Bringing The Flow Into Your Workday
Do you ever feel like an imposter? You hustle, you push yourself forward, goals are achieved, and things are ticked off the to-do list, yet things still feel off. It may even feel as if you’re swimming upstream despite what appears from the outside to be ‘achieving’. All this effort leaves you exhausted and questioning whether this is even something you’re meant to be doing. I mean, if you’re on the right path shouldn’t it be effortless? Before you throw in the towel, I may have a solution for you; it’s time to cultivate flow back into your workday.
Flow: a definition
You’re familiar with the concept of flow, right? The state you find yourself in when you look up at the time to see you’ve somehow lost 2 hours working on a project. Time has gone by as if in a blink of an eye. Also known as deep work, flow is essentially the result of taking inspired action in a distraction-free environment. You work almost effortlessly and find yourself able to concentrate for longer periods of time, your mood and energy buzzing as you happily bound towards your goals.
So how do we cultivate flow regularly, rather than only finding it as if by accident? See, the trick lies in the absence of control. There is no presence of force in your activity. You are letting yourself simply ‘be’. The only way to harness this state of being is by having clarity around what you are trying to achieve, i.e. a clear connection with your goal. This then enables you to work from a place of alignment; taking inspired action and not just taking action for the simple need to take action.
State of resistance: an example
You rush through your usual morning routine; running 10 minutes late like standard. Stressed and anxious you finally sit down at your desk to begin your day. Glancing at your to-do list, which appears to have grown exponentially in the last few days as you rollover incomplete tasks, you breathe a sigh of exasperation as you pick the most straightforward task on the list, hoping it will lift your spirits and get you in a better mood to create.
Not even 5 minutes into your task before you find yourself distracted by email notifications. Then hello, social media (your phone was already in your hand–I get it!), followed by 10 minutes of endless scrolling before you snap back into the present moment. “Sh*t”, you think as if you’ve just lost time and motivation for the task. You begin working again, and it’s coming along as easily as pulling teeth. Fast forward to the end of the day, and you feel disappointed in your output. Sure, things were achieved, but it was hard work; much harder than it should have been. You promise yourself tomorrow is going to be THE DAY you smash through your tasks with joy (because you are your own boss you should be enjoying your work, shouldn’t you?!) Then you wake up and find yourself unknowingly the star of Groundhog Day.
Look, the above is a pretty grim example, but it’s one many entrepreneurs find themselves in, and one I, too, experience from time to time. For me, the easiest way to avoid this kind of work is to create and follow a morning ritual that will cultivate more flow throughout my workday. And while this may seem like the opposite of letting go of control, trust me when I say, that by controlling your environment, particularly in the morning, you will protect your energy state, which ultimately helps you fall into alignment and create flow throughout your day.
My Morning Ritual
1. meditate and reconnect with my vision.
The first thing I do upon waking, and the most vital in setting the overall tone of my day, is a quick meditation session. I have two small kids, so quick is all I can realistically manage - I have a short attention span anyway. If you’re into subconscious and energy work, check out Dr Joe Dispenza and his guided meditations which have been a game changer for me as I have a tendency to zone in and out of my meditations. The guided sessions help my brain stay on the meditation task and not wander.
This mediation not only gets me in a great headspace to tackle the day ahead, but it also brings my vision to the forefront of my mind. In doing so, whatever action I take is in alignment with this vision; it’s purposeful and inspired – I know exactly where my efforts are taking me.
2. do something just for you, no matter how small, before the workday begins.
For me, this involves journalling, reading, going for a run, or eating my breakfast in the sun. And on days I have a bit more time up my sleeve, I do all these things.
3. start your workday with a clear intention.
This feeds back off your meditation and visualisation. It’s important to not only know what you’re doing but why you’re doing it.
You know that mammoth to-do list mentioned earlier? Do not, I repeat DO NOT work from this daily. This should only be used as a rough guide for your year ahead, and individual months, weeks and days should be approached separately. Begin each day with no more than 3 things you wish to accomplish – and accomplish well – each day.
4. preserve your space.
Distractions are flow killers. I find chunking time to help with setting clear boundaries for work; oh, and leaving my phone in another room. Need to write a blog post, or plan your social media content for the week ahead? Set aside an hour (time yourself), turn off notifications on your device, throw on your favourite Spotify playlist and create. You’ll be surprised just how easily you fall into a natural rhythm with your work.
The purpose of your morning ritual is to make you feel good about yourself and the day ahead. It needs to be tailored to include things that you enjoy. If getting into alignment looks like sweating it out in a gym class for 45 minutes, then go for it! If you prefer to chill with a cup of coffee and catch up on the day’s news and headlines, you do you! As long as your ritual doesn’t leave you in a state of stress and anxiety, then whatever you choose that lights up your soul for the day ahead are perfect in my books.
Go on, and give it a go. Be intentional with your mornings, and see how it impacts your immediate workday, and whether you notice yourself reaching flow with more ease.
DISCLAIMER
This content is not intended as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease or health illness. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before acting on any information presented here.
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