How To Unlock Insane Focus On Command

Part 1

Goose McGrath
September 30, 2023

You’ve procrastinated for days.

Now time’s running out.

After dragging your feet…

It’s time to finally get started.

It shouldn’t take too long, right?

You’ll get in the zone.

Knock it out of the park.

1 hour, tops.

Easy.

So, you sit down, open your computer, and get ready to rock.

30 minutes go by.

Then—oh shit—it’s been an hour already?

Keep trying, it won’t be much longer.

Now it’s been 2 hours…

Now 3.

You’re maybe halfway done… keep moving.

Now you’re at 5 hours.

Then 6 hours and 7 hours.

Then 8…and thank god, you’re finally done.

But how the hell did that take 8 hours?

It should have taken ONE.

You wanted it to take one.

Sounds like you’ve got a problem with flow.

A problem with flow can make simple tasks seem harder…

Getting focused seems impossible no matter what you try…

It can feel harder than climbing Mount Everest.

So, how do you beat all of that?

How do you unlock flow?

First, you have to know what it is.

So, What is Flow?

A psychologist named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi—A.K.A. the father of flow—coined the term in the ’70s.

According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

The definition of flow was a hot topic in the psych world…

But when Csikszentmihalyi released his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, in 1990, he radically changed the world of productivity.

The world couldn’t get enough of flow…

That feeling of being fully, completely “in the zone.”

Time seems to collapse—fast then slow, and fast again.

Flow is effortless focus, clarity, and complete immersion in what you’re doing.

After Csikszentmihalyi passed away in 2021…

The world still can’t get enough of flow.

Flow Research Collective

In 2019, Rian Doris and Steven Kotler co-founded the Flow Research Collective (FRC).

Using Csikszentmihalyi’s flow research as a jumping-off point, Doris and Kotler transformed the idea of Flow State.

They took it from a two-sentence definition to a brand new way of life.

The FRC’s understanding and teaching of Flow State empowers you to complete tasks that seemed previously unattainable.

And that’s the secret to unlocking insane focus on command.

Understanding Flow State

So “unlocking insane focus on command” might sound a little…well, insane.

But chances are, you’ve probably experienced Flow State before.

Think about the last time you sat down to do something you were really amped about.

You put your head down…

Got into the groove…

And suddenly, 3 hours had passed…

That’s Flow State.

I’m sure you’ve experienced the feeling…

But guess what?

There’s science to back it up.

When you enter a Flow State—that state where work feels effortless—your brain behaves differently.

How?

By sending out tons of “happy hormones.”

Serotonin…

Dopamine…

Anandamide…

Norepinephrine…

The good stuff.

The stuff that makes your brain go from, “Yeah…I guess this task sounds fine” to, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

Your brain literally changes its chemicals to promote creativity, productivity, and learning.

And that’s when Flow State really amps up.

Four Pillars of Flow State

So far I’ve mentioned how Flow State can make work feel effortless…

But it’s more nuanced than that.

Achieving the Flow State involves Four Pillars.

And until you understand—and embody—each pillar, you can’t unlock Flow State on command.

It takes time, commitment, and dedication.

But it’s worth it.

Pillar 1: Flow Blockers

In the 21st-century world, you can spot Flow Blockers faster than you can say “smartphone.”

Flow Blockers are distractions, and they’re everywhere.

Social media, blogs, forums, texts, emails.

They all reduce your focus…

They all increase your stress…

And they’re all massive barriers to achieving Flow State.

According to Flow Research Collective CEO, Rian Doris, the way to beat Flow Blockers is simple…

“Flow before phone.”

Instead of:

Wake up.
Silence alarm.
Scroll for minutes (or hours).
Get up and start your day.

Try:

Wake up.
Silence alarm.
Don’t touch your phone again.
Get up and start your day.

By ditching the phone, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to properly enter Flow State.

Now you can focus instead of doomscrolling.

You replace a Flow Blocker with Flow State.

Pillar 2: Flow Proneness

Flow Proneness is the ability to access the Flow State when and where you want to.

To maximise your likelihood of accessing the Flow State, you need to make sure of 3 things:

Physiology—Am I physically optimised to get into a Flow State?
- Think… getting a proper sleep.
Psychology—Am I mentally optimised to get into a Flow State?
- Think… removing all your Flow Blockers.
Environment—Am I environmentally optimised to get into a Flow State?
- Think… working in a space free of distractions.

Once you’re equipped with all 3…

You’ll be accessing the Flow State in no time.

But not so fast…

One more thing bears mentioning…

Start working within the first 90 seconds of waking up.

Now 90 seconds might feel intimidating…

But that’s actually when you’re physiologically and mentally at your best, which increases your chance of Flow.

So you can hit all 3 birds with 1 Flow stone.

When your brain is in Flow, you’ve got alpha and theta brainwaves bouncing off the walls.

When you first wake up, you’ve got delta and theta brainwaves left over from last night’s sleep.

Your brainwaves in the Flow State are pretty damn close to your brainwaves right after you wake up.

So you’re already mentally primed.

Locked and loaded.

Ready to go.

Why waste that chance?

So Stay Tuned…

Next week is all about using Flow Triggers to catapult yourself into a Flow State…

And how to sustain it.

This week, you learned what in your life acts as Flow Blockers, and how to handle their distraction powers.

(In other words, put the goddamn phone down.)

You learned about Flow Proneness, and how able—or unable—you are at accessing a Flow State.

(Wake up and work, don’t wake up and doomscroll.)

So until then, try putting Pillars 1 and 2 of the Flow State into practice…

Try:

Leaving your phone in another room for the first few hours of the day.
Working as soon as you can after waking up.
Giving yourself a few hours of uninterrupted work time before touching your phone again.

Hit “reply” and let me know how you get on this week. I’d love to hear about the good, the bad, and the ugly, because remember — the Flow State is a process.

And we’re only halfway there.

Stay awesome, stay powerful.

P.S: Whenever you’re ready, here are a few things you might be interested in:

Advice On Starting Your Business: A powerful Youtube video where I answered one of your questions on how to start a successful business.
'How I Quit Alcohol' Podcast: One of my favourite interviews I’ve ever done. If you’re interested in learning how I came from rock bottom to create a life I’m proud of, you’ll want to listen.
Follow me on IG: Get bite-sized video content and behind-the-scenes of my nomad entrepreneur life
Join The Waitlist: We’re creating an exclusive online community of 6, 7 and 8-figure entrepreneurs seeking to become citizens of the world and achieve self-actualisation through business, lifestyle design, and personal evolution. I think you’ll love it: The Nomad Entrepreneur Network

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