Getting In A Flow

You’ve heard of FLOW. It’s that mental and physical state where you immerse yourself into your activity and operate at an extreme level of efficiency.

It’s an amazing feeling when you get into it, but what does it take to get there?

I have found it takes five things:

Practice, practice, practice. You need to practice the skills you’ll use during your flow in all different ways. Make that practice stretch you to your limits. Then, when it’s time to perform, your body and mind will be prepared to operate with little to no thought.

Eliminate distractions. In the office, give yourself a power-hour at least once a day. Put your cell phone away, turn off notifications on your computer, and let others know to not pass you phone calls. Maybe even take that smart watch off and set it aside.
Set clear goals for what you will accomplish by the end of that hour. Maybe you’ll make 20 phone calls. Maybe you’ll write that whole article. Maybe you’ll clean out your inbox. Whatever it is, decide what will be completed by the end.

Make your goals challenging. You want to push yourself in your flow time. If you aren’t giving everything you have to the activity, distractions can sneak in. Even if they are just thoughts on what you’ll eat for dinner.

Take care of yourself physically. Your body can be a machine, but you need to feed it the right energy through a healthy diet. You also need to let it fully rest by getting enough sleep. I know both of those are easier said than done, but the closer you get to perfection in both, the better your body and mind can operate.

I’ve found that getting into a flow more often brings greater joy and satisfaction with that activity. Here’s to a productive week with plenty of flow time for all of us.