Triggering Your Flow State

A friend of mine has a test coming up so I thought I’d share some techniques I’ve learned over the last year on creating a mental routine for consistent peak performance. Micahel Jordan and Lebron James, as well as many other athletes, musicians, artists, and businessmen, have talked about entering a “flow state” or “the zone.” The best way to describe it is when you’re fully immersed in an activity, study session, workout or a run, fully focused, in what feels like a relaxing bliss. There’s a pure feeling of serenity. In doing this you leave stress and fear of failure at the door. You are totally living in the present moment, completely absorbed in the task at hand. It’s been shown time and time again that in this state, your learning, productivity, and performance increase tremendously.

I’ve read numerous books on visualization as well as how to enter this flow state and have played with combining different methods to find what works best for me. The two methods I’ve pulled from are “10 Minute Toughness” by Jason Selk (a sports psychologist) and the other from Josh Waitzkin. He is one of the best chess players of all time, a two-time world Tai Chi push hands champion, the author of “The Art of Learning” and is now a performance coach for hedge fund managers. The resulting technique, if practiced regularly, will undoubtedly help you more consistently enter your flow state.

How to Create Your “Flow State” Routine:

The routine consists of 3 parts. The first is a meditation of about 10 minutes, the second is to listen to a song that encourages the positive emotions you’d like to feel during your flow states, and the third is a visualization exercise.

When you schedule this routine into your day also matters. Our minds are constantly trying to identify patterns and make connections between events. Since we are most engaged when doing something we are interested in and love, the best time to practice this exercise is right before you’re about to enjoy one of your favorite activities. This connects the routine to that uplifted feeling, allowing your mind to be more receptive to its benefits. For example, I practice it before seeing friends or spending time with my family.

Meditation: The meditation session should be roughly 10-15 minutes, although as you become more consistent in performing this, it may take less time for you to clear your mind and center yourself in the present moment. In your meditation, spend the first 5 minutes focusing on your breath. Counting each in-breath as 1, out-breath as 2, and so on before restarting at 1 once you reach 10. The second 5 minutes, picture a moment where you felt immense joy and love. This could be a victory in a sporting event, some good news you received, or any other event that opened your heart. It can also help to place a hand on your heart during this.

Your Song: As you think about the song you want to listen to before beginning your visualization, ask yourself what traits are most important for you to embody to be successful in whatever you are setting out to achieve. For me in golf, it is remaining open to the moment, welcoming success but still receptive to failure’s lessons, and being eager for what’s to come. I have found this helps me release from my ego and relax into a loving consciousness. For you, the adjectives you might look for could be courageous, confident, loving, accepting, appreciative, aggressive, knowledgable, etc. Take time to figure this out (as it will become helpful in the visualization portion as well) and choose a song that you feel encompasses this to the fullest.

10-Minute Toughness: This visualization exercise is composed of 6 parts. The first is the deep 15-second breath. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system and relaxes your body. The second is the identity statement. To craft this, think back to what is most important when doing this activity. For me, saying “I’m centered. I’m eagerly loving” puts me in a quiet state, where my heart and mind are open, excited for the present moment. Again, this is just going to be one or two short sentences that you feel capture the single most fundamental idea to be successful.

Following these two steps is your highlight real. This might consist of the best shots you’ve hit in golf, the most confident test you’ve taken, or a successful pitch to a client. Focus on all of your senses. What was happening around you? What did you see, hear, smell, touch? The important part is to focus on what you were feeling when you did this. Have that feeling completely fill you so you can take that with you. Then, repeat the steps for the upcoming event you have. Picture everything going exactly as you plan while again focusing heavily on your emotions during the visualization. Immerse yourself in that future experience, knowing exactly how you want to feel and how you want it to unfold. Finally, end the routine with your identity statement again, “I’m centered. I’m eagerly loving” or say something like, “I’m more improved than my competition. I’m the most eagerly loving golfer alive.” Again, just go with what feels best to you. Then end the routine with one final meditative 15-second breath, and you’re done!

My Routine:

20 minutes before I’m going to play golf, I start the routine. I begin with a 10-minute meditation, 5 minutes of following my breath, followed by 5 minutes of an open heart meditation to put me in a loving/accepting state of mind. Then I listen to a song that I feel encompasses the message, feelings, and overall vibe of what I want out on the course. The song is Ready To Win by Tokyo Police Club. Then I begin the visualization portion. I take a deep 15-second breath, a deep enough breath to fill my lower diagram. I then say “I’m centered. I’m eagerly loving.” Then I play a highlight real of 5 of my best golf shots, focusing on the feeling I had when I hit them, followed by the first 5 shots from the upcoming round/event I will be playing. I then follow up by saying, “I’m centered. I’m eagerly loving.” I finish up the routine with one last deep 15-second breath and head off to my round.

Just Keep At it!

This may feel difficult at first. The visualization portion might be a struggle to fully imagine. But as you practice this consistently, your ability to visualize and feel confident in what you’re doing will improve and so will the consistency of your work. If you’d like to learn more about this process, check out “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin and “10-Minute Toughness” by Jason Selk. Happy visualizing!