Flow State

Hi friend,

I stumbled upon the “flow state” concept when I read “Ikigai” in 2023.

This term was popularized by psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura.

The easiest way I can explain a flow state is to bring an example into your mind.

You know those times when you lose track of time? When you’re so engrossed and present in the activity that you’re doing—that the rest of the world simply fades away, that’s an example of reaching a flow state. You’re “in the zone” and engaged in the activity you’re doing.

• You lose track of time.

• You’re fully present.

• All that matters is what you’re doing.

Everyone has experienced this at some point in their lives, whether while playing a sport or learning about a new topic that interests them. The flow state is magical, and it’s where we produce some of our best work.

Here are 4 tips to help you get into a flow state more often:

1.  You need to do an activity that you care about
   Pick something that you care about and also enjoy doing. It shouldn’t be too challenging—you want to find a sweet spot between easy and hard.

   When you challenge yourself to a certain degree, you invariably nudge yourself to focus and be present while doing the activity.
   
   

2. Eliminate distractions

   To truly focus on the task in front of you, get rid of all the distractors.

   This could mean leaving your phone in another room or changing your environment to make it easier to transition into a state of laser-sharp focus.

   First, identify what distracts you, and then consciously eliminate it when you want to get into a flow state.
   
   

3. Focus on one task instead of multitasking

   Our brains aren’t wired to multitask. We can’t do two complex tasks at once, and our cognition isn’t equipped to give its undivided and focused attention to both.

   This is why focusing on one specific task over multitasking makes all the difference.

   You want to pick one task to focus on instead of overloading your brain by constantly jumping from one task to another.
   
   

4. Create a pre-flow ritual

   For me, I experience a flow state when I’m writing. To prepare myself to enter this state, I have a little pre-flow ritual that signals to my brain that we’re about to do some deep work.

   I switch off my phone, grab my notebook and write down “time to write” on the top right corner of the page.

   This has been working for me for the past 4 months now.
   Make a pre-flow ritual that works for you and then repeat it continuously.
   
   

Don’t worry if you struggle the first couple of times while trying to get into a flow state. It’s natural and takes a little bit of practice.

Just keep bringing yourself back to the moment and focus on the task in front of you.

Love always,

Deveshi x