If you caught last Friday’s post about Backing Up Your Work you will be aware that I set myself a deadline to do a huge paper purge (by booking a Shredding company to come to my house).  Well, it worked, I charged through my paperwork like a bat outta hell!

And during this purge, I entered the state of Flow… something I’ve not done for a long time.

 

What Is Flow?

Okay, so what is Flow?  If you’ve never come across that term you will still most likely have experienced Flow at some time in your life. Flow is the state of being where you are completely immersed in something, where your focus is fully engrossed in your work. 

It can cause a lack of self-consciousness, where you don’t even realise your physical needs.  This means when you finally come out of Flow you are suddenly hungry or thirsty or busting for a… you get the picture! 😀

Remember those times when you were working, writing, drawing, playing and when you finally came up for air, the time had flown by and you hadn’t realised how long it had been and you had just been so thoroughly absorbed in what you were doing.

That’s Flow.

It’s one of those things that if you can get into it, you can get so much done.  It’s a state of highly-involved focus.  And it’s where strong, effective productivity lies. 

Why Should We Aim For Flow?

 

Not only is Flow great at getting us through tasks with super focus, but it also helps to keep the tasks enjoyable.  Flow doesn’t exactly happen when you are doing a task that you hate.  It also helps to keep distractions at bay.

Flow, not only helps us get focused, usually on creative endeavours but can actually help us to come up with new ideas, fix problems (plot holes!) and inspire new projects.

Good strong Flow can help us drown out the world (though not always, so remember to shut off your phone, put a sign on your door and minimise distractions that can pull you out).

We all know that being distracted or constantly multitasking can be detrimental.  According to a study done by the University of California, Irvine, “it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task.”

That’s a lot of wasted time to get back into the groove – not even into Flow, just back into a normal groove with your work. 

Keeping distractions down can help you get into Flow and it’s well worth aiming to reach that state.

My Flow

During my purge, I hit Flow several times.  It was so shocking, (my brain usually acts like a pinball bouncing off a dozen pins over and over), that even my partner commented on it.  Mostly that I had been “quiet” for so long in my room, he was starting to worry! lol

Without hitting Flow, I doubt I would have gotten the task completed.  But I was driven, almost obsessively to finally clear through dozens of binders, a filing cabinet, several boxes of archives and too many stacks and boxes of “random papers” that had been stealing my attention.

The above is what I ended up with to go for shredding! 10 bags in all!

The feeling of being in Flow gave me calmness and helped me push away my anxiety and overwhelm.  Normally when a task is so big and the deadline is so tight, I just “hit the wall” and it takes a breath-taking amount of effort to push through (or, more often, I just don’t).

Being in Flow, stopped all that, it stopped the worry, and the overwhelm and let everything move more smoothly.

Now – if I can do all that in just 2 weeks, what can I do with my manuscripts while in Flow?

I know the answer because when I was younger (before the Internet became as prevalent, before all social media), I was in Flow a lot.  I would lock myself upstairs and just write.  Everything stopped except the words.

I want that back.  I want to get that razor-sharp focus.

How Can You Achieve Flow?

Flow isn’t this elusive thing that only the great Yogis of our time can achieve!  But, it can take some preparation to help you reach it.

Distractions – I’ve already mentioned it, but let’s say it again.  Do whatever you need to reduce distractions, phone off, internet off (unless you need it for the task), silence notifications, tell people not to distract you, add a note on the door as a reminder, use noise-cancelling headphones, do anything else important FIRST to get it out of your head!

Set a goal – Make sure the goal is clear and concise and achievable!  Know what you need to do and set your laser sights on it.  Don’t be thinking about secondary goals etc.  If you need to write chapter 5, write chapter 5, don’t think about issues with the subplot in chapter 5 or that you forgot to add the foreshadowing back in chapter 2.  Everything stays on the immediate goal; writing chapter 5.

Have everything you need – Grab a bottle of water, some snacks, all the tools you need for the task, and get comfy.  You can become your own distraction if you suddenly have to stop because you need more highlighters or ran out of printer ink etc.  Set yourself up for success.

Meditate – I’m not saying sit on the floor for 2 hours meditating, instead take 2 mins, 5 mins, or 10 mins and just do a short meditation.  There are plenty of apps (I use Serenity, a free meditation app that has mini daily 2-5 mins sessions) that can help with this.  It helps to clear your mind of excess noise.

Make it challenging – Flow works best when there is an element of ‘challenge’ when your knowledge or skills are fully engaged.  Like the goal, the sense of challenge to the task must be manageable but not so easy that it can bring you out of Flow.

Keep practising – If you struggle to get into Flow, don’t give up.  It can just take time but it’s well worth chasing.

~ ~ ~

Clearing out my papers was like removing a blockage in my head, since then, ideas have been flowing so well.  It has also made me want to chase that focus and I am aiming to get my erratic, pinball mind under control instead of letting it just run wild.

QUESTION: Have you ever been in Flow? When was the last time?

Happy writing & stay safe

I write articles on writing, marketing, blogging, organising and more. Do you like what I do?  Want extra content? Want to know about my stories? Want exclusive access to even more free resources in my members-only vault The Library and be the first to know about giveaways and new releases? Then sign up for my monthly newsletter and get a FREE copy of my short story The Locksmith.

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