But first back to the concept of 'flow'. It is that optimal state of mind in which you perform at your best. You will recognize these elements:
Loss of sense of time.
Things fall into place, it 'clicks' and feels like it happens naturally.
A positive feedback loop. Because you get positive energy from it, you are motivated to continue, which in turn gives you positive energy.
Flow is something you get from yourself, while you are active. If you forget the time because you are reading a good novel, that is passive – so it does not count. I often get into a flow when I am writing. It gives me adrenaline and the day flies by.
I often get into a flow when I write. That gives me adrenaline and the day flies by.
Flow and inspiration
According to Allen, you can train yourself to get into the flow more often. That ties in very well with how I look at 'inspiration' - for me, inspiration and flow are closely related. I don't see inspiration as something intangible that you sometimes have and sometimes don't. In my opinion, that ignores the fact that it (in this case writing) is a profession, uk telegram data a craft. Sitting around waiting for inspiration doesn't help you move forward, 'just' starting does. And if you can't think of a strong intro, then you just start in the middle, right?
To get into a flow, you just have to start. But it helps if you know what brings you into a state of flow. You can discover this by thinking back to a flow moment and looking at how you behaved. Another thing that works: now that you are aware of it, you could observe how it goes the next time you are in a flow.
A few questions to ask yourself:
Where are you?
What are the circumstances? Is it quiet or noisy? Do you have a full agenda or all the time in the world?
What do you do physically?
What are you doing mentally? Sometimes you do something practical with your hands, but that stands for something bigger. In other words: what is your purpose ?
Allen gives the example of a manager who gets into a flow while cycling. Physically he is cycling, mentally he is working and thinking about how he can support his team.
