Win Your Day Key #4: The Power of Flow
KEY POINTS:
1. The final key to mastering your day is the Power of Flow.
2. A flow state - otherwise known as “The Zone” - is when you're energized, motivated, focused, happy, and able to perform your best at a particular task.
3. With a few simple exercises, you can learn how you can reach this flow state on demand.
“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.”
Key 4: The Power of Flow
Have you ever been working diligently at a task, then looked at the clock and been shocked at how much time has passed? Do you feel yourself getting into “The Zone” when engaging in an activity you not only excel at but also enjoy? That magical state is called flow. When you establish a state of flow, your energy rises and your work becomes easier to accomplish. It helps you reach your greatest potential.
Flow is often associated with athletes being “in the zone”. However, flow states aren’t just reserved for athletes. All high performers know how to get into a state of flow in order to perform at their best - from musicians to artists to actors to public speakers.
In fact, everyone can identify with flow moments - whether it’s being completely absorbed in a task, having a spark of creativity, or just having a really engaging conversation. Unfortunately, these moments are rare and seem random. But this flow state is something you can learn to control.
So how do we get to this elusive state? It all comes down to creating the right environment for that to happen.
To enter into flow, you need to be in the “ideal performance state”. The ideal performance state was first described 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. However, somewhere between these two activation states lies the ideal performance state where we are most likely to enter flow.
If you can learn to get into the “sweet spot” between low and high activation, in which you aren’t too bored or lethargic, but also not too stressed or anxious, you can learn to enter into flow.
If you’ve ever seen elite performers before they go on to a game, a race, a performance, or a speech - they all have specific routines that they go through (e.g. sometimes they might have to jump around to get themselves psyched up, others might need to go through deep breathing to calm their nerves).
By using techniques elite performers use, we can develop a deliberate process for fully immersing ourselves in any activity we wish.
Here are some steps you can use to get into flow more often.
1. Identify your flow moments. Think of a time when you achieved something great and were full of energy, while also feeling a sense of timelessness. Try to think of a few examples so that you have a process for entering into flow for different types of activities. E.g. A sporting race/event, a time you were so absorbed in your work you lost track of time, a deep conversation with someone, etc.
2. Act-Think-Feel. Look back on step 1 and try to recall exactly what you were doing (body), thinking (mind), and feeling (emotions) before and during your flow performance. By remembering what past flow experiences felt like, you can re-create the environment to enter into your flow state more often. E.g. Did you need to increase activation (e.g. jump around, listen to music), or bring your activation state down (e.g. deep breaths, meditation)? What mindset did you have? What were your emotions?
3. Build your flow routine. Use Steps 1 and 2 to build a process that will get you into flow. 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. E.g. What physical resources do you need (a particular space and any support materials)? What actions and thoughts will move you closer to flow?
This process takes practice, so if you aren’t able to enter flow right away, that’s normal. However, once you have practiced deliberately entering flow a few times in different scenarios, it will become easier to replicate.
Flow is when we are energized, motivated, focused, happy, and able to perform at our best. Being in a flow state is powerful for your mental health and your mental performance. It can lead to being more creative, accomplishing more with less effort, building a sense of control, and becoming happier and healthier.
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.