My Productivity Secret - The Joy of Flow State

What is your productivity secret? Adam “monkatwork” Kayce has tagged me for the Ultimate Guide to Productivity Group Writing Project. It’s a difficult question to answer.

On the one hand, I do get a lot done. People often say to me that they wish they could also do this or that but they don’t have time. Where do I find the time? That’s the thing, much of what people do to make them productive is subconscious.

My secret I think is “flow”.

Have you heard of that before? You almost certainly will have experienced it. It’s that mood/mode where you are in the zone, you are almost on automatic. It feels good and you do good. It’s not quite concentration, and it’s not meditation either, but you do seem to be able to ignore outside distractions. When you get into that flow “thing” creativity and productivity just pour out of you.

Getting into a flow state

I have not looked into this scientifically, it’s a state I drop into automatically when the conditions are right. Here are some tips for achieving this state.

Clear a space, in your schedule, in your work area and in your head
Know what you want to achieve and what it will be like when it is done so you know when to stop
Do all your preparation first – like a good chef you want all your ingredients to hand
Turn off the email, IM, twitter, and phone
Practice – this will only come when you are not finding the actual process challenging, that is do not expect flow when trying out new software or an unfamiliar task. Even then you will need to practice.
Don’t try to force it – when it doesn’t come there is usually a good reason

My Productivity Secret – The Joy of Flow State