Improve your flow
If you don’t experience ow often,
there are a few different ways you
can increase the likelihood of
entering into one of these states.
The easiest is to decrease possible
distractions. In deep ow states,
even the most pressing
distractions have a hard time
breaking through. However, if
ow isn’t something you enter into
easily, it can be helped along by
making it easier to devote your
attention to what you’re working
on.
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EXECUTE FLOW
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Wo
The second is by increasing the
level of dif culty in the work that
you’re doing. It may sound strange
to say that you might enjoy your
work more if you make it harder, but
tasks that are below your skill level
aren’t able to fully absorb your
attention and leave you open to
distractions. Jobs that are too easy
can seem tedious as your mind is
able to wander to all the other
things you could be doing. If you’ve
never done something before, and
your level of competency is fairly
low, it’s not likely that you'll enter a
ow state. Flow tends to happen
when the level of dif culty of your
task has just a small chance of
overcoming your level of
competency.
The challenge presented demands
your full attention, and the
satisfaction in maintaining control
while meeting the challenge leads to
enjoyable periods of work. While
you can decrease distractions and
increase your challenges, you’re
unlikely to reach ow unless you’re
comfortable with at least the basics
of the work you’re doing. So, if you
pick up a new hobby or start a new
job, practice makes perfect,
because the better you become at
what you’re doing, the more likely
you are to enjoy your work.