We’ve all had those moments where we are fully locked in, time disappears, and our energy soars. That’s the state of flow. I’ve felt it doing deals, writing LIFEies, and even on difficult hikes. I have been on a 40-year quest to get into flow more and more. Here are a few techniques I have learned and some more from the article below:
Craig’s ways to get into flow:
— Do Hard Shit… I find the harder the hike, the harder the assignment, the harder the conversation, the more I am present and in flow.
— Put Yourself in a Position to Achieve Flow. Turn off the phone, TV, or any other distractions. Create a space to get totally focused, whether that’s your home office or a coffee shop with really good noise-cancelling headphones.
— Get Outside and Out of the Matrix. It’s hard to be distracted when you are off the grid. Unplug, go for a walk, and reset your focus.
From the article below:
— Silence the Noise: Flow needs full focus. Ditch the distractions and be all-in on the task at hand. Pick a quiet spot and just start cranking. You know what that means…..turn off the phone.
— Forget Perfect: Don’t overthink—just move. Progress beats perfection every time. That’s why when I hand off new tasks at C2, I always say, “take a stab at it.” The first draft won’t be perfect, but it gets the wheels turning and beats wasting time chasing perfection.
— One Thing Only: Multitasking kills flow. Lock in. Protect your momentum. How often do we bounce between tasks, only to finish none of them? I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. Deep Work by Cal Newport is a great book on this topic.
Flow isn’t just about productivity—it’s about living fully engaged. The best version of you lives in that zone. Get there. Stay there. Own it.
The Fantastic Life Rule #4:
Play Where You Can Win
Getting a win is a lot harder when you’re out of flow. Build habits, spaces, and processes to get yourself into flow, where you can win every single time.
How To Get Into A State Of Flow
by Tyler Durden
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025 – 04:30 AM
Authored by Mike Donghia via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
My most productive periods are when I lose track of time and become completely absorbed in my task. This delightful state of strain-free hyperfocus is commonly called being in “the zone” or “a state of flow.”
My state of flow varies across a variety of activities. It can happen while engaging in physical labor or exercise, hanging out with friends, completing chores around the house, solving a mental problem at work, writing an article, reading a book, or doing anything that takes effort and involvement.
Given my extreme aversion to boredom, what I like most about locking in a state of flow is that everything seems more interesting. Any tendency toward overthinking or procrastination just vanishes, and I become totally focused on keeping going.
If there were a safe way to induce the flow mindset every time I worked, my life would be radically different. However, not finding one hasn’t stopped me from trying to make it happen more frequently with some reasonable degree of success.
What has worked for me in this arena, based on the trial and error of my own life experience, is the following:
1. Tune Out the Voices in Your Head
Step one is a clear mind. You can’t have any other thoughts or voices in your head besides those about the work you’re doing. That definitely means not listening to a podcast while you work or wondering about anything else going on in your life. Laser-like focus at the expense of everything else is what you need.
2. Work Faster
I’ve found that the cadence at which I work is an important variable in inducing a state of flow. You should not only try to work just a bit faster than your natural pace, but you should also eliminate as many pauses and stops as you can. This works by forcing you to not overthink and to rely more on your instincts.
3. Avoid Perfectionism
Related to the point above, you absolutely can’t have any worries about doing great work. The more pressure you add to get things right or perfect, the more self-conscious you’ll be. This applies whether you’re doing intellectual work or just hanging out with friends. Just bring your best self forward and don’t worry about whether it’s good enough—that’s a silly worry because, of course, you’re enough.
4. Play Rhythmic, Ambient Music
When I really want to get in the zone, I turn on some rhythmic music that doesn’t focus on words. Electronic dance music seems to do the trick for me. What you want is a steady driving beat that gets into your bones and keeps things moving forward. I find this works for both physical and mental labor and, surprisingly, even for keeping energy high when hanging out with friends.
5. Do 1 Thing at a Time
Anytime you switch your brain away from your work, you lose all the momentum you have built up and will have to start again. You have to keep your head down and locked in. Even though a state of flow makes this 10 times easier, there might still be the occasional temptation to pick up your phone or lean back in your chair and stretch—don’t do it. Once you’re in flow, don’t do anything that might disturb it.
6. Make Decisions Intuitively
Systematic, rational thought is basically the opposite of flow, which is about doing. Some types of work and conversations aren’t natural fits for flow and require a more rational thought process, which is fine. Be sure to recognize and separate these two types to bring the best version of yourself into each one. Most importantly, when you’re in the zone, don’t stop and start overthinking a problem. Just keep moving, even if that means imperfection or leaving something to come back to later. The flow itself is too valuable to waste.
I hope that you see that being in a state of flow is about more than productivity. Focused work will make you more productive, but for me, it’s about so much more. Once you consistently start achieving this relaxed, stress-free work mindset, you’ll want it more and more. It feels good and brings out a creative side of yourself that you’ll want to enjoy more often.
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