Use These 2 Simple Tricks To Get Into The State Of Flow, FAST.
Our ability to focus dictates our achievement. That is why we have to get into the state of Flow, FAST.
Our ability to focus sets up apart from others. When we get to focus, we produce more than those who are distracted. When we can focus for longer, we engage in productive tasks for longer.
And therefore, we need to get into our State of Flow, FAST.
What is the State of Flow? I presume you have had read multiple stories from Medium and external articles on this psychological state. I will leave the concept originator to explain what it really means.
“There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, TED TALKS 2004.
How do we get into our unique State of Flow? I have 2 simple tricks that I use daily to get there. In a nutshell, it involves getting out of and getting into.
Let me explain what I mean before getting into the techniques.
If we can sit and examine our daily life via a time spectrum, we will realize that we spend our day zipping out of tasks and plunging into another. For instance, getting out of a meeting to get into another.
Or, complete the laundry to start lunch preparations.
A series of transitions dictate the momentum for the day. As the number of transitions increases, the number of hijacks in our Flow increases. Every deliberate break in our State Of Flow requires energy to get into a new one.
Many people advocate focusing on one task a day. I do not think that is practical. We have to juggle multiple tasks in a day.
Therefore, the ability to get out of a current task and get into the next one FAST is a premium we command.
That is the backdrop. Now to the techniques.
Getting out of a task fast requires a mental detox. That means we need to extract all the thoughts from our minds somewhere. It can be an email. It can be post-it notes. The key is to create a point of reference when we need it.
When we empty our minds of ongoing thoughts from the existing tasks, we prepare it for the next task as it becomes a crystal-clear clean slate.
Getting into a new task requires visualization. Take 5 minutes to do the following before embarking on the next.
- Close your eyes.
- Tell yourself that you are getting into the next task.
- Ask yourself what you intend to achieve in the next task.
- Bullet-point your agenda in your mind.
- I recommend having 3 bullet points at the maximum. Otherwise, it will invite distractions.
- Repeat the bullet-points at least 3 times.
- Tell yourself that “Okay, I am going to start doing Task 1 now”.
- Open your eyes.
- Start immediately.
The trick is to start the next task immediately because our mind is primed for it.
I use this trick daily when I am writing. It works for me because time is never on my side, plus I am not a natural writer. Writing in itself does not create the State of Flow for me. I have to create it through deliberation.
When I open my eyes with the writing task at hand, I start typing. The draft of this story is completed 20 minutes after the visualization exercise.
It works.
Then I move on to work on other items that requires my attention for the day. Effectively, that means I am transiting out of this writing task into the next.
So, I quickly scribble what I have to do to close this task, and publish the story. I scribble Grammarly checks, searching for high-quality images, and the relevant hashtags.
This gives me focus when I have to get back to it later part of the day when I am done with my Zoom conferences or client meetings.
For now, I will be heading to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee while I visualize the objective of the upcoming Zoom meeting with my Business Partner.
Give it a try. It will accelerate your focus and productivity.
From Flow to Focus to Productivity!
Aldric
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About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
And with clarity — We grow.
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