How to get and stay in the zone

How to get and stay in the zone

The word ‘flow’ to mean extended periods of concentration has been something a lot more people are hoping to attain. Challenges, however, get into the way of that. From the loud laughter of that colleague you don’t like to your boss calling you to their office, the modern workplace has made it rather difficult to get into the flow and remain there. It is in the flow where, to exaggerate, the magic happens.

Flow is also synonymous with being present where all your senses are attuned to one another and you are fully immersed in something. The scene might not always be perfect (like having a cabin to retreat to and write), but here’s what you do need to know about getting into the zone.

If it’s new, you won’t flow

Getting to that space of intense focus requires you to tap into your subconscious mind. If you indeed have not trained your mind to get into this space through meditation and other spiritual practices, you will have a hard time getting into the zone, let alone remaining there. What we ought to consider is when you are tapping into the subconscious mind, you are tapping into something that already exists.

If you are working on a new account, project, case; whatever that may be, your conscious mind will fully be in charge. You will likely think about the deadline, what approach to take, the client meeting you need to have, what you ought to read up on to fill in missing knowledge. When you are in that state, you cannot flow as you are laying the groundwork. So don’t beat yourself up.

Practice gets you to the flow

Say that you have all the information you need to write a post for a Toronto roofing company and you are now working on compiling a report or coming up with a presentation or concept. Here is where you can practice being in the zone. The tools are the same; coming up with a creative way to sell an idea to clients. If you are still new, you will struggle on this part. However, after putting the 10,000 plus hours, you will get into the zone and flow with minimal effort. The raucous laughter will not bother you anymore, and the look on your face will let your boss know to catch you at another time.

You have to find a sweet spot

Once something stops challenging you, it becomes boring. If you find yourself doing repetitive tasks that you begin to dread because of the boredom that is about to descend, you have to create a challenge for yourself. Let’s use an example of data entry; it is the same thing always. Why not time yourself to see how long it will take? How about how much information you can accurately remember and type out? Flow comes from both skill and the challenge to create only the best piece of work you can.