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Being in a state of intense focus is one of the best feelings in the world
In this article, “in the zone” and “flow” will be used interchangeably. It means to be in a state of intense focus. When you’re in the zone, you forget the world around you and are 100 percent focused on your current task. To perform at high levels, getting in the zone is mandatory, yet only a minority of people are able to get into flow on demand.
I remember chatting with writer friends and they were telling me it takes them over 10 hours to write a short piece. They were exceptional articles, yet I was confused as to why it would take that much time, especially that they were great writers to begin with.
Then one day one of them wrote in our group that he had done one in a couple hours only and that he was in flow the whole time. It was a magical moment for him.
Then it dawned on me: that was the first time he ever wrote in the zone!
I was impressed in two ways: (1) that he was able to write such high-quality articles without getting into flow and (2) that he had never been in the zone before.
When was the last time you got into the zone?
When people commented on my high energy levels and productivity, I didn’t realize it wasn’t normal. I didn’t realize that other people had a hard time getting into flow and that it was a rare thing. This made me realize how grateful I am to have this gift.
But that being said, it’s a gift everyone can acquire, according to Tim S. Grover, Michael Jordan’s personal coach. In his book Relentless, he shares some ways you can get in the zone. I’ll note some of the most impactful ones for me later in this article.
If you read this piece by Tim Denning, there’s flow written all over it. Not just because he mentions it, but because you can feel it in his energy and his words. In his article, he talks about some ways he’s getting in the zone. I’ll relate to some ways in this article as well.
Now, here’s the tricky part: there’s no bullet-proof way of getting in the zone. I can replicate it very regularly, but not daily. And the way I get into flow doesn’t work for any else but me.
So, this article won’t be about telling you exactly what to do, but rather give you insights about what you can try to figure out what works best for you.
Are you ready?
Get into a state of no emotions
The fastest way to tumble out of the Zone is to allow emotions to drive your actions. […] Emotions pull your focus and reveal that you’ve lost control, and ultimately they destroy your performance. — Tim S. Grover
In my experience, Grover couldn’t be more right. I’ve lived that so many times. For two years, my wife went away for six months at a time for work, during which I’d live as a nomad in other countries. I had nothing to cling to in my new realities; a completely blank slate to focus on only one thing — my work.
I didn’t think about love. I didn’t think about regrets, fears… nothing. Complete state of no emotions. It’s a lot easier in a new environment. The longer I stayed in a place, the bigger the bond I’d make with others. And that’s when my flow starts to drop and I have to change location.
When my wife is around, I feel love. It’s subtle. I don’t actively feel it, but it’s there. And it’s blocking me from being completely focused.
Think about the emotions you feel daily. Is there a time of the day where you can get rid of them momentarily? What would help you do that?
Some people do it through meditation and/or journaling. I’ve tried both and eventually succeeded calming my emotions that way.
For me, I found that my emotions just don’t wake up alongside me in the morning. As such, for the first few hours after waking up, I’m in a complete state of no emotions.
I can write pages and pages without even being fully aware of what I’m writing. During lunchtime, my wife often asks me what I wrote about in the morning, and most of the time I can’t even answer her. The writing just happened. Some of my best articles were written without me even noticing I wrote them…
Have a routine that doesn’t change
Do what you do every day, so you never have to account for your environment or a situation. Everything stays the same. — Tim S. Grover
Alright, so no emotions and a routine that doesn’t change… that makes you feel like a mindless robot, doesn’t it? To some degree, that’s true. And for someone who hasn’t experienced flow, it’s hard to explain how great the feeling is. It makes it all worth it. The things you produce while in the zone is the best work you’ll produce in your lifetime. You then become proud of yourself and raise your confidence.
The thing about a routine that doesn’t change is that it frees up your mind to focus on the things that matter. No clutter. No useless time wasted.
I hate wasting time making meaningless decisions. Getting dressed? Meh, let me pick the first thing that’s in my face in my wardrobe. Dinner? Meh, what’s the closest thing in the fridge that’s beneficial for me and my wife?
When I’m torn between two things, I just flip a coin. No time to waste on meaningless decisions.
At the prime of my game, my daily routine was very strict. Every day was exactly the same and it was so packed that if I missed one thing, everything would fall off. And I never wanted that, so I had to perform. It wasn’t sustainable, but man was it the most productive time of my life!
If you can, experiment with a strict routine for a month and see if it impacts your results. I can’t tell you what a good routine can be for you but I can’t stress enough the benefits of a good morning and evening routine.
Block absolutely every distraction
Make the world around you completely invisible. Is this possible? It sure is. You likely do it every day with entertainment. Think about a deeply captivating TV show or an immersive video game. Is it true that when you are engaged in those activities, you forget the world around you?
