How to improve your productivity as an Entrepreneur with FLOW
At some point in time, we have all stumbled upon a euphoric and effortless sensation of being in the zone. Where you become so absorbed in an activity at hand that time flies. Where your thoughts and actions are aligned, and you gather momentum at a magical pace. This is FLOW for entrepreneurs, the ultimate way to improve productivity and achieve incredible results in your work.
Almost like a little trickle of water originating high up in the mountains and cobbling away down the mountain with a happy cheer, into the mainstream flow of the river and finally into the open waters of the ocean. Nothing can stop you now.
Why Do Entrepreneurs Need the Magic Potion of FLOW?
The reality of entrepreneurship is that we do not live in the magic wonderland of a fairytale. We do not live in a world of sunshine and roses (all the time). One of my clients remarked recently that if you have not experienced the ‘oh-shit’ moments of business, you have not been an entrepreneur long enough.
The opposite of being in a state of flow and super productive as an entrepreneur is being stuck. Regardless of how many times you have found yourself being stuck, it is probably one of the most draining situations to be in as an entrepreneur. This is probably the time when wine, smoking, and overeating start featuring more often than they should.
In my mind, however, one massive trademark of a successful entrepreneur is the ability to get up, dust yourself off, and find a brand-new supply of magic potion. No, not the illegal stuff that gets you into trouble with the law.
What is the State of FLOW?
The state of FLOW was first coined by the Positive Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in the 1970s. Flow is described as an “optimal state of consciousness” where we feel our best and perform our best. When you are in flow, every action, every decision, arises seamlessly from the last. In this state, we are so focused on the task at hand that all else falls away. Action and awareness merge. Our sense of self vanishes. Our sense of time starts to become distorted. And performance goes through the roof.
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)
The Balance Between Anxiety & Boredom
Aristotle exclaimed more than 2400 years ago that more than anything else, men and women seek happiness. The ultimate happiness does not happen by pure luck. Happiness needs to be cultivated and grown, whether consciously or unconsciously.
The existence of flow is said to be found in an optimal channel between the size of the challenge and the level of skill. If the challenge is too high, anxiety occurs which can lead to burnout, but if the challenge is too low boredom and apathy occur.
It is important to understand that flow is not an objective, concrete matter, but stems from our perceptions of a certain situation. It is a highly subjective and personal matter. Some research suggests that a 4% change from your status quo or comfort zone is the ultimate jump before your anxiety levels become too high. Our perception of and tolerance for anxiety is different from person to person and should be judged and managed within this framework.
The Eight-Point Model
The research on flow led Csikszentmihalyi to the development of the eight-point model of flow as illustrated below.
Having no challenge and no competence, puts us in the apathy zone, while higher abilities with no challenge leave us in the boredom zone. On the other end of the spectrum, we cannot have copious amounts of challenges with levels of competence that do not match the challenge as high levels of anxiety will lead to burn-out, which is not of benefit to anyone. At least not the people around you.
McKinsey, recognized as the world’s most prestigious management consultancy firm, has done a 10-year study where top executives reported being five times more productive when in flow. Essentially that means that if you can spend one day of your workweek in perfect flow, you only need to work one day a week. According to the McKinsey researchers, if we could increase the time we spend in flow by only 15-20% our workplace productivity would double.
How does being in FLOW as an entrepreneur work?
When you are in flow, the brain releases the five neurochemicals that are the biggest reward the brain can produce simultaneously.
Norepinephrine and dopamine tighten the focus, helping us shut out the persistent distractions of our multi-tasked lives. Endorphins block pain, letting us burn the candle at both ends without burning out altogether. Anandamide prompts lateral connections and generates gestalt insights far more than most brainstorming sessions. And the feel-good chemical serotonin makes you live on cloud nine and bonds teams together.
“Researchers describe flow as the source code of intrinsic motivation,” says Jamie Wheal, Executive Director of the Flow Genome Project. “Once an experience produces the state, we will go to extraordinary lengths to get more of it.”
This is what drives people to work through the night to make that deadline or get 100-mile runners over the finish line.
Flow produces one of the most potent neurochemical cocktails around and has a massive impact on our ability to acquire new skills and knowledge leading to extreme performance improvements, as explained in The Rise of Superman by Stevan Kotler.
The most important role of Flow is its impact on creativity in today’s fast-paced economy. People are continuously complaining that they are overwhelmed by information overload. Flow allows you to absorb that information and integrate it into your world. While everyone else is distracted, people in flow are adapting and using this state of consciousness to step up their performance levels. And this is how the creative process is accelerated.
The Ingredients of FLOW for Entrepreneurs
Do you want to learn more about the State of FLOW, arousal, control & relaxation? Part II on our State of FLOW and how to improve your productivity as an entrepreneur is available in our next blog. This article covers the ingredients of FLOW and how to ultimately achieve FLOW.
As usual, we would LOVE your feedback. We are ultimately here to help you and we need to know whether this article was helpful or not.
