HowToBeMoreProductive.com – Time Management Tips

According to the Free dictionary, ‘flow’ is:

1. An apparent ease or effortlessness of performance
2. To proceed steadily and easily

Or a little more esoteric…

“Thinking without thinking.”
- Bruce Lee

According to Buddhism: “action of inaction” or “doing without doing.”

Athletes, artists, and musicians frequently experience flow. “It felt like everything was going in slow motion.” And, “I was totally relaxed and focused at the same time.” And, “I was completely in the moment and experiencing bliss.”

I experienced flow a lot when I was playing drums professionally. It was like time stood still and I was ‘blissing out,’ totally in the moment and relaxed while focused on delivering an outstanding performance (my intention/goal).

How does one get into this highly productive state referred to as flow?

I believe several things contribute to the flow experience:

1. have a clear and compelling vision of what you want to achieve (goals),
2. do what you love doing (something you’re passionate about),
3. experience happiness in the now (unconditional happiness).

Hence the paradox. “Shouldn’t I wait to be happy? Shouldn’t I have a reason to be happy? If I’m happy now, without the achievement of my intention/goal/vision, won’t that diminish my motivation to succeed on a higher level?”

Actually, the studies show the opposite to be true.

When you’re not happy or when you’re not happily achieving your goals, you tend to experience more stress, frustration, and anger along the way. These negative emotions in your body actually contribute to dis-ease. You’ll notice it in the weakest part of your body first. So how can having a weakened immune system and poor health add to your motivation to achieve your goals? It can’t.

When you’re happy or when you happily achieve, you experience positive emotions such as compassion, gratitude, and joy. These positive emotions release powerful chemicals that support great health in your body. This has now been scientifically proven.

So, given the choice—and you do have a choice—which decision do you think will diminish your motivation to succeed more: happily achieving your goals in good health or unhappily struggling to achieve your goals in a body that is steadily declining in health?

A side note: I also believe that the more mastery you have for the given task, the better, because you will be more able to relax and shift into “thinking without thinking”, aka, experience more ‘flow.’

So, to recap:

1. have a clear and compelling vision of what you want to achieve (goals),
2. do what you love doing,
3. experience happiness in the now (unconditional happiness).

Now, GET FLOWING!