Why is that?
Put simply, you feel rewarded. To be fully immersed, you need to feel rewarded at rapid intervals.
For me, the more words flow on a page, the more I feel rewarded. Never stop writing. That’s how articles happen. I keep writing even when I have no clue what to write. I brain dump everything and again, the more words that come out on the page, the more rewarded I feel and the less the world around me exists.
And I’m also a programmer by trade. It’s the same concept. The more code I produce, the more I lose my reality. The more bugs I fix or new features I implemented in a short timeframe, the more engaged I am with what I’m doing.
How do you do that?
It comes down to breaking your tasks down to their smallest component. Like, things you can do in 15 minutes at a time. If you write, that’s a section, or even a paragraph. If you code, that’s one bug fix or tiny feature. If you play a sport, that’s one stretch before the next interruption.
Put loud music on repeat
Ultimately, for me, it all comes down to this point and the one after. Loud music on repeat is my cue to my brain that I want to get in the zone. It also has the benefits of shutting down my emotions and blocking all distractions (especially with my eyes closed).
This was one of the key points for the article I linked above from Tim Denning. After reading it, I asked him what music he was listening to what his audio gear was. It turns out, we use very similar music and gear. It doesn’t mean it’s a pattern, but I want to share it in case it helps others.
For audio gear, you want to get high-quality headphones. Wireless preferred so you don’t interrupt the music. I use Bowers and Wilkins P7 and he uses Bose Noise Cancelling. Both great headphones. The P7 doesn’t block sounds as effectively, but it has the best sound quality in my opinion. Good headphones are always the most important purchase I make.
For music, here is my Spotify Flow list. These are some of the songs that, in the past three years, have put me into flow the most. Here’s Tim’s list:
The overall themes for us are:
Epic music; or
Quiet music.
I also like to use piano-led music. Here’s another playlist I made on Spotify.
When I put the volume very loud, it triggers a reaction in my body. I feel the energy starting to flow. And at one point, it becomes so intense that my energy and motivation at least triples. I’ll explain more next.
Have an alter-ego and summon him/her/it
This is probably the quirkiest tip I’ll share in his article. Name your hyper-focused, productive self. If you’ve been in flow before, surely you felt like you were a better version of yourself, like Eddie Morra in Limitless, right?
Tony Robbins is a big advocate of this technique, and I stand by him on that. During the Business Mastery seminar, he makes you name your alter-ego and tries his best to transform you into him/her/it. When I went to the seminar, I didn’t know what to call mine, but a few months later, I settled on the ultra cheesy “Super Danny”.
And here’s how I use Super Danny effectively. It doesn’t mean it will work for you, but I want to share it just in case it does.
I lie in bed with my headphones on.
I close my eyes.
I start one of the songs from my flow list. I pick the one that feels the most right for the moment. I put in on repeat and crank up the volume.
I think about the tasks I want to get done. I think about the process in as many details as I can.
Once that’s clear enough, I think: “What would Super Danny do? How would he do the tasks?” I visualize his process as clearly as I can.
I sit on those thoughts and let the music immerse me. I do nothing else but that. After between 2 to 10 minutes, I usually feel Super Danny taking over. Energy flows through my body and I can’t help but get out of bed and jump on my task. Nothing else in the world exists but that.
I keep the music on and do nothing else but the tasks I set out to do.
Confront yourself (or have someone confront you)
I know for sure this one doesn’t work for everyone, but Grover mentions it in the book and I’ve also experienced this quite a few times. When someone tells me I can’t do something — that it’s not in my abilities to do it — I usually feel the urge to prove them wrong. So, I step up my game, raise my energy and motivation, and just get to action. It’s deeply empowering.
In Relentless, Grover uses Michael Jordan as an example. When an opponent confronted him, he channeled his inner rage (yet he was outwardly calm), and crushed them.
Anger is one of the most powerful emotions you can have, and if you use it in your favour, it can give you a clear sense of purpose, leading to high energy.
I frequently confront myself with impossible-to-meet deadlines. The more I believe in those deadlines, the more I’m forced to perform.
Everything you need to know
Get into a state of no emotions — emotions pull your focus away.
Have a routine that doesn’t change — the less you have to worry about, the more you can focus on what matters.
Block absolutely every distraction — you have to get into your own world.
Put loud music on repeat — for a lot of people, this is the catalyst.
Have an alter-ego and summon him/her/it — who is the better version of yourself? What would they do in your situation?
Confront yourself (or have someone confront you) — channel your inner anger.
You can do this!