Have you ever found yourself losing track of time?
I’m not talking about when you get stuck in your email inbox or mindlessly watch YouTube videos (although there’s nothing wrong with either of those).
I’m talking about when you start doing something and you look up and two hours have passed. You’re so focused or engaged or intrigued or immersed – whatever you want to call it – that time just seems to simply disappear. Some people call this flow or flow state. That feels like a great description.
I love that feeling of flow as it means I’m doing something that I love or that matters to me at a deep level.
Let me give you a personal example.
It’s no surprise to you that I love the topic of gratitude. It’s easy for me to start reading one article about that topic and then click on links to read the research behind the article, and then find another article in the research and go there, and so on and so forth. Two hours might go by, yet I’m not tired or overwhelmed or bored. In fact I feel excited, alive, bursting with ideas of how I want to share what I’ve read and learned.
Because I know this now about myself, I can add a bit of flow into my day by blocking out research and learning time. Even 15 minutes of reading an article or a book on something I’m interested in acts as a boost in energy and sparks joy in my day.
Think about a time when you experienced the feeling of flow – time flies, you’re deeply engaged or fully immersed, and even though you’re concentrating, you feel energized or excited?
Write about this time in detail.
- Where were you?
- Who was with you (if anyone)?
- What were you doing?
- What did it feel like?
Reflect on why doing what you were doing made you feel that flow state. Are there clues there into what matters to you, what you love or what can create positive energy in you? If so, can you find other similar activities that engage you at the same or similar level? Can you add a little of the activity to your day? What happens if you only have a short amount of time to do the activity? How does adding an activity that puts you into flow affect you even if you do it for a limited time?
Flow comes easier the more you explore, so if you’re interested in learning more about the power of your stories to do just that, click here to check out my upcoming Write Into Joy workshops.
Here’s to your flow!