How To Enter Flow State In 60 seconds
3 Simple Steps Anyone Can Follow Today
Flow state is that almost magical state of total absorption in the task at hand, where you’re so immersed that distraction, self-consciousness, and even the sense of time disappear, leading to peak performance and enjoyment.
It feels effortless. You feel capable. And no negative thought creeps up on you: you’re one with what you’re doing. You produce more in 1 hour than you normally do in 4.
Chances are, you’ve already experienced it before.
If you’re a writer, it’s when the words “flow” from you into the paper or the screen.
If you’re a singer, it’s when you perform at your best without even trying.
If you’re a rider, it’s when you’re one with the motorbike you’re riding.
Every turn feels just right. Time flies. You’re completely absorbed in your craft.
It may have its challenges, but you always feel that sense of capability, knowing you can overcome anything.
Studies have shown that the more time people spend in a Flow State, the happier and more satisfied they become in life.
But most people struggle to enjoy this kind of mental experience.
To them, it happens only by chance. When the stars align. They enjoy it, but it’s fleeting and not something they can rely on.
So you drag out most of your tasks in a distracted, low-creativity, low-efficiency way. Always thinking that you could do more, faster, and better. But never actually getting there.
Most importantly, you procrastinate on the things you want to do the most because you still feel a “struggle” to do them. Maybe you want to write, but every time you sit down, you get overwhelmed, stare at the screen for a few minutes, draft a few things here and there that you then delete, and finally close the laptop.
You know what it feels like to enter the Flow, but you still think it’s something that just happens.
It’s not. It’s a formula. And it only requires 3 steps:
Step 1: Decide exactly what you need to do and be as specific as possible
Clear goals are a Flow trigger.
When you sit down in front of your PC and you have to decide:
What to write
How to write it
Where to start writing
For how long to keep writing
What resources do you need to write
You lose yourself in the small details and the stress that comes with all those tiny decisions. It’s like going for a walk and having to carefully choose each step.
It’s exhausting (and you wouldn’t move very far).
Compare this to sitting down to write and having:
The title decided
The piece laid out
Your resources ready at hand
You know exactly what you need to do, how, when, and why.
You just follow the plan.
This is the first tactic to achieve Flow: have a clear goal in mind and an even clearer set of steps to follow.
Step 2: Create a compressed deadline for your task
A deadline that is definitely achievable but forces you to work less than you normally would. This challenges you to slightly exceed your skill level, which is a trigger for Flow.
If a task is too simple, we become bored. But if the challenge is too hard, we become stressed.
In the middle is where the magic happens, as you can see from this graph:
Imagine playing competitive tennis against an opponent who is too strong for you. You’d get anxious because you can’t reach his level in any way possible, and you just keep losing points after points.
Now, imagine playing against a complete beginner who doesn’t even know how to grab a tennis racket. It would be too boring.
You need the right player to reach Flow State, ideally 5–10% stronger than you.
By compressing the deadline for your task by 5–10%, you achieve the same thing. If it usually takes you an hour to write an article, try doing it in 50 minutes.
If you try to go for 10 minutes right off the bat, you’ll get discouraged because the level is too high.
Challenge yourself (but don’t overdo it).
Step 3: Eliminate all distractions that are more exciting than the project at hand
Don’t turn to them, even when you’re taking a break.
It’s been shown that when you check your phone, even if it’s just a notification that takes you 20 seconds to read, your brain will take an average of 20 minutes to return to the previous level of focus.
Every time you get distracted, you scroll on your phone, you read a text message or an email, you have the same quality of focus as someone who just smoked weed.
Think about it: you could actually get stoned and produce basically the same quality of focus and concentration…
By avoiding distractions, you also make the work the most exciting option and make it easy to stay absorbed in the activity.
Your phone is the worst enemy to the Flow State.
Conclusion
Follow this plan next time you need to eneter the Flow State for a difficult task like writing, recording, designing…
Step 1: Decide the goal of the task and break it down into the smallest steps possible
Step 2: Give yourself a 5–10% more compressed deadline
Step 3: Brutally eliminate all distractions (even in between pauses)
You’ll unlock the most intense and productive focus of your life. Don’t be surprised if you can do in one hour what most people take 2, 3, or even 4 hours to do.
In a distracted world, focus is your secret weapon.