While drafting my second novel, I sent instalments every fortnight to a writing coach to help me stay on track. Although I had a few days each week to write, without fail on deadline day I’d only have two or three pages written instead of a complete chapter. So I’d hunker down for a day of writing. Five o’clock would come and go, then 6pm. At 8:30pm, after eating dinner and putting my child to bed, I’d begrudgingly return to my desk and push on with the chapter, all the while flicking to Google for “research”. That’s when the internal tug-of-war would begin:

I should just cut my losses and send it now, apologising for how short and poorly written it is … one part of me would say.
And then: No, you can do this! Just keep going and it will be done by midnight!
Followed by: Ugh, I’m so tired. My writing is crap. Why bother? I just want to go to bed.

This would go on for a while. Sometime around midnight, however, I’d get a second wind and vow to finish the chapter, even if I had to stay up all night. In making that commitment, something in my brain would shift. I would become singularly focused on getting to the end of the chapter. No procrastination, no doubts about my writing. I’d write fast and furiously, words pouring out of me like sweat in midsummer. I’d hammer out the final sentence and look up at the clock: 3am. I’d written two days’ worth in a few hours.

This happened Every. Single. Time. For 16 months until I had completed the first draft.

When my writing coach would get back to me with feedback a few days later, more often than not she’d comment that “the writing really picked up on page X”—exactly the spot where I’d entered a state of hyper focus.

I’d heard about the “flow state” before, but my regular experience with it got me thinking: was there a way to enter flow without the pressure of a deadline (and preferably before midnight)? I did some digging, got a bit obsessed, and this is what I found out.

What is FLow?

Finding your flow. Getting into the zone. Doing deep work. Whatever you want to call it, it’s an optimal state of consciousness when mind and body merge and we perform at our peak mental/physical capacity. It’s accompanied by feelings of ecstasy and euphoria, triggered by feel-good neurochemicals: dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, anandamine, oxytocin and endorphins. The flow state usually lasts for 1.5-2 hours. We feel at one with the universe and our sense of time becomes distorted—sometimes slowing down, at other times speeding up. It’s characterised by rapid-fire decision making, happening so quickly that there’s no analysis—we do things almost automatically. That’s because parts of the pre-frontal cortex (“the inner critic”) shut down during flow. Our ability to think critically diminishes, but productivity increases manifold.

Some people may be naturally prone to flow—especially those who score high on personality tests for conscientiousness and openness to experience (yes and YES!), and low on measures of neuroticism (not me). Although it’s typically seen as the domain of sportspeople or performing artists (e.g. concert pianists, jazz musicians), anyone can experience flow. Chances are you already have. Ever been immersed in a video game? Or lost yourself in thought when on a walk, or chatting with a friend, or cooking dinner? Not all experiences of flow are the mind-bending, earth-shattering kind. The flow state is a spectrum, with some episodes more intense than others.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FLOW

For centuries, the flow state was confined to the realm of religious experiences. It wasn’t seen as quantifiable or measurable. However, in 1901, William James interviewed numerous successful people such as Leo Tolstoy, Martin Luther and Lord Tennyson and found they all experienced mystical episodes during periods of intense concentration, indicating that positive transcendent states could be triggered by secular activity. In 1915, James’ student Walter Bradford Cannon identified the fight-or-flight response. This would be used to explain the physiological basis of so-called mystical experiences. In 1964, Abraham Maslow studied college students and the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Albert Einstein, and used the term “peak experiences” to describe “moments of highest happiness and fulfillment”.

In 1975, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term “flow” after interviewing hundreds people about when they felt/performed their best. He found that flow is experienced by people from all walks of life: factory workers, farmers, dancers, surgeons, chess players. The most enjoyable moments in people’s lives were also the times that were challenging and painful. In his later work on creativity, he became fascinated by artists who, when absorbed in their work, disregarded the need for food, water and sleep.

how to enter the zone

“Write first thing in the morning” is an oft-used writers’ maxim. Authors such as Haruki Murakami, Barbara Kingsolver and Toni Morrison all get cracking before the sun rises, at 4am or 5am. Even Hemingway liked to start writing “soon after first light” (no guarantees he was sober, though). The benefits of a morning writing session are twofold: you’ll ensure you’ll get it done if you do it first thing, and you’re more likely to slip into the flow state soon after waking. Here’s why: the flow state exists between the conscious and subconscious states, so you’re closer to it just after sleep.

Set the challenge level high. A tendency to procrastinate indicates the task isn’t challenging enough. If you aim to work at the upper limit of your capability, or even 5% beyond what you think is possible, you’re more likely to reach a state of hyper focus. Give yourself less time to do things, or try to do more in the time allotted, for example: write 500 words an hour instead of 200.

