Today's post is from Matt Hunckler, the Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist for Repurify.com, a
unique online boutique that offers only the safest, most effective
non-toxic personal care products and cosmetics. Matt is also a maven of
new technologies and works for an innovative cloud computing company to
help businesses realize greater efficiency and scale.
Have you ever been in the zone? You know what I'm talking about - those magical times when things just seem to click and you find that perfect, productive flow. These moments may seem fleeting, especially with all of the projects that we as Workshifters often have to juggle. Yet, there are things that I've found can help you get "in the zone" more consistently to increase productivity and give you a more inspired work experience.
You've probably already heard all the "peak-performance" health tips: eat only healthy foods, drink lots of water, exercise every day, and get plenty of sleep. But let's face it, if you're a high-performing individual, you can't always get a full eight hours of sleep and it's not always that easy to prepare yourself that veggie wrap instead of hitting the corner deli at lunch.
In this article, I take a look at some of the techniques that can quickly get you going in the right direction to tackle your daily to-dos more quickly while producing A+ results. Finding your optimal frame of mind isn't easy, but if you break down a few of the fundamentals of personal performance, you can actually triangulate your mental, physical, and emotional states through a process I like to call "frame shifting."
Step 1: Make meaningful movement.
So when I say "meaningful movement," what am I talking about?
Think purpose. If you move with purpose, you can trigger all kinds of healthy productive thought processes and emotions. Think of it as knocking over the first domino in the domino line.
Breath and posture are the foundation of many well-known physical and mental disciplines like Tai Chi and yoga. While I don't have any yoga mats or Zen gardens, I've found that I can greatly increase my energy level by managing my physiology. By taking deep breaths and maintaining a healthy posture, I'm better prepared to tackle my toughest tasks and handle the inevitable stresses of the day.
Sitting up straight will keep you more alert and energized than slumping our slouching at your desk, coffee table, or wherever else you place your laptop. It will also help improve your breathing, which should be deep, consistent breaths from the diaphragm - not the stomach. I like to take 3-minute breaks at least twice a day to focus on my breathing. This helps me gain perspective on whatever mission-critical work I'm tackling that day.
If you can consistently move your body in a specific way as you get into your flow, you can create what's called a physical anchor. This means that your deliberate movement acts as a stimulus and your desired state change is the reflex, or response. Anchoring can be extremely powerful, as it can accelerate the entire process of getting in the zone.
Step 2: Optimize your mentality.
While your physical activity may eventually become an automatic trigger or anchor for your productive state, it's important when you're just starting out to be very deliberate about your thought processes. What kinds of thoughts and feelings do you have when you're in the zone?
Create mental barriers between companies or major projects. I like to create separate to-do lists and keep a separate notebook for each of the organizations to which I contribute. Not only will this practice of compartmentalizing your life make it easier for you to focus, but it also makes it simpler for you to find that recent ingenious idea you want to revisit.
You can further compartmentalize your work by moving to a new location where you can associate yourself with specific types of work. For example, I work on my non-profit work on my couch at home, my personal project work at coffee shops and bars, and my cloud computing work at the corporate offices. The more consistent you can be with all of your environmental factors, the quicker you'll be able to get in the right frame of mind to be productive and creative.
Step 3: Master your emotions.
Now that you're moving and thinking like a pro, it's time to take it to the next level by tapping into an emotional attitude that supports your forward progress.
Find your "why" - the people, causes, and things that give meaning to your life. Remind yourself of your short-term and long-term goals with visual and verbal cues. These could include pictures, charts, slogans, or whatever serves to help focus your energy.
It's also a good idea to take a look at how far you've come. Remember the days before you had your first client, project, or published work? You're constantly evolving and progressing, and that's something to be excited about and encouraged by. Don't sweat it that you're not perfect yet. Pay attention to and applaud your progress.
Music is an amazing tool when it comes to mastering your emotions. We've all had the experience of hearing a familiar tune and instantly being transported back to a very specific time or place. This is a form of emotional anchoring. Use it to your advantage.
Music and visuals not only help you get to your state of flow, but they also help block out productivity-sapping distractions. I steer clear of music with lots of lyrics, but you may be able to mesh this with your work style. Try using set-it-and-forget-it music tools like Pandora to help you stay focused on your work, rather than puttering around until you find your "perfect playlist."
Bring it all together.
Now that you have some tools, it's time to bring it all together into a deliberate, well-practiced pattern to get you in the zone and working through your to-do lists.
The important thing is to track what works. When you get in that rhythm - that magical state of flow - pause a minute and notice what you're doing. What's different? What did you do immediately prior to getting in this productive/creative/inspired state?
Once you find what works, use it consistently to get yourself going. With practice, you'll be able to triangulate your body, mind, and emotions to frame-shift into that perfect, productive state- the zone - where you can more easily do the things you need to do to reach your goals.
What are your thoughts? What do you do?
Photo Credit: SpaceAmoeba
Have you ever been in the zone? You know what I'm talking about - those magical times when things just seem to click and you find that perfect, productive flow. These moments may seem fleeting, especially with all of the projects that we as Workshifters often have to juggle. Yet, there are things that I've found can help you get "in the zone" more consistently to increase productivity and give you a more inspired work experience.You've probably already heard all the "peak-performance" health tips: eat only healthy foods, drink lots of water, exercise every day, and get plenty of sleep. But let's face it, if you're a high-performing individual, you can't always get a full eight hours of sleep and it's not always that easy to prepare yourself that veggie wrap instead of hitting the corner deli at lunch.
In this article, I take a look at some of the techniques that can quickly get you going in the right direction to tackle your daily to-dos more quickly while producing A+ results. Finding your optimal frame of mind isn't easy, but if you break down a few of the fundamentals of personal performance, you can actually triangulate your mental, physical, and emotional states through a process I like to call "frame shifting."
Step 1: Make meaningful movement.
So when I say "meaningful movement," what am I talking about?
Think purpose. If you move with purpose, you can trigger all kinds of healthy productive thought processes and emotions. Think of it as knocking over the first domino in the domino line.
Breath and posture are the foundation of many well-known physical and mental disciplines like Tai Chi and yoga. While I don't have any yoga mats or Zen gardens, I've found that I can greatly increase my energy level by managing my physiology. By taking deep breaths and maintaining a healthy posture, I'm better prepared to tackle my toughest tasks and handle the inevitable stresses of the day.
Sitting up straight will keep you more alert and energized than slumping our slouching at your desk, coffee table, or wherever else you place your laptop. It will also help improve your breathing, which should be deep, consistent breaths from the diaphragm - not the stomach. I like to take 3-minute breaks at least twice a day to focus on my breathing. This helps me gain perspective on whatever mission-critical work I'm tackling that day.
If you can consistently move your body in a specific way as you get into your flow, you can create what's called a physical anchor. This means that your deliberate movement acts as a stimulus and your desired state change is the reflex, or response. Anchoring can be extremely powerful, as it can accelerate the entire process of getting in the zone.
Step 2: Optimize your mentality.
While your physical activity may eventually become an automatic trigger or anchor for your productive state, it's important when you're just starting out to be very deliberate about your thought processes. What kinds of thoughts and feelings do you have when you're in the zone?
Create mental barriers between companies or major projects. I like to create separate to-do lists and keep a separate notebook for each of the organizations to which I contribute. Not only will this practice of compartmentalizing your life make it easier for you to focus, but it also makes it simpler for you to find that recent ingenious idea you want to revisit.
You can further compartmentalize your work by moving to a new location where you can associate yourself with specific types of work. For example, I work on my non-profit work on my couch at home, my personal project work at coffee shops and bars, and my cloud computing work at the corporate offices. The more consistent you can be with all of your environmental factors, the quicker you'll be able to get in the right frame of mind to be productive and creative.
Step 3: Master your emotions.
Now that you're moving and thinking like a pro, it's time to take it to the next level by tapping into an emotional attitude that supports your forward progress.
Find your "why" - the people, causes, and things that give meaning to your life. Remind yourself of your short-term and long-term goals with visual and verbal cues. These could include pictures, charts, slogans, or whatever serves to help focus your energy.
It's also a good idea to take a look at how far you've come. Remember the days before you had your first client, project, or published work? You're constantly evolving and progressing, and that's something to be excited about and encouraged by. Don't sweat it that you're not perfect yet. Pay attention to and applaud your progress.
Music is an amazing tool when it comes to mastering your emotions. We've all had the experience of hearing a familiar tune and instantly being transported back to a very specific time or place. This is a form of emotional anchoring. Use it to your advantage.
Music and visuals not only help you get to your state of flow, but they also help block out productivity-sapping distractions. I steer clear of music with lots of lyrics, but you may be able to mesh this with your work style. Try using set-it-and-forget-it music tools like Pandora to help you stay focused on your work, rather than puttering around until you find your "perfect playlist."
Bring it all together.
Now that you have some tools, it's time to bring it all together into a deliberate, well-practiced pattern to get you in the zone and working through your to-do lists.
The important thing is to track what works. When you get in that rhythm - that magical state of flow - pause a minute and notice what you're doing. What's different? What did you do immediately prior to getting in this productive/creative/inspired state?
Once you find what works, use it consistently to get yourself going. With practice, you'll be able to triangulate your body, mind, and emotions to frame-shift into that perfect, productive state- the zone - where you can more easily do the things you need to do to reach your goals.
What are your thoughts? What do you do?
Photo Credit: SpaceAmoeba
