Zen and the Art of Getting Sh*t?Done

Productivity is an art, a science and perhaps even a religion for some.

Achieving “Zen” in productivity has a lot to do with what is in your head, what you feel, your whole approach to the work as much as the work itself.

This article is an excerpt of a new Series I published on Medium (click to read in Medium)

If you are like me you have lived a love/hate relationship with time. Anyone who is creative and/or strives for constant improvement knows what I am talking about.

The love is when you are in those moments of “flow” where time flies out the window. The hate is when there is a deadline looming or you get that feeling that there is never enough time in the day to get that ‘side hustle’ project off the ground!

We are all given just 24hrs in a day. What we do with our time is no-one else’s responsibility but our own.

Yes… that applies to Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg too!

What is flow?

Flow is the difference between superhuman achievement and just getting by.

I define flow (or in “the zone”) as the mental state when I feel totally focused; my mind, my feelings, my intentions and actions are working as one and it feels good!

Is there any wonder why it feels good? Flow is the drug of life! The fuel that drives creation. Drug? Yes. I said drug — just look at the chemicals released when in flow state: dopamine, endorphins a natural high, then we have norepinephrine speed, anandamide THC, endorphins heroin and serotonin found in ecstasy and anti-depressants.

Can we agree flow is pretty good sh*t?

Hands down ‘flow on tap’ is what we need to achieve more in our day.

Flow is blocked when your brain gets in the way

If we agree flow is a chemical balancing act going on in our brain then a lot can go wrong:

• Too much caffeine, not enough caffeine,
• Stop-start interruptions,
• Stress,
• Decision fatigue,
• Tiredness,
• Overwhelm,
• Blood flow,
• Distractions,
• Diet / biome health,
• Brain fog.

I’ll address some of these later over coming additions to the series.

How to get in flow

Assuming the chemicals are right, what you need to start your day is a task that is sufficiently familiar, yet challenging enough to captivate the mind.

Enter “The “Goldilocks Rule” — Peak motivation is experienced when a task is not too hard, not too easy - just right.

Once sufficiently in flow, you can take on more challenging tasks that otherwise may have caused procrastination or boredom.

Book your flow hours daily

Not all hours are made equal: flow time has 10x value.

Flow time should be used to progress achievement toward your goal.

If you are most productive and find flow from 8am to 11am every day, then this time should be guarded.

If you usually value your time at $100 per hr, then your focus time is $1,000 per hr.

Use this approach to value your time as a powerful tool to block both external or internal interruptions. External - ask your self: “Is taking this phone call NOW worth $500?” Internal - “Is this distracting thought worth $250 for the half an hour of lost focus?”

“Mind like water”

Do you experience overwhelm?

“Imagine throwing a pebble into a still pond. How does the water respond?”

David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” provides this unbeatable analogy.

Imagine your thoughts are the pebbles. If you continue to throw more pebbles what happens to the water? It gets pretty choppy, right? In your mind, you are no longer able to pickup on the subtle waves bouncing back to reach the powerful insight of a still focused mind.

Is flow ‘on tap’ possible?

You are at your desk. You have selected your next most important task. Yet, why is it so hard to get started?

If we agree that the state of flow comes when the chemicals in the brain are in balance, could it be that your feelings and intentions must too be aligned?

We can ‘turn on’ flow with our physiology (in terms of our posture), our language (the words in our head), beliefs, values and visions. Practising the following steps may help overcome procrastination:

Step 1: Physiology

Sit upright, shoulders back. Become centered by focusing on deep breathing for a minute.

Step 2: Language

Think lightly about the tasks at hand, and observe the nature of the language your mind is using to describe the work. Is it positive or negative?

Step 3: Beliefs / Values

Empower yourself to do the work by focusing not on yourself, but the value you will bring to the world through your work, how you are servicing others and how aligned this is with your mission.

Step 4: Visualise

See the task as complete and visualise the recipients. Imagine their reactions. Attach the outcome to feelings for yourself and for them.

Step 5: Start work

What are you waiting for? Set your Pomodoro timer and get started.

What’s in your jar today?

Your life is the jar. Place the most important things in the jar first (the large stones), followed by the gravel, the other ‘stuff’ you just cannot avoid. The gravel and sand is merely there to fill in the gaps but not fill up the jar.

If you make the mistake of filling your jar with the gravel (other peoples’ agendas) and the sand — the minutia of life then there is nothing left for you or what matters to you (the stones). Realistically, we can only fit 5 or 6 sizeable things in the day. Choose these wisely!

For balance and enjoyment on the path to success — these ‘Stones’ should always include: 

#1 Me time — whether it be at the gym, a long walk or meditation; this is the time to have your mind free for insight.

#2 Your goal — dedicated time daily to progress. Remember, without time for your goals, you are dedicating your life to other people’s goals.

#3 Friends, family & community — Be active in giving back to others. Whether it be in your work, family or social circumstances always be giving of your time and knowledge to serve others.

With these three ‘Stones’ in your life you will #1 have a source of insight to KNOW your life’s path, #2 GROW and make progress on the RIGHT path; and #3 experience JOY and FULFