How to enter the flow state to boost creativity

When was the last time you felt like you were working from a state of flow and ease in your business? Recently, I have been delving into learning more about the flow state because I am on a bit of a mission to create more consciousness in how I run my business.

The flow state or being "in the zone" is your optimal state of consciousness. As intentional business owners, getting into a state of flow can positively impact how you run your conscious business and manage your energy. For me, I would find myself in a state of flow when doing something creative like design, branding, coaching or concept creation. Working within this state of flow has been proven (based on research from McKinsey) to increase productivity by up to 500%.‍‍

In your flow state, you may feel like you are "in the zone" and may experience:

• complete immersion in what you are doing.
• energized from your work.
• joy from being in the "deep now".
• distortion of time (faster or slow).

One way to get into your flow state is by controlling two key factors:

1. Skill.
2. Challenge.

Match what you are skilled at with something that feels challenging. This allows you to focus in on that particular task whilst also feeling confident that you can complete it.

3 Steps to get into a state of flow

Step 1 : Increase your skill level

Practice or build your skill or expertise so you feel competent & confident doing it. Example: Get better speaking in front of a camera by practicing on Insta-stories.

Step 2 : Find your focus

Apply your skill or expertise to a task or project. Example: Create my first Youtube video of me speaking.‍‍

Step 3: Make it challenging

Adjust the difficulty by setting a goal for the project so that it feels challenging but achievable. Example: Create a 20-minute video tutorial on something that I am comfortable speaking on.

5 things that can help you get into your flow state faster

1. Commit to a single task, no multi-tasking set a clear finish goal.
2. Do focused, deep work for 90 minutes using the Ultradian rhythm.
3. Listen to ambient, binaural, alpha, theta or classical music.
4. Quiet internal distractions like meditation, yoga, journaling before you work.
5. Remove external distractions in your environment.