Damn. A very bad night’s sleep, and overslept this morning. My brain is foggy and dull, but I am determined to hit my targets. To clear up this fog, I need to put in my morning training, or suffer all day. I’m going to be a bit behind my schedule, but that’s the great thing about a generous schedule: I can catch up.
I am not in bad shape, but I think if I aim to hit flow states consistently, I am going to have to go up a level. The thing I neglect most is endurance training (all the other things I do make you feel better, quicker). This needs to step up to at least 2 hours a week of swimming and running. I usually have little time during the week for this, but hopefully being in the zone more often will create more time.
First 90-minute session done. Probably not as good as yesterday’s, but that was to be expected, since I am not fully immersed in this part of the work yet. No nootropics today. Before the second session, I am going to use some CBD oil to see if it has an effect on my state of mind. Right now, I need calm and deep focus to understand the physics of what is going on here, and a high analytic capability. I am adding some magnesium and l-theanine, which should boost calm energy and counteract some of the coffee I have been drinking. Also, I need tea. For my break, I am going to get some sun and air (remember the “cathedral effect”) and check the cricket scores. I should probably think of adding some movement to my breaks, like some quick yoga postures. This should be standardized, so I don’t have to expend any extra mental resources wondering what I am going to do.
A good sign of the next session is that I am really into the work, and I know exactly where to kick off. Progress is incremental, but it is progress nonetheless.
Note: start reading “Effortless” by Greg McKeown again, taking notes of the most important concepts in my journal.
EffortlessSecond session: I felt like I was really stretching it here, and looked at the time more (which should be a no-no!). I did good work though, and was able to write up an extremely simplified model for what I am trying to do. There is definitely a jumping-off point for the next session. At the end of the session, it was clear that I needed a break (and lunch). But pushing the sessions this way is good focus practice, and helps train mental fitness to maintain cognitive load for longer. Three out of the four tasks for the day completed, including the two that absolutely had to be done. Time for a good, long rest.
Even when you stop working, your brain does not.
A note about flow and mindset. I think that, psychologically, you must be prepared to enter flow, but insisting on it won’t work. There must also be a positive component: you must believe it can be done, and you should look forward to the process, or at least not fear and resent it.
It always takes more time than you think.
If flow is your main aim, the rest of your life should be supporting it. Something to think about when planning your day.
The Flow Diaries 