Engage in mindful activity. Certain types of activity are known to trigger flow states—ones that engage the mind and body without pushing them to their limits. Good activities include model building (try putting together an IKEA purchase, or helping your kid with their school project), painting, crafts (Iowa Writers Workshop director Lan Samantha Chang knits while brainstorming ideas), puzzles, journalling, yoga, meditation, rock climbing, going for a run, walking in nature and gardening. Activities that involve the hands are particularly useful flow triggers—traditional craftspeople report the highest levels of flow in their daily lives. Take this quiz to determine your flow personality and the best trigger activities for you (you have to provide your email address to access results, but it’s easy to unsubscribe from marketing emails): www.flowgenomeproject.com/flow-profile

Breathing exercises can also help you find your flow. Try inhaling for 3.5 seconds, and exhaling for 7 seconds. Do this for 5 minutes and you’ll nudge your body into a relaxed state that’s more susceptible to flow. Box breathing is another effective technique. Inhale for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of four, exhale for a count of four, then keep your lungs empty for a count of four. Repeat for 5 minutes.

Feeling daunted about a big task? Anxiety can negatively affect creativity, but it’s easy to flip anxiety into excitement—just say “I am excited” three times out loud.

Stop when you’re still excited, ready to pick things up again the next day. Hemingway and Gabriel Garcia Marquez often ended their writing sessions mid-sentence.

Embrace the “struggle phase”. Getting into flow always starts with a period of struggle. Accept it as part of the cycle and persist for 20-40 minutes—but not much longer. Stubbornly sitting at your desk for hours when you’re not in the mood won’t help you get things done. Take a break instead.

Know that finding flow takes practice. Like a muscle, you’ll gradually get there quicker and go deeper each time.

YOUR perfect flow-y day

Your perfect workday should include 1.5 to 2 hours of uninterrupted time doing your most important task; 25-45 minutes of flow-trigger activity; 5 minutes of journalling a problem and trying to find solutions to previously outlined problems. You could follow this with a second flow period of about 1.5 hours. After a period of flow, follow with some rest and relaxation for 25-45 minutes. Most learning takes place in the recovery phase. Finish your day with 5 minutes spent writing out a clear list of goals/your schedule for the following day. Don’t try to schedule your downtime (i.e. weekends) as it could diminish your enjoyment. You should also try to include two 4.5-hour periods of rumination each week.

I’m a night owl (as is my partner) with two young kids—double whammy for a writer!—but if I manage to find the Holy Grail of a perfect workday, it would look something like this:

7AM Rise. Meditate (20 minutes). Write Morning Pages (a method from The Artist’s Way). Eat something light and drink tea.
8AM Hit my desk for a solid 2 hours on my most important task, usually my novel. Aim to write 700 words.
10AM Do yoga, or take a walk in nature.
11AM Do less important tasks that don’t involve web surfing (my Achilles’ heel), e.g. checking emails.
12PM Lunch.
1PM Nap. Or, if I’m not feeling tired, meditate (20 minutes) then spend 25 minutes on a flow trigger activity such as a puzzle or origami.
1:45PM Journal for 5 minutes.
1:50PM Second writing session.
3:20PM Finish for the day. Before bedtime, spend 5 minutes planning my next day.

MY REALITY

Let’s be frank: I’ve never had a day as described above. With a toddler and a 6-year-old, I don’t get to my desk until 10 or 10:30AM (on the few days I have childcare), and I have to stop working sometime between 2:30 and 4:15 (depending on my kids’ schedules). I do my best to protect 1.5 to 2 hours in the morning as my golden hours to write my novel, and try not to check emails or phone messages or surf the web (apps such as Freedom help with that). I aim to write 600 words, but 300-400 is more like it.

The origami-at-my-desk thing didn’t work, despite toting around packets of pretty paper and various origami instruction books for months. What has been beneficial is getting outdoors—weather permitting, I like to do my morning writing (with pen and paper) in Centennial Park or somewhere along the Bondi-Bronte coastal walk. There’s nothing like the swish of trees, the chirrup of insects, and the hiss and roar of waves to put me in a positive and contemplative mood.

After a hiatus of a few years, I’ve recently returned to regular meditation and writing Morning Pages (scheduling them into my day the night before has worked wonders). Both have had huge impacts on my mood, energy and the depth of my writing—I dive deep into theme and character motivation in my Morning Pages and those mental leaps show in the novel pages I subsequently write.

Have I been able to enter the flow state without the pressure of a deadline? Not every day, but once or twice a week if the conditions are right, I have. It usually happens when I’m well-rested, have avoided all distractions and it’s soon after I’ve woken. Some mornings I’ll start at 9:30 and be on a streak until midday. I’ve written over a 1000 words at those times.

My biggest takeaway from all the research I’ve done is not to force myself to sit at my desk until I hit my word count, as I used to. I take a break, go outside, do some exercise or a trigger activity and then try again.

What is FLow?

A BRIEF HISTORY OF FLOW

how to enter the zone

YOUR perfect flow-y day

MY REALITY

FURTHER READING/WATCHING