Action and inaction

Stop reading (and watching/listening) so much and go think on your own. You need silence for creativity and for clarity. Ironically, you shouldn’t fill up every moment with doing something in order to be the most productive.

By the same token, stop reading and start doing. You can always accumulate more knowledge. Don’t use learning more about a subject as an excuse to procrastinate doing whatever it is you’re learning about. If you wait until you know everything to get started then you’ll never actually get started. Start doing it and continue to learn along the way.

Getting into a flow state

How can we get into a flow state more often and, once in the flow state, how can we stay in the flow state longer? This is a legitimate question that I have and am working towards finding a solution. So far, here’s my thinking…

The first step is to go to a designated “work space.” It can be a workshop in your garage, a home office in your basement, your actual office, etc. But it should always be the same place and when you get to your workspace, you should only focus on working. This way you don’t confuse your brain into thinking you’re there for something you’re not.

The second step is to eliminate disruptions. Disable alerts in your phone’s settings if you need to, otherwise every time your phone pings you, you’ll be taken out of your flow state. The only alerts I keep are for texts, phone calls, and emails. Emails I have as silent alerts and I turn my phone over so I can’t see the screen.

After this, I’m debating what else I need to do to keep the flow state going. I’ve heard from Tim Ferriss that many ultra high achievers listen to the same song on repeat. I used to do that a long time ago but have fallen out of that routine. Has anyone else found this to be helpful?

Anyways, today’s post is a little different. I’ll get back to my usual posts soon. If you have any ideas regarding getting into flow state, feel free to add it to the comments section or message me directly. I’d love to hear what is working for you. Thanks and enjoy the rest of your week!