Everybody has experienced moments when one is totally absorbed in a task, outside distractions disappear and all feelings of time are gone. These moments when one is able to be in “the zone” and work highly concentrated is called “Flow”. This concept has been introduced by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In his book “Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience” where he describes the mental state of mind when one is able to deliver peak performances.

In today’s always-on world people struggle to get into this mode of working with constant interruptions from phone calls, emails and twitter messages. Nevertheless when everything becomes busy it is even more important to be able to take a step back, refocus and get into a “flow mode” to be able to get work efficiently done.

The following steps help you get into the flow state

1. Block noise and audible distractions

In order to fully engage in your work mode it is necessary to block all external distractions. Essentially this means to turn off phones (send them to voice mail), to close all applications on your computer that interrupt you with notifications (email, instant messaging, twitter accounts) and even to tell you colleagues that you can not be disturbed in the next hours. It helps in addition to block ambient noise if there is a risk that it might distract you. Earplugs can help you to block out all ambient noise and focus on the task in front of you. Some people are able to listen to music when they work and if you are one of these I highly recommend one of the many internet radio stations (http://www.shoutcast.com/) that will help you get into the right mood for work. I personally listen to classical music when I have to write articles, when I do creative work I tend to listen to very upbeat pop-music and when I am really busy or have to do a lot of repetitive task I prefer techno and house music. But everyone has his own preferences and the only important thing is that you are not distracted by lyrics, commercials or jingles.

2. Limit caffeine intake

Being in flow mode requires an inner state of relaxedness which results in decreased heart beats and slower breathing. However coffee is stimulating your cardio-vascular system and leads to increased heart rate, especially if you drink more than one cup in the morning. In busy environments we usually only realize the side-effects of coffee when we drank too much and we are experiencing a feeling of restlessness, nervousness and limited concentration. While some people might be able to redirect this excess energy into working on their task at hand, most people struggle to find the necessary focus and concentration and quickly drift off into other tasks. Therefore it is helpful to reduce and limit your caffeine intake.

3. Sufficient hydration

In order to help your body to relax and your mind to concentrate sufficient, hydration is essential as well. One has to see it from this perspective: Your body needs water to work properly. While different people have different opinions on the right amount of water one should drink, it is essential to remember that when your body is not sufficiently hydrated it will send conscious (need water) and unconscious (drowsiness, appetite) signals to your mind. Unfortunately many people interpret these signals and their current state of drowsiness as a sign that they need more coffee (which dehydrates you even more). To ensure sufficient hydration just put a bottle of water on your table and whenever you finished a part of your work drink one glass of water. This way your body will be sufficiently hydrated, feelings of drowsiness will be less likely and you concentration and ability to reach a flow state will increase dramatically.

4. Limit heavy food

Meat, burgers or pizza for lunch taste delicious but the effects that this kind of food has on you after lunch are not as great. If your body has to digest this food your stomach needs blood – which he will redirect from your brain to your stomach which leaves you and your brain with too little oxygen to achieve peak performance. Overcoming this requires a change in eating habits by either preventing heavy foot at lunch time or by skipping lunch time completely and just eating small snacks. These small snacks should not be made of sugar because this will increase your blood sugar levels only short-term and lead to a deprivation afterwards which will influence your concentration as well. Fruits (apples, bananas, grapes) and even vegetables (carrots) are perfect to give you sustainable energy.

5. Isolate yourself

Blocking audible distractions is essential but if you want to create an even better environment for achieving flow status it is helpful to also block out visual distractions. Sitting in an open office space with people walking around randomly, occasionally stopping by to check if you are available is not very helpful when trying to do work. Looking for a quiet corner in the office – maybe even facing a wall – will help you to forget about your environment and direct your focus to the work in front of you.

6 Visit the Bathroom

Drinking water inevitably requires an occasional visit to the bathroom. Visiting the bathroom before you start your “flow session” can become part of your ritual to get your mind ready for some highly concentrated work. This is mostly necessary to prevent that you have to stand up and visit the toilet after you are fully absorbed in your task and you have reached the flow state. Whenever you get out of the flow zone it takes valuable time to get back into peak performance mode.

7 Set a timer

If you are still struggling to reach the flow state one little helper can be to set yourself a little timer for 20 minutes. After setting the timer you put together all your discipline and work until the timer goes off again. If you feel that you are in a flow state you can continue to work but if you feel you are not there yet, you should take a break and try again later. At least you have been working for 20 minutes and got at least some things done. The motivation behind this is that it takes usually between 10 and 15 minutes to reach the flow state, when you are finally there the buzzer noise will not distract you completely and you are still able to continue work. If you have not been able to reach flow in this time then you will probably not reach in the next minutes – therefore you should just take a break, relax and do something else.

8 Make a preparation ritual

It is very difficult to get into a working mode just by switching your mind set and not preparing physically. Therefore it is helpful to build a ritual, that communicates your mind and your body that you will change into a different mode of work. Cleaning up your desk, taking a short walk around the office, visiting the bathroom, getting a bottle of water and then returning to your desk, focusing on the task you want to tackle then taking a few deep breaths before you start could be a routine that helps to shift from your “normal” mode to “peak performance” mode.

9 Define your focus and goal

Before you actually start your work you should sit down in your chair, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. While you do this try to imagine and visualize what the task you are working on will be, how you will work on it and most importantly how you will finish it and what the result will be after you finished it. This exercise has its roots in sports, where athletes need to be able to visualize the outcome of an event. This means for athletes that they imagine themselves winning in the competition. The essential point is that an athlete who cannot imagine himself winning, cannot actually win a competition. If you are not able to see yourself how you finish a task, you cannot be able to finish it. Focusing on the desired results will additionally give you energy to tackle unpleasant tasks.

10 Schedule breaks after your peak performance

Working in a flow state consumes a lot of energy from your body even though you might not realize immediately. When you have successfully mastered a task while being in the flow zone you will experience an euphoric state and you might think that you are ready to tackle the next task right away. Being aware of this emotional peak is essential in order to ignore it for the moment and give you body time to recharge. Taking a short walk around the office (or even outside the office) will help your body and mind to get back into a state of relaxation before you are able to initiate your flow ritual again and immerse in the next task. Even world-class athletes have to take a break after winning in a competition and regenerate their body before they can take part in the next competition.

These tips should help you whenever you try to get into a flow state to reach your personal peak performance and achieve the things that seemed impossible before. If you want to know more about the flow state I recommend the following two books:

Do you have other tricks that help you? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of [ihtatho]