Flow state are usually described as the state where you will engage in an activity and simply lose track of time...and when it seems as if there is nothing else on this planet besides you and your activity.The flow state is a very powerful state of mind and whilst in it, it will seem as if you are ‘flowing’ through your work.So, How do we get there?

What Is A 'Flow State?

It’s been proven by research that in order to reach flow state, you must eliminate all external distractions. Every time you get pulled out of your focus, you’ll be taken further away from flow state. Only when you can focus with undivided attention for around 10–15 minutes, you can get into flow state.Therefore, it’s critical that you put your phone away and disable all alerts and notifications, close all social media tabs, remove all unnecessary files and objects from your workspace, and preferably go to a quiet environment.This will protect you and allow you to enter a state of hyperfocus.

Eliminate External Distractions

Besides eliminating external distractions, you also need to eliminate internal distractions if you want to reach flow state. Whenever you experience stress or have too much on your mind, it’ll be incredibly hard to keep your mind focused on your task at hand — and therefore it’ll be impossible to reach flow state.If this happens regularly to you, I recommend you try two things:<ul><li>Journaling every morning and evening</li><li>Daily meditation (at least 10 minutes)</li></ul>

Eliminate Internal Distractions

Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz.

Getting into flow state is hard if you are low on energy. You need to have the willpower to focus on just one thing and not get distracted along the way. Tapping into your willpower and attention is energy draining, so you need to do it when your mind is sharp and energized.If you try to get into flow state when you are tired and energy drained, it’ll feel like an uphill battle where you get distracted much easier and have less willpower to stay with your tasks.Therefore, It's recommend you use your mornings to get into flow state, or right after you took a real break of around 15-30 minutes.

Work At Your Biological Peak Time

Music can help you become highly focused and, therefore, highly productive. Especially when you listen to music on repeat.Listening to music with your earbuds in helps you to block external distractions such as any chatter. Furthermore, it helps to keep internal distractions at a minimum.It’s important that the song you put on is familiar. When new or various different songs come up, the music starts to compete for attention in your brain.Putting one song on repeat for 1–2 hours or listening to repetitive type music will help you reach a state of flow with more ease.

Listen To The Right Kind Of Music

If you want to reach flow state, the task that you’re working on must be challenging enough for your brain to be fully engaged, but not too challenging as this will lead to anger and stress.If a task is too easy, you’ll be bored quickly and your mind is likely to wander, so you won’t reach flow state. But, if a task is too hard you’ll likely get overwhelmed and not be able to achieve that subconscious level that is necessary for the flow state.Flow state can only be achieved when an activity is hard enough to keep your brain interested, and when you’re skilled enough to tackle the challenge.

Pick A Challenging Task

The last method is to create a mental cue for yourself to enter flow state. In other words, do something special each time before you go into flow state. Whether it’s repeating a special sentence or affirmation, taking a few deep breaths or anything else — do that same thing each time you want to get into flow state.Over time, this will help you create a mental cue for your brain. Each time you follow it, you tell your brain 'it’s time to get into flow state'.Our behaviour is largely based on neuro-associations, by creating a mental cue, you are essentially creating a neuro-association.

Create A Mental Cue

Caught myself in this state and decided to do some research and share it with you all...enjoy!

Think about the last time where you were engaged in an activity and you simply lost track of time.. You were focused like a ninja, you felt amazing and it seemed as if there was nothing else on this…

How To Reach Flow State (Using 6 Flow State ‘Triggers’)

“The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

<ol><li>Pick the right task: to achieve a flow state, you need to find the right balance between the challenge of the activity and your own skills levels.</li><li>Define your goal: you need a clearly defined end goal to get in the flow.</li><li>Cut out distractions: this means no phone, no <a href="https://nesslabs.com/mindful-context-switching">multitasking</a>, only the necessary tools.</li><li>Take a deep breath: focus on the present moment, accept that you may fail, and <a href="https://nesslabs.com/noterday">let go</a> of your ego.</li><li>Work mindfully: keep your mind fully attentive to what you are working on in that moment.</li></ol>

5 steps to enter the flow state

Flow is important both because it makes the present instant more enjoyable, and because it builds the self-confidence that allows us to develop skills and make significant contributions to humankind.

