Chris Donnelly

I post about startups, scale ups, AI and my entrepreneurial journey.

Learn How to Do 8 Hours

Work in 2

Izzy Prior and 1,342 others 102 Comments 76 Reposts

 Chris Donnelly

Do you know the feeling when you are

doing your favourite thing and time just
melts away?

Well after years of studies and interviews,

psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
coined this feeling the “flow state”.

This is a state shared by everyone

regardless of their age, sex, race or
religion.

Here are the 5 essential practices you

need to enter the flow state.
 Chris Donnelly

1. Set Clear Goals

Clear goals generate flow by showing you
where and when to put your attention.

When you have a clear goal your mind

doesn’t wander because it knows what to
do - therefore reducing distraction and
cognitive load.

An example of a clear goal could be:

I'm going to write 500 words for this blog

post between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. today.
 Chris Donnelly

2. Choose Tasks that Stretch

You
Here you should aim to be at the edge
of your boundaries.

"Flow happens when a person's skills are

fully involved in overcoming a challenge
that is just about manageable.”

~ Csikszentmihaly

Too easy and it’ll be understimulating.

Too hard and an anxiety response will

trigger procrastination.
 Chris Donnelly

3. Minimise Distractions
It's more difficult to experience flow if
there are things in your environment
competing for your attention.

Flow requires you to focus.

Suggestion:

1) Turn off phone notifications

2) Try noise-cancelling headphones
3) Put your phone on grayscale mode
 Chris Donnelly

4. Be Intrinsically Motivated
In order to truly reach a flow state you
need a strong internal drive instead of
using external pressures to motivate
you.

A simple way to do this is to cultivate a

personal connection with the task.

It doesn’t matter what the reason is,

there just needs to be a reason.
 Chris Donnelly

5. Reflect and Adapt

Flow is about amplification.

You need to be checking in with yourself

and your practices on a weekly basis.

Don’t let discipline slip through the

cracks, to keep reaching the optimal
state.

Suggestion:

Do your flow reflections on a Sunday -

It’s the perfect way to end the week
strong.
 Chris Donnelly

TL;DR
Utilise these 5 practices and you’ll enter
the flow state on a regular basis:

1) Set Clear Goals

2) Choose Tasks that Stretch You
3) Minimise Distractions
4) Be Intrinsically Motivated
5) Reflect and Adapt
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