How You Reach “Flowstate” In As Little As 8 Minutes?

A special blend of boosting creativity, extreme focus, and productivity

A Flow state has the power to transform a person entirely.

The biggest problem new creators face is the requirement for consistent creativity; let’s be honest, it can be mentally taxing like nothing else. It can even lead to the creator’s burnout.

More time in “flow” could be the thing you need.

Flow makes time flow effortlessly while working on mind-taxing projects. Time and mental friction are hardly perceived during “flow.”

Whatever mental state you’re in right now, the more you read further, the chances increase of you being sucked into a flow state as we speak.

Surely you know what I’m talking about.

Flow states are one of the greatest mental states a person experiences. A state where you enjoy, yet perform a productive activity easily. Just doing the thing you’re willing to do without mental constraints and friction and in one straight line. Work feels effortless. You are fully immersed, focused, and everything goes smoothly.

You’re absorbed within the thing you’re doing, consuming brainfuel as efficiently as possible.

Welcome! You’ve just reached flow. Please stick around a bit.

Flow state was coined by psychologist “Mihály Csíkszentmihályi” back in 1975.

Modern-day society prevents us from getting into that state more often. Attention disruptors and obligations are the biggest obstacles to reaching flow states.

To name a few attention disruptors:

City noises
Notifications or sudden calls
Obligations related to your job as an employee
Environmental sounds which have nothing to do with your task

All great, you know what flow states are and what’s disrupting those desired states. Most likely, you’ve even experienced these states yourself, yet didn’t take the time to stick a template on it.

Anyway, you want to know how it’s done, don’t you?

How can you reach flow states?

You’d like to know what you’re looking for to reach flow states. Meaning you are on the hunt for focused, specific thoughts, desires, feelings, and preferably without unwanted distractions.

For the fans, here’s a scientific explanation:

The Alpha brainwave frequency seems to lean closest to this state. However, we are all different, and the overlap between theta and Alpha waves might be your desired sweet spot.

Alpha waves vibrate between 8 and 12 Hz. Between 4–5 Hz and 8–9 Hz, you experience light sleep or deep relaxation. An idle state without concentrating on anything. Irrelevant to what type of practice, meditation increases the production of theta and alpha waves. Those frequencies correlate with enhanced learning abilities and overall mental well-being.

Creative theta brain waves (between 4 and 8 Hz) occur before and whilst sleeping, or dream, and when we just wake up. Although, they don’t occur during the deepest sleep phases. Perhaps this is why many writers claim to write their most creative pieces early mornings, and it’s easier to get and stay in a flow state.

The Austrian psychiatrist M.D. Hans Berger came in 1908 with a groundbreaking discovery.

Dr. Berger discovered the existence of oscillating electrical waves in the brain, he coined the name “alpha waves.” Alpha waves were the first electrical activity to be discovered in the brain.

Noteworthy: Dr. Berger hardly detected any alpha waves in anxious people.

Some say Gamma brainwaves (25 and 100 Hz) are true flow waves. They are associated when we learn, trying to solve problems, and process information during certain activities. Gamma waves also occur when someone dies. Even thirty seconds after, the heart had stopped pumping.

Why is this important?

Flow states are a state of mind where you experience higher thoughts or different points of perspective. Similar to an out-of-body experience registered by people who encounter near-dead experiences.

Experienced tells you this:

To start, you want to learn what flow is, how it feels, and when you enter such a flow state.

During flow, you’ll likely be relaxed to think clearly but also be focused and alert to engage in an activity for as long as you’re in that state. A flow state sets you in the present moment. See it as the middle of the hourglass. A meditative state of mind.

When you feel happy, productive, and creative, chances are you are there!

Most likely, you’ll achieve flow states when you’re engaged in something you specifically love doing because you know why you like it, and it makes you feel good doing it.

How you reach a flow state can vary tremendously from person to person, I noticed my wife in a flow state during her work in the daycare (while there are many arousals — for you and for me — but occasionally not for her…) for others flow will be triggered by different elements:

Music
By a designated location
Through circadian rhythms
Playing the sport that they are passionate about
Walking and just thinking about upcoming projects
I’ve reached flow states while installing Submarine Power cables

For me, increasing physical activity helps to increase my conductivity.

It enables me to process ideas and thoughts faster and tends to increase cognitive functions. It’s not the only way, but if I can’t reach the flow state, it helps to start moving around more.

This makes me doubt whether the higher frequency of gamma waves are at play here. One thing is obvious, alpha, gamma, and theta waves are important for flow.

This said it could take you longer than me to reach a state like this. After hearing around, how flow states are acquired is individually specific.

How can you reach flow states in as little as 8 minutes?

Some say you can only get into a flow state when you focus with undivided attention for at least 15 minutes.

I disagree partly. Sometimes, it can take a while before reaching flow. Yet, on other occasions, when the situation is just right, and a cue hits you, it is reached nearly instantly.

To acquire flow fast, you’ll be better off giving “mental cues.”

You want to associate a cue to a flow state.

If you want to get in the “flow zone,” you might want to get in the physical zone. Subconsciously we analyze and detect the most unimaginary details about a given environment to induce a secure feeling.

From experience,

you’ll achieve flow states faster and faster the more you become aware of that state.

Once you know the feeling and understand which thoughts, or what kind of work induce that state, it will become easier for you to tune into that mind state, that frequency.

Engaging in your loved activity will deliver the fastest results. Could you make sure you have a valid reason why you like to do that thing that you do?

I’d like to point out a direction, or a future perspective with your activity, if you don’t mind.

Want an example?

Since we are on a writing platform, writing to expand your writer’s portfolio or attract freelance work. This reason can motivate you to tap into flow.

From the moment you sit in front of your computer “with an outline on your screen.” Indeed a small preparation as a written outline can be your “flow cue” to tune you into your desired “flow frequency.”

Another cue on that particular moment can be done by your “Coffee-cue.”

I don’t want to emphasize coffee. Yet, caffeine used as a tool (restricted intake at appropriate times) will increase productivity, boost your focus, enable you to work in longer chunks, and Induce better short-term memory. Although, caffeine alone doesn’t pull the trick. You want to set your mind to a specific thing or engage in something delivering meaningful output for you specifically.

Tea works well too. Avoid overconsumption by any means. Sure be careful with coffee. Remember, you’re using caffeine as a tool.

Some flow boosters are:

Mental cues
Early mornings
Endocrine timing
Elimination of unwanted distractions
Become acquainted with the flow feeling
Focus on one thing that will get you results
Control over your thoughts (Sleep is a gem for this)
Specific reasoning for engagement in a desired activity

Being alone helps eliminate interferences that frequently switch you out of the flow. Shifting mental frequency between different concepts sucks the energy out of you. It’s not preferable to benefit from your flow state. However, this will come more as second nature for some than others.

These ingredients should kick you into a flow state significantly faster than 8 minutes.

Flowstate will make you fly effortlessly

Eliminate or avoid attention disruptors and senseless obligations as much as possible. The more you clear daily space for self-interests, the higher your chance of reaching flow states more often, and the faster you will improve your ability to tap into a flowstate.

Once you reach flowstate more often, it will be easier to acquire it faster. Flow will feel like you’re on a planet by yourself. It will:

Increase your creativity
Increase your output massively
You’ll be in the happiest state you can be
Attending more flow state will lower overall anxiety and depression

I’ll warn you, flow states are addictive, they can impact your choices, behavior, and therefore, your life dramatically.

Flow has the power to transform a person entirely.

Tuning into a flow state rapidly requires a bit of practice. The better you learn to know the feeling, and why you enter that productive state, you’ll be able to tap into flow faster than ever before, even within less than 8 minutes.

A while back, I wrote “a post about flow, states,” although it still holds ground, I found myself being carried just slightly toward the endocrine peak points of the spectrum. Consistent rhythmic behavior offers many health benefits for the human body, together by creating a state of achieving optimal individual performance.

In that sense, I still believe that timing can function as one of the greatest “Flow-cues.”

Lately, I found that flow is a more universal and complex state than just hormonal peak timing, and it’s possible to tap into flow whenever we like.

Flow states are within your control. It just depends on how easily you are able to tune in.

In the end, it’s energy again, and you control whether and when you focus that energy for how long. Tune into flow, and try to stay there as long as possible. Enjoy!

Absorb, Read, Write, Sleep, Exercise, Thrive!

Thanks for reading this post!

P.S.:

I’m a firm believer in building a prosilient mind. I like to inspire by writing.

Some of my writings: Sleep & Dreams/Writing tips/Life lessons/Mental Health/Circadian Rhythm/Submarine Power Cables.

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