Working in flow motion

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Hello wonderful people.

If you’re new to The Actions List, welcome! Very excited to be writing for you. I decided to remove the database on the website until it’s ready to be used more effectively. The feedback I received was that having a list of actions in a table format was not so inspiring (in hindsight, I do agree!). So watch this space, I’ll keep you posted on how I progress.

Now, let’s talk about flow states (part 1 in the series).

You know that sweet spot when work feels like a fun game and hours just fly by? That’s flow state in action. It’s where exhaustion, challenge, elation, focus, joy and energy come together in perfect childlike bliss:

What being in flow may look like on the outside:

What being in flow must feel like on the inside:

The god parents of flow:

1. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

2. Rick Rubin

3. Steven Kotler

4. Linus Bille

You need perfect conditions for flow to exist. I hope some of these will help you get into flow:

1. Prep for getting into flow like you’d prep for movie night with friends:

   1. Have your instruments ready - including snacks and water, have your charger to hand, make sure the radio is on to your favourite radio station at the right volume

   2. Eliminate external distractions - go on a toilet break beforehand, wear comfy clothes, set the temperature so it’s perfect, tell people you’re offline for a few hours, put your phone in another room

2. We’re sensitive, precious little creatures. If a project is too hard for us, we’ll feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. If it’s too easy, we get bored, demotivated and lazy. Just like how direction is better than speed. What to focus on is more important than how, when and where. So figure out what you want to focus on, by asking yourself:

   1. What do I enjoy?

   2. What feels like fun to me but work/boring to other people?

   3. What am I good at?

   4. What do I want to spend my time on?

   5. When do I usually feel bored?

   6. When do I usually feel overwhelmed?

   7. What was I doing the last time I lost track of time?

   Found something to get into the zone on? Great.

3. Now, accept that you are going to struggle at first. You need to push through the struggle and get to a stage where you accept the challenge and rise to the occasion. Getting into flow is at the end of this tunnel:

   1. Set up short feedback loops. Understand what’s working and what isn’t

   2. Recognise that the intrinsic value is in the work itself - the input > the output. The act of participating is where you’ll get the most satisfaction

   3. Figure out where you are in this chart:

      

      stlukes-glenrothes.org

      and plan how to work inside the flow channel. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting in the bottom left. Ensure you’re giving yourself instant feedback in order to progress towards the top right hand corner.

4. Once you start, you may find yourself being distracted, starting to question why you’re doing it, and whether you’re in flow or not. That’s ok. Everything takes time to master. When you notice your mind jumping away from the task at hand, the task you set for yourself, try these things:

   1. Physically move yourself away from your current location, go get a cup of tea, take a 5 minute break, sit outside, change your clothes, get refreshed.

   2. Come back and count from 100 to 0 or try the Wim-hof breathing method - breathe in for 6 seconds and out for 4.

   3. Visualise how you’ll feel just before you finish the task at hand; or visualise how you’ll feel in 10 mins time when you’re in flow.

   4. Mix it up and see if you can gamify what you’re working on. How can you make it fun for yourself? Have you tried talking out loud to yourself? Try it. How about giving yourself 45 seconds to finish a micro-task? Try it. Anything works. Pivot, pivot, pivot until you lose track of time.

Quote:

Remember:

1. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t

2. Today’s a good day to start something new

3. But don’t forget, tomorrow is a new day

4. If you have any suggestions for getting into flow, hit reply to this email.

If you need help:

If some of these actions resonate with you, but you don’t know how to fit them in to your day, hit reply to this email with a ‘help me you lunatic’ and I’ll personally email you every single day for the next 7 days with more inspiration on getting in to flow, and more theory.

For more like this, check out The Actions List on twitter/x.

That’s all folks,

PJ

PS -