Pivot from Routine to Extraordinary
Key Points:
1. The Flow state - something we can train ourselves to enter - is a state in which we are completely immersed in the task at hand. This is when we perform at our best.
2. Entering Flow is about being in what is called the ideal performance state. This is the “sweet spot” between low and high activation, in which we aren’t too bored or lethargic, but also not too stressed or anxious. We are optimally engaged with our undivided attention.
3. To help you enter Flow, think about times when you felt you were in the Flow state, remember how it felt, and then work to build routines that can foster those same feelings.
“Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.”
I’ve talked about movement and meditation, both of which train people to get into peak states more often. Now I’m going to share how to enter and sustain your zone. Along with that comes experiencing joy, music, gratitude, and connections to the great people around you. All of these factors can increase your ability to control your mental and physical health so you can engage deeply with what matters the most to you and experience all that life has to offer.
Extraordinary experiences begin with getting into the flow and opening up to peak experience.
Have you ever been completely focused and absorbed in your exercise only to emerge an hour later and realize you just did some of your best training? Or were able to perform at a level you never knew you were capable of until that moment? A moment in which your mind quieted down and you effortlessly flowed through the steps?
Just about everyone can identify with experiences like these. Unfortunately, for most of us, these moments are rare and seem random. But when we explore the science of human performance, you’ll see that this zone—also known as flow—is something you can achieve, it is a state you can control.
Flow was first described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who identified it as a highly focused state conducive to peak performance and productivity. Being in “the zone” or a “flow” state is characterized by complete absorption in an activity and being entirely in the present (no sense of past or future). You feel a loss of time, hours have gone by but it seems like only moments.
Flow is when we are energized, motivated, focused, happy, and able to perform at our best. Csikszentmihalyi describes eight characteristics of flow: concentration on the task, clarity of goals, transformation of time, intrinsically rewarding, effortlessness, a balance of challenge and skills, a merging of actions and awareness, and a feeling of control.
The “ideal performance state” (also known as “the zone”) was first described by by psychologists Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson in 1908. When our activation is too low, we lack motivation, interest, and energy. When our activation is too high, we are agitated, anxious, stressed, or tense. But somewhere between these two activation states (not enough and too much) lies the ideal performance state where we are most likely to enter the transcendent state known as flow.
The ideal performance state exists between the two extremes of low and high activation. Knowing what you need—and how to ignite your body and mind to prepare for that demand—can help you build your own peak performance zone. You can learn how to access your most productive mode in every area of your life.
Your ideal state for a given task depends on the task. Whether applied to an athletic activity or when sitting at your desk, practice and repetition will help you get your body and mind into the zone—neither too relaxed nor too wired—so you can achieve your goals more easily.
Find your State of Ultra-Performance
You and I might not be the world’s greatest musician—or athlete, scientist, artist, or entrepreneur—but we share something in common with all of them: We can learn to achieve a state of ultra-performance that enables us to reach the limit of our own abilities.
So, what is that? Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What stands majestically ahead of you, like a rock face that inspires awe and gets your blood flowing just thinking about it?
Today’s Call to Action: Practice getting into Flow
If you follow these steps, you can develop a deliberate process for fully immersing yourself in any activity you wish. You can use the Peak Performance Pathway to help you with this exercise. Or refer to pages 30-32 in the Rest, Refocus, Recharge Workbook.
Before you begin, remove yourself from all distractions and unnecessary mental activities. Then follow the three steps below:
Identify your best zone moment. Think of a time when you were energized, motivated, focused, happy, and achieved something great.
Remember what it felt like. Remember the Act-Think-Feel exercise. Try to recall exactly what you were doing (body), thinking (mind), and feeling (emotions) before and during your flow performance. Write down any additional words that specifically describe each.
Build your zone routine. Identify three things that you can do to recreate your iconic past performances in the future. What physical resources do you need (a particular space and any support materials)? What thoughts and actions will move you closer to the state you described above? The key is to build a picture of your ideal performance state so that you can trigger that state by acting like you did when you were in it.
Once you have practised deliberately entering your zone a few times, it will become easier to replicate the experience. As they say, practise makes progress.
Today’s Bonus Video & Podcast
Check out this bonus video of Greg Here as he dives deeper into radical self-acceptance. Also check out this inspirational podcast Here with double-lung and heart transplant recipient Mark Black as he and Greg discuss flourishing in the midst of obstacles and overcoming adversity.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.