The term “flow” was coined by Dr Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1960s. In his book <a href="https://amzn.to/2MvaVTc">Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</a>, he describes it as a highly focused mental state which facilitates productivity. In his research, Dr Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi found that there was no correlation between money and happiness. Instead, the human brain is at its happiest when engaged in the meaningful pursuit of a goal.

What is flow?

Have you ever felt like you were in a zen-like meditative state while working, mentally free to execute and apply your skills with no distracting thought whatsoever inside your mind? Feeling entirely absorbed in an activity? This is called being in the zone or getting in the flow.Those expressions are often used about athletes performing at their peak, with all their attention focused on the task at hand. No concern, no conscience of time—just pure, invigorating work driven by heightened awareness.

You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from the flow state. These 5 steps can help you stay relaxed and focused so you can do your best work.

How to get in the flow

When we have to do something we don't want to do, like responding to never-ending emails or filing our taxes, finding flow can be impossible.Most people can't afford to wait for flow - learn other methods to do what needs to get done, no matter what.

Flow is elusive

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term “flow” in the 1970s. He defines it as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”Csikszentmihalyi wrote that during flow, “concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything irrelevant or to worry about problems. Self-consciousness disappears, and the sense of time becomes distorted.”

What is “flow,” and why is it so hard to find?

Flow is great when you can get it. But the price of relying too much on flow is that when you can’t find it, you’re more likely to succumb to the vicious cycle of distraction—a horrible loop of frustration and perpetual time scarcity.<ul><li>If you feel anxious, restless, or poorly qualified for a task, for example, those internal triggers may drive you to pick up your smartphone to scroll through Instagram or check the news in order to forget that feeling for a while.</li><li>Likewise, a task that is not inherently engaging and enjoyable can elicit the internal triggers that lead us off track.</li></ul>

The dark side of striving for flow

Most people don’t know how to focus on things they dislike doing for very long. They constantly drift from one thing to another as soon as a task gets too hard, boring, or uncomfortable.There’s a way to stay focused on a task without waiting for the elusive state of flow. It’s called “play!” Play can simply be a tool that helps to sustain our attention long enough to complete the task at hand.Instead of trying in vain to find flow, we can do two things to turn any task into play:<ul><li>Add constraints.</li><li>Find the mystery.</li></ul>

Reimagining the task

That magical zone is great when you can find it. But what happens if you can't?

Stashed ideas

The Pursuit of "Flow" Is Overrated

Ikigai is the intersection between what you are passionate about, where your skills lie, how you can earn a living and what the world needs.

Ikigai is where your reason for living meets your life goal

Once you find it, wether as a job or a hobby, you should not give it up as Ikigai is also the key to longevity as people from Okinawa show. Indeed an active mind and low stress are the key to a long life. To keep your mind active engage in social life, go outside and do mind games. This will avoid you get stuck in patterns and routines that promote your brain to slow down.

Everyone has an Ikigai that they were born to fulfill

Reducing stress is the key to a long life, try practicing mindfulness, doing yoga or taking time to exercise. This will give you a chance to calm down and observe your body and mind more closely.

Avoiding stress is key for Longevity 

“We have to learn how to turn off the autopilot that’s steering us in an endless loop.”

No Autopilot

In Morita therapy, patients are asked to pay attention to and accept their feelings, without attempting to change them. From there, they take particular actions to create new emotions, which gradually replace the old ones. <ol><li>First there is a week of complete rest and disconnect from media.</li><li>Second, the patient begins to integrate repetitive activities into her daily routine. </li><li>Third, these activities become more physical and creative producing a new set of emotions.</li><li>Finally, the patient is ready for stage four: reentering the world with a newfound sense of calm and purpose</li></ol>

Morita Therapy 

Flow is experienced when enjoyment and concentration are so deep they bloc out all other concerns – even time itself. Seeking out flow activities will increase your enjoyment of life and, therefore, your longevity. That’s why you should prioritize flow experiences over hedonistic ones like overeating, substance abuse or media entertainment. Ideally, your ikigai – your main life occupation – will regularly produce a state of flow, but if it doesn’t, be sure your hobbies do. Calibrating the level of difficulty is essential for flow.

Remain Young by immersing yourself in an activity 

Enjoy and cultivate your friendships, chat with your neighbors, enjoy quiet pursuits in the early morning, enjoy what you have

Friendships, gratefulness, early mornings and Garden vegetables 

The Okinawan diet contains an incredible variety of foods ( up to 206 different foods on a regular basis, including herbs and spices. The base of the diet is grains, like rice or noodles, while seasonings like salt and sugar are used sparingly. They eat small portions until they are 80% full and eat/ drink antioxidants rich foods like green tea and citrus fruits.

Eat Small portions in all Colors of the rainbow 

You don’t need intense workout but movement throughout the day: walking, doing chores, tending to the garden and getting up five minutes for every 30 minutes you sit

Movement is Crucial for a Long Life

Learn how to find your life purpose, enjoy life and live a long fulfilling life.

Los Angeles Times bestseller • More than 1.5 million copies sold “Workers looking for more fulfilling positions should start by identifying their ikigai.” ―Business Insider “One of the unintended—yet positive—consequences of the [pandemic] is that it is forcing people to reevaluate their jobs, careers, and lives. Use this time wisely, find your personal ikigai, and live your best life.” ―Forbes *And from the same authors, don’t miss The Book of Ichigo Ichie—about making the most of every moment in your life.* * * * Find your ikigai (pronounced ee-key-guy) and bring meaning and joy to all your days. “Only staying active will make you want to live a hundred years.” —Japanese proverb According to the Japanese, everyone has an ikigai—a reason for living. And according to the residents of the Japanese village with the world’s longest-living people, finding it is the key to a happier and longer life. Having a strong sense of ikigai—where what you love, what you’re good at, what you can get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap—means that each day is infused with meaning. It’s the reason we get up in the morning. It’s also the reason many Japanese never really retire (in fact there’s no word in Japanese that means retire in the sense it does in English): They remain active and work at what they enjoy, because they’ve found a real purpose in life—the happiness of always being busy. In researching this book, the authors interviewed the residents of the Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds—one of the world’s Blue Zones. Ikigai reveals the secrets to their longevity and happiness: how they eat, how they move, how they work, how they foster collaboration and community, and—their best-kept secret—how they find the ikigai that brings satisfaction to their lives. And it provides practical tools to help you discover your own ikigai. Because who doesn’t want to find happiness in every day? A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

Japanese Habits

Ikigai

“You can’t control time, but you can control your attention. We can all improve productivity if we can systemize the way we work. Instead of looking for the latest tips and tricks, we need to work on attention and workflow management to improve productivity. This involves a collection of behaviors, not done by an app or software.”

<ul><li>Reactive and Distracted: This state is superficial. Your attention is divided and you may be trying to multitask. </li><li>Daydreaming: This state is when you are choosing not to focus on anything in particular. </li><li>Focused and Mindful: This state is where you’re fully present and deliberately avoiding distraction. </li><li>Flow: If you’re lucky, your brain can tip from focused and mindful into flow. This is a state and not a behavior. It’s when you’re laser-focused and fully absorbed in a task. You are disengaged from your sense of self and work is effortless. </li></ul>

4 brain states and how they impact your productivity

The ultimate goal of attention management is to recognize which brain state you’re in and then shift to the one that will help you produce your best results in that moment. Each of the four brain states has a related amount of attention and effort or control.For example, if you are in a reactive and distracted state while you’re trying to work on a project, you won’t be able to get traction. This state is not conducive to focused work. But if you can recognize that’s where you are, you can take steps to move into a focused or mindful state, says Thomas.

Using the 4 states

“Attention management skills are critical to taking back control. They allow you to refocus your day on your priorities, so you can make progress on meaningful work instead of reacting to every incoming [demand] on your attention.”

Instead of using traditional time management techniques, we need to manage our attention and workflow.


How To Reach Flow State (Using 6 Flow State ‘Triggers’)

How to get in the flow

The Pursuit of "Flow" Is Overrated

Ikigai

How to tap into your brain’s 4 attention states to get more done

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!