Notes

What is flow?
And why is it so important to productivity?



Regardless of what you do for a living, productivity is essential to having a good day. On the days when we feel like we have accomplished a lot, we can often see a difference in our mood. Therefore, finding ways to boost productivity should be a priority for you. The secret to consistent productivity comes from two factors: a clear plan for the day ahead, and a lack of distractions.



Sadly, for those who work on computers, distractions are a dime-a-dozen. Therefore, you might find it hard to break into your ‘flow’ – a state of mind that allows for us to consistently produce our best work. Flow is an essential part of delivering your best work on a regular basis. What is flow, though? And how can you do more to find your flow?



What is flow?



Flow, or deep work, is the mental state in which you can feel fully involved in the task in front of you. This means that no distracting thoughts are entering your conscious thinking. Nothing is getting in the way of you simply being able to work on what you are supposed to be dealing with. It is a form of hyperfocus that allows you to retain laser-precise thinking on that particular subject.



The term itself has been around for decades and was coined by Hungarian-American psychology expert Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. First named in 1975, the term flow has been adopted and used in many industries since. The actual feeling of flow, though, is timeless; a state of thinking that has been around long before anyone named it.



When do you need flow?



Flow is important when we have tasks to achieve, and challenges to overcome. When we need to give something our full attention, and our complete focus. If you have to overcome a challenging piece of work or take on something outside of your comfort zone, it will likely require you to be 100% focused. To achieve that, you need to find ways of blocking out distractions.



Let us say that you need to write an article for your company blog. The topic itself might not be the most motivating or, for you at least, interesting. This means that it is easy for distractions to enter your mind. This could be notifications popping up from websites and chat applications. It could be music playing in the background. It could even be as simple as the background noise emanating from life outside.
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