Flow Writing

“How to write faster and have fun doing it.”

Have you ever experienced flow while writing?

It’s a powerful feeling. Words pour out of you, marching across the page like a tiny parade that
just keeps going. The writing feels alive, electrifying. You catch yourself grinning, thinking oh,
that’s a clever idea. You’re actually having fun.

Unfortunately, that’s not the norm for most writing sessions. Many writers will tell you that
writing is a slogfest, like walking across a desert with a water bottle full of brown chalky paste
you found at some dried up watering hole. See that lake up ahead? It’s a mirage. Get used to
it, keep writing.

Personally I’m not a fan of this “slit my wrists onto the page” mentality. Yes, writing is hard. Lots
of things in life are hard, but - here’s the secret - you can still have fun doing them.

The real challenge with writing is that it doesn’t naturally induce a flow state. If we want to
experience flow more often while writing, we need to create the ideal conditions for that to
happen ourselves. That’s where flow writing comes in.

What is Flow Writing?

Flow writing is a simple process to help you write faster and have fun doing it by getting into
flow. Frankly, it’s been my “secret weapon” over the past few years, helping me quickly knock
out writing projects, develop new products and offers for my business, and get a lot done in a
(relatively) short amount of time.

The elements of flow writing are pretty simple, and pulled from a variety of “peak performance”
disciplines. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ve seen some of these elements before and
probably even tried a few yourself. That’s great - but I encourage you to approach this with a
beginners mind and stay open to a new experience. Because it’s the combination of these
elements that makes flow writing work - take one of them away, and it’s not the same (trust me,
I’ve tried).

#1: The Breath

Flow writing starts with a 5-7 minute breathing exercise. The point of this exercise is to change
your state. Think about how you feel right now. Maybe you feel great, or maybe there is some
underlying stress or anxiety. That’s normal, and your state will change throughout the day
based on everything you experience.
This breathing exercise will put you in a more relaxed, creative and free flowing state. Your
breath is powerful, and changing your breathing patterns in specific ways allows you to literally
change the chemistry in your body. By using this simple breathing exercise, we can brush away
the cobwebs, get rid of blocks, and create optimal conditions for flow. Expect a feeling of light
euphoria, and an open, creative mind.

#2: A Time Container

We use a time container for two reasons. First, knowing exactly what you are “in for” makes it
easy to actually do flow writing. Newsflash - this only works if you do it. Knowing that you can
have a productive and meaningful writing session in just 15-20 minutes is a great feeling.
Before I started using flow writing, I would spend 15 minutes (or more) just staring at my screen,
trying to figure out how to get started. Now, I don’t have to do that. You don’t either.

Second, by using a time container we harness the power of a deadline. The clock is ticking
down, and your challenge is to write write write until it stops. That challenge is essential to
staying in flow for your entire writing session.

#3: Freewriting
Freewriting is simple - you just write, without stopping and without criticizing or editing anything
that you are writing. Many people struggle with this, including myself, but it is mission critical
that you do. Just write and let the words flow, without worrying about how “good” it is. If you
misspell something, move on. If you think of a better way to say something, just write it on the
next line instead of crossing something out or going back to rewrite it.

This is important because your creative brain is completely different from your critical brain, and
more importantly, they can’t function simultaneously. One of the major causes of slooooow
writing (and writers block) is trying to write AND edit at the same time. Create first, edit later. Or
as our friend Hemingway would say, write drunk, edit sober. In flow writing, you can leave that
bottle of whiskey in the cabinet (or take a swig if you want, you do you).

When it comes down to it, fast, relaxed writing is better quality writing. Writing that sounds like
you, not someone else. When you’re relaxed your true voice comes through. You can let loose,
and create some magic. Alternatively, when you try to write from a tight, stressed out place, it
shows up in the quality of your work, and your writing suffers.

#4: Intention / Prompt

What are you going to write about? That’s an important question to answer before you start flow
writing. Nothing interrupts flow like getting hung up on where to start. So before you kick things
off, set an intention or prompt to guide you. Something you know you want to write about.

This could be a piece of copy you are working on, a problem you want to solve, a writing
prompt, or even something that has been bothering you and you want to work through. Don’t
overthink this. Even a couple words to give your writing a starting place is enough to get
started. And once you start you are freewriting, go wherever the ride takes you. Enjoy it.

Worth noting… if you need to do research for your writing project, do that before your flow
writing session.

A Few Basic Tools

You don’t need much to flow write, but there are a few basic tools to enhance your experience:

#1: Something to write with

I have experimented with a lot of different tools for flow writing. Even though I generally prefer
typing over handwriting, I’ve found that flow writing works best with pen and paper. So that’s my
recommendation. Leave the screen for another time, and grab some good ol’ fashioned pen
and paper.

Pen and paper is about as distraction free as it gets, which is a huge plus. I’ve also found that
there is a physicality to writing on paper that engages your body and brain in a different way. It
forces you to slow down a bit, and the writing and ideas that come out of analog tools are often
more powerful.

If you do decide to type, make sure that you are distraction free. Turn off notifications, turn off
your wifi, do whatever it takes to keep distractions from ruining your writing experience. And no,
it is not okay to stop in the middle of your flow writing session to look up a word definition, or
anything else. Look it up when you’re done, until then - write.

#2: A timer
Similar to the above, I much prefer a physical timer (such as the one on my watch, or a cheap
kitchen timer) to using my phone. This is because distraction is real folks and I’m just as human
as anyone else. If a phone timer is all you got, by all means - use it. But a physical timer is a
worthwhile investment.

#3: A Breathing Exercise

I’ve got that covered for you with a simple 6.5 minute breath exercise (links to the recording are
below). However, if you already have a breathing practice, feel free to experiment with this.

How To Kickoff Your First Flow Writing Session

1. Open your notebook and write your intention or prompt at the top of a blank page
2. Set your time container (10, 15, or 20 minutes is a great starting place)
3. Use the breathing exercise linked below
4. Once you finish the breathing exercise, start your timer and have fun writing
The Breathing Exercise
I’ve put together a simple breathing exercise for you to use. There are two links below, one has
instructions at the beginning for each piece of the breathing exercise. I’ve also included a
version of the recording without instructions, as you really only need to listen to that once.

With instructions (7 minutes 48 seconds):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ir7xw1urevnr0a6/25%20Breaths%20-%20Flow%20Writing%2001.m
4a?dl=0

Without instructions (6 minutes 30 seconds):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c7crlazztm0zojo/25%20Breaths%20-%20Flow%20Writing%2001%2
0-%20No%20Instructions.m4a?dl=0

Other Ways To Use Flow Writing

This all began as a way to write faster, and apply some basic principles of high performance to
writing. But over time, I’ve started using it for more than just speedy writing. For me, it’s
become a powerful tool that I use to:

● Solve problems
● Brainstorm ideas
● Make better decisions
● Work through life issues that are bothering me

And more. Feel free to use it however you like.

For example, you could (like me) make flow writing a daily practice to peel back the onion of
yourself and work through whatever problems and challenges come up in life. There is
something powerful about getting thoughts out of your head and onto a piece of paper. This is
especially true of negative thoughts that come up often, and loop throughout the day. Over
time, flow writing can help you identify these negative thought patterns, and let them go. The
peace and clarity that follows is a beautiful thing.

All you have to do is breathe, and start writing.

-Mike Rinard