5 Ways to Get Into Flow States Faster
In this article, we’ll be looking at five ways to get into a flow state.
Flow states are times of intense focus, concentration and productivity. Creating an anchor – from a physical object, photo, video or mental image that triggers the focused state – can help you enter flow faster and achieve more with less stress and in less time. We are going to explore simple ways you can create your own anchors for getting into flow quickly so that you have more time to do the things you want to and be far more productive with your time and energy.
The human brain is wired to crave novelty and stimulation. When we get too much of something, though, it can lead to boredom, avoidance and procrastination. It’s likely this will lead to have a sensory overload when they’re trying to your enter flow state. With so many distractions in life now vying for our time and energy, this is becoming an increasingly common challenge.
If you’re looking to get into flow quickly by using visual anchors like physical objects or mental images which trigger the desired state of mind to avoid procrastination.
1) Remove All Distractions
To start, remove any distractions from your environment that could be pulling you away from flow and distracting your focus. This includes turning off all notifications on your computer and phone (unless they’re truly important!), closing out all social media tabs or apps, removing anything else that might distract you while working.
Additional tip: Put your ear pods or headphones in. This cancels noise and distraction from your external environment.
2) Know What You’re Going to Focus On.
Spend some time to get a clear end goal in mind. It’s important that you know what your intention is and be able to define it so that when you’re feeling lost or flustered, you can remember this initial thought process and refocus on achieving the original goal at hand!
For example: “I’m going to focus for 30 minutes trying out my new weekly plan.”
“I’m going to create a cohesive outline for three blog posts by noon today.”
Be sure that whatever action you set for yourself has been clearly defined – don’t just say ‘work!’ as an answer because work encompasses such broad scope.
3) Get Super Curious
Curiosity allows the mind to be open to options, unknown outcomes and without assumptions or plans. Its open to explore new opportunities, ideas and exponential creativity.
Curiosity can be defined as the intense interest in something, and research has shown that it leads you to linking ideas together more so than before. In order to tap into your curiosity.
Your brain is designed to link ideas, connect dots, identify patterns and in doing so, you get a release of ‘dopamine’. Which is our motivational drug! Dopamine is contagious, addictive and builds contagious momentum. Even with the smallest of actions, connections and links.
Asking these questions will help you create new connections with what’s going on around you which can then lead you to achieving higher productivity and flow states faster!
Doing this exercise may lead to other thoughts such as ‘what could be achieved if we were all focused like this?’ which then inspires one towards production and creativity.
4) Visualise the Outcome
How do you know if your actions are achieving the desired outcome? Visualise it! It is a great way to measure progress and visualizing the end goal can be a powerful motivator for any task. This helps us achieve our goals quicker, because we have already worked out what needs to happen in order to get there.
It’s important not just on one level but many levels- microcosmic: Task at hand, mesocosmic: completion of that task will lead towards bigger things and macrocosmic: creating something with an impactful purpose like making society better or helping people live healthier lives. This is where you need to have clarity and be very specific intentions and outcomes to help your navigate to specific outcomes you want.
5) Set a Time Frame for Production & Focus
Setting a timer and working for specific amount of time can be powerful motivator for any task to optimize productivity. It helps you manage what I call your “time budget’ so you allocate your valuable time (your currency) and use it more effectively. Remember, you don’t get it back!
Start with small time frames such as 10 or 20 minutes. This will help you stay focused on the task at hand and is a short enough time frame for you to agree ‘ no excuses’ and in your mind, you can think to yourself; “I can work for 20 mins without distraction easily – let’s do it”.
With practise you will find 20 minutes flies by, building confidence and ability to stay focused so you can build on longer times of frame to take your productivity to the next level, while being in ‘flow.
You can try using the The pomodoro technique. This is a popular time management strategy created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980’s. The pomodoro technique uses 25 minutes of work followed by five minutes of rest. Possible to take more frequent breaks every few hours based on what you feel you need and what works best for you.
There you go. 5 simple ways to get into flow states faster so you can achieve more in less time. Flow is the peak mental state where you are fully immersed in a task and totally focused. Master this and you can Master productivity, energy and time.
