Accelerate Business-Building with Flow
Flow is “a cognitive state where one is completely immersed in an activity” (Psychology Today). When we’re in flow, we can work on a project longer, more intensely, and singularly.
Flow keeps us fully present in the moment; it’s a proverbial escape from reality. Anxiety is a foil for flow. Anxiety keeps us nervous about tomorrow, regretful about yesterday, and ignorant of the opportunities in “NOW”. Projects feel arduous. Minor inconveniences feel like attacks, and worse, every problem feels catastrophic.
Flow's Power
While flow isn’t a magic wand to fix our problems, it is powerful for three reasons: - It’s process-oriented. Flow is less concerned about an outcome, but rather brings emotional fulfillment through the thinking, the intellectual and emotional grappling, and the progress of process. It’s time-bending. Flow can make five hours of practice feel like five minutes of ecstasy or five minutes of study feel like five years of understanding. In our time-starved, fast-paced world, flow allows us to step out of time and into infinity.
Flow is on-demand. Flow is flow because we’re not always in flow. We pull ourselves into flow in contrast to the anxiety, chaos, and uncertainty around us. This matters because like a funny joke, tasty meal, or butterflies when speaking to a loved one, flow is temporary. Its impact is long-lasting.
Harnessing Flow
Try this to step into flow:
Know your timing. What days and times of day are you most likely to have the physical and mental space to focus? I’m a morning person and love to use Mondays for research and reflection. I schedule my work weeks around this intentionally.
Identify your trigger activity. What activity allows you to mentally escape with ease? For me, it’s research and cooking. It may be cleaning, cutting the grass, or driving for you.
Release the need to succeed. Where can you free yourself from prioritizing outcomes? One reason I love research is that the exploring is the goal, and it can lead me down many paths. Prioritizing outcomes disrupts flow.
Final Thought
It’s impossible to build a great company without flow. We need time to innovate, troubleshoot, and restructure. It’s too difficult to accomplish this in the day-to-day scramble. Use the power of flow to immerse your mind and unlock your potential.
Watch Steven Kotler discuss flow here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3geZ5EVZg7E.
