Flow Is the New Hard Work Hustle.
How flow will help you achieve more in less time.
Most of us know that being busy and being productive are two different pairs of shoes.
You can be busy, but that doesn’t mean you are productive.
“Nevertheless, hard work and being busy pays off. Keeping things going! Work until your eyes bleed. That’s the sacrifice for success.”
I bet it’s not.
What’s truly important is to do the most important things.
Do the main task and focus on it. You can do in one day what others can’t in one week simply by keeping focus.
And for me, the catalyst for unimaginable productivity is flow.
Let’s dive in.
What is flow?
For me, flow is like a switch. A switch, which enables my subconscious power.
The switch to flow enables a ninja-like focus, a feeling of amazement and you simply think there is nothing else besides you and the task on the whole planet. Without flow, you are simply inefficient.
Without flow, you are stumbling through work instead of flowing. Flow equals easy work because it happens subconsciously.
The challenge for most of us isn’t so much knowing what to do when we’re in a state of flow, but how to get to it.
I tried to learn as much as I could about it to perfect my routine to get into it.
How to get into the flow.
Flow is an upgrade. A level up. Getting flow is like Thor getting Mjölnir.
Let’s talk about the three things, which helped me most to access my flow state.
1. Eliminate. All. Distractions.
Both internal and external. Flow is only powerful if you keep it going and if you stop flow because of distractions it takes on average of 25 minutes to gain back your full attention on the task. This is called “attention residue”.
Just avoid distractions of any kind. Mute your phone, reduce stuff laying around your workplace. Choose “Do not disturb” and keep going.
For me, very helpful was to buy a pair of noise-canceling headphones. I’ve wished for a very budget, but decent one for Christmas three years ago. They cost around 60€. In retrospect, I would have paid the 10x if I had known how much they helped me. It’s just a gift to block out noise easily.
Interruptions are the enemy of flow.
But what if the interruptions are internal instead of external?
A well-known problem for me.
I started by writing everything down instantly if I had to remember an idea. It keeps my brain unburdened and focus is easier to achieve. Moreover, you should be aware of yourself. So maybe meditation is a good fit for you? I can strongly recommend it!
I think it is obvious that you shouldn’t be distracted. And I think most of you will know how to achieve this.
So let’s keep going.
2. The goal in mind. Break things down.
Without a target, you will definitely miss it.
I mean, you don’t have a target, so how should you hit it?
Keep in mind what you’d like to achieve in your phase of flow. Writing an article, creating a marketing strategy. Whatever it is.
Formulate it appropriately. Break it down to its fundaments and concentrate on that one single task. Actually, this one was the hardest for me in the beginning.
I wanted to do such a horrifying amount of things that in the end I barely achieved one of them. So if you only keep in mind one thing:
Break things down to get in flow.
3. The brain. The catalyst of extraordinary results or your biggest enemy.
The degree between “extraordinary” and “awful” is small. The brain will either help you achieve your goal. Or it will distract you.
So what helped me, was to create the perfect environment for getting my brain into auto-mode and myself into flow.
It starts by being hydrated and having everything I need at my place. Right now, next to me stands a big bottle of water waiting for me to drink it.
Water is the petrol of the brain.
If you want peaks of performance, I can recommend drinking up to two cups of coffee per day. While I am not a big fan of blocking receptors in my biological system, I have to say that a decent amount of caffeine can indeed help to increase your focus and brain activity. But keep it controlled and strategic.
Listening to inspiring music or binaural beats also helped me achieving my flow state. Especially the latter was a decent method. The music you choose should be repetitive and without a lot of text. The text will increase the energy which has to be used to avoid distractions by trying to understand what is said. So, I go with classic or binaural beats most of the time. You can also try to listen to songs you already know on repeat. It has the same effect. But techno or similar also worked well for a lot of people!
Just try it out.
Conclusion.
In the end, flow comes down to yourself and your brain. It will be easier than you think to get into flow state once are aware of the situation and have a clear image in mind.
Flow also helps me to increase my cognitive capabilities especially when it comes to remembering. Obviously, there are also other factors which have to be taken into account.
I guarantee you extraordinary results once you work in flow state on regular basis and I hope my experiences and tips with it can help you achieve this!
