Posts tagged: state of flow

Oct 29 2009

The Key to Getting Things Done

041/365 - the city is at war
Creative Commons License photo credit: stars.alive

In this high paced technological society we now have, many people have become concerned with their ability for getting things done. Specifically there is a system by David Allen called "Getting Things Done." Perhaps you are one of the people who believes that if you simply employed a better system, then you would accomplish more, and have more time available to do the things in life that you enjoy.

However, I believe that the entire philosophy of doing more and more is the very source of the problem that so many are having with their lives. I encourage a mindset of focusing less on being productive and finding "hacks" for being more efficient, in favor of focusing more on enjoying the process of everything that you do.

I have found the the real key to getting things done is to simply find your flow. This means accessing the flow state. Some people call it being "in the zone," or "finding your groove." No matter what you call it, there are a few common traits that are involved in reaching a state of flow.

In order to get a state of flow, first you will need to stop trying to multitask. I know this goes against so much of what is put out there in terms of efficiency tips these days, but you simply cannot do more than one thing at a time anyway. You might as well do one thing at a time, do it fully, do it well, and do it to completion. Then move on to the next task.

You will need to attack every task that you do with all of your mind and body. By doing this, you will find that you actually just lose track of time, and finish before you know it. Since you are not being distracted by interruptions and worries, you will also improve efficiency by about double.

The best thing of all is that the state of flow is energizing, so rather than draining all your energy trying to keep up with doing ten different things at once, when you are finished work, you still have a great deal of energy available to enjoy your family and friends.

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