6 Keys to Reaching a State of Flow and Be More Creative

A destructive enemy when it comes to your productivity and creative thinking, is multitasking. When doing several things at once, the brain slows down and concentration worsens. Keep in mind:

• Perform a single task at a time
• Focus all your attention on one goal
• Disconnect notifications from your cell phone
• Work in a quiet space where there are no environmental stimuli

Do you doubt yourself when carrying out a task? If so, it’ll be difficult for you to reach this valuable cognitive state. One of the keys to reaching the flow state is to offer yourself positive reinforcement that increases your self-efficacy. So:

• Enjoy the process
• Appreciate the effort you make
• Analyze your achievements and feel proud
• Feel how your skills allow you to advance
• Feel how time ceases to exist while you work
• Accompany your work with positive and empowering messages
• Revel in the rewarding emotions that come from doing something you love

Creativity and productivity benefit when you’re motivated by your confidence, inner satisfaction, and self-love . Therefore, to enhance your flow state, it’s essential that you be guided by endogenous factors and not so much by external reinforcements.Guide yourself with your own goals and internal reinforcements:

• Your creativity will expand if you don’t depend on external reinforcements
• The state of flow is, above all, enjoying while you work
• Don’t pay attention to criticism or unhelpful comments from your environment
• Don’t give excessive value to the economic aspect and try to enjoy the process

It’s while you producing something creative the term “flow” makes the most sense. This is because we’re facing a cognitive exercise in which the brain doesn’t feel stress, but is motivated. It’s not easy to achieve this experience. The challenge is to move from explicit (forced) to implicit (automatic) cognitive control. Remember:

• Trust your skills
• Enjoy the process and let yourself go
• Turn off negative thoughts and your inner critic
• As long as the task is motivating, you’ll reach a state of flow
• Reduce your self-demand ; don’t be obsessed with being a Leonardo Da Vinci or a Steve Jobs.

It’s important to remember that the flow state experience is a delicate state that, as we’ve said, is difficult to achieve. And the reason that not everyone can achieve it is because they don’t control a number of processes. Take note of those variables that you should take into account:

• The optimal flow experience isn’t achieved if you feel anxious or stressed
• If the task is beyond your abilities, you won’t be able to achieve a state of flow
• Distractions are the worst enemies of flow. Likewise, lack of motivation and fatigue also affect it