Entering Flow Everyday for Maximum Productivity

There are two good reasons to get into flow for tasks and for life.

• While in flow, you will produce your best effort for today. Flow is a relaxed but slightly energized concentration on something important to you. Flow requires that you have some competence or have practiced the activity to the extent you do not have to talk yourself through the steps.
• Secondly, Flow is the most enjoyment you can have in an activity. There is no struggle. The exercise is almost effortless. You are in a highly consciousness and almost unconscious state in that you are only into the single act and everything around you ceases to have importance.

Ravizza (1977) was one of the first sport psychologists to describe how athletes felt during their greatest moments. Interviews of 20 male and female athletes who played in 12 different sports yielded the following characteristics:

• Loss of fear—no fear of failure
• No thinking of performance
• Total immersion in the activity
• Narrow focus of attention
• Effortless performance—not forcing it
• Feeling of being in complete control
• Time-space disorientation (usually slowed down)
• Perceive universe to be integrated and unified
• Unique, temporary, involuntary experience

I have been in the zone in sports and I get into the flow most every morning to write. With the one or two times I remember with sports it was an involuntary act. It just sort of took over my body. Today, I think professional athletes go through rituals to get themselves into the zone.  We certainly see performances that could have been in the zone, but as spectators we don’t know what is going on in their heads.

As I writer, I set up my flow or zone. For me it is the most important thing I do during the day that requires both my left and right brain to be synchronized. I try to set up all my left brain activity before I get into the writing, because then it often takes off into the creative which can be utilizing the information and data collected to create new or intuitive relationships.

Flow requires previous practice at the task. It requires a relaxed concentration. It requires a calm excitement about what is to be done. It assumes you have competence and yet the task is going to have a slight challenge, but not greater than your ability.

It assumes the outcome is important to you, but once in the flow you are not worried about being judged. I have no real time limit for how long the task will take and no rush to get it completed. There is nothing else that has to be done while I am into my effort. I often get up in the middle of working to let thoughts flow over a new idea, but I don’t really break my concentration by allowing other obligations to creep into my consciousness.

When I am finished I often look at the work and tell myself that was amazing. I often love what I have done and at that point only have minimum concern what everyone else will think. I often feel a let down or the reduction of attentive focus after I have finished and need a break. Sometimes I need to read the news or even read my emails to let myself down from a natural and not an adrenalized high.

I have tried to set up my life in the same vein. I have moved to the beach so that I can move into connection with nature as often or as much as I need everyday. I get very relaxed, refreshed, and energized at the beach or in the mountains. I get very highly charged with my writing and research so I like to have a very effective release.

With the ability to refresh everyday, I can write seven days a week.

Art Fong, one of the great scientific innovators as quoted in a blog by Shankar of India said:

.. when the going gets tough, go backpacking, fishing, skiing, so forth. Relax. It gives you a break when your problems are all mixed up in your cranium. I found sudden answers while looking at the clouds, a falling star, or a fawn. Thinking of problems while in a new environment often leads to a new path to the solution.”

It is sometimes said the shower is one form of meditating. You can get just as lost with other forms of monotonous activities like running, walking, biking, hobbies, car washing and so forth..

But writing is just part of the Flow in my life. I also love healthy eating, exercise and reading for research and relaxation. With a mostly raw diet and the opportunity to surf everyday and plenty of time to read, I have created days that have plenty of challenge and opportunities to focus. Each activity is rewarding and in which I can get totally absorbed.

Creating focus is also eliminating all distractions possible to make it easier. I take care of my obligations or bills early so they are not on my mind. I have disconnected my cell phone and TV.  I love but have distanced myself from the news and even football so that I am interested but not addicted.

Creating flow is Creativity Peak Performance. It is a worthwhile goal. It is a work in progress. You can start anywhere. You could start today.

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