. Some participants were then asked to evaluate what they'd done, while others were asked to use a handwipe to clean their hands first. Sure enough, those who cleaned their hands were less likely to think of the goal they'd been primed to focus on and less likely to find it important, reports Entrepreneur. But that's not inherently a good thing. "For people who were primed with a health goal, for example, using the handwipe reduced their subsequent tendency to behave in a healthy manner—they were more likely to choose a chocolate bar over a granola bar," one of the researchers says. Still, UPI reports that the overall effect was helping people be susceptible to new ways of thinking, so when a re-set is required, it's a simple option to try. (When it comes to removing bacteria from our hands, how long we spend washing matters more than water temps.)