How To Enter A Flow State on Demand to Double Productivity

Research identified 3 necessary conditions for entering a flow state:

1. Challenge-skill balance

This is a balance between your skills and the challenge of the task. The task should stretch you slightly beyond your current skills, but not so much that you get discouraged and want to quit.

2. Clear Proximal Goals

Having a clear idea of what needs to be done facilitates a flow state. You are able to seamlessly string action after action together as they become evident to you.

3. Immediate Feedback

Receiving feedback on work as you go allows you to self-correct as you go—keeping you engaged on the task

1. Challenge-Skills Balance.

Take on tasks once you have the necessary background knowledge and/or information, i.e., don’t start writing an article on a topic until you have done the research and understand it. Learn the skills necessary before attempting to complete a task where it is necessary.

Learn to set goals for your tasks and projects, breaking down any larger ones into smaller, actionable steps. Whether it is setting SMART (ER), PACT, or LASER goals, know the type that helps you and use it for all tasks and projects.

This is easier for those who have coworkers and managers because you can ask others or refer to performance reviews. But setting up a system for feedback is not impossible for those who work solo. Some things you can do include:

· Develop a self-assessment.

· Seek peer reviews.

· Seek a mentor or hire a coach.

· Use online resources.

· Use examples for comparison (but don’t fall into a comparison trap).

· Learn from mistakes.

These triggers are either related to task- or job-specific conditions, environmental conditions, or individual conditions. A few triggers include:

Environmental Conditions

· Closed office environment vs. open. A closed office environment helps to block distractions so you can keep 100% concentration on the task, helping you get into and stay in flow.

• High achievement motivation. This is a type of intrinsic motivation where the individual strives to work towards their highest performance. Working on things that are driven by an internal desire, where the benefits are within the work itself, helps you work in flow.
• Strong self-regulatory skills (including goal setting, self-monitoring, self-instruction, and self-reinforcement). Someone with strong self-regulatory skills self-directs their learning and usually does things for intrinsic reasons, which helps you work in flow on them.

• Working on things that you are naturally curious about leads to flow. When you are naturally curious about something, it isn’t as hard to give your attention to it.
• Meaningful work. Working on things that you care about and that are related to your passions or purpose helps you enter a flow state.

· Novelty. Shiny object syndrome is real, and many suffer from it, but that is basically the feeling novelty gives us. We have excitement about new things and want to dive in. This feeling leads to flow.

· Task significance. This is how much you feel the task has an impact on others or the organization. If you can choose to work on things that make you feel like you are making a difference, it is easier to get into a flow state.

By ensuring that the flow precursors are present, you can enter a flow state on demand. And if you also use flow triggers, it is possible to not only enter flow on demand but also boost the intensity and extend the duration of flow.

I am a writer on Medium. I write about productivity, habits, personal development, creativity, writing, and mindset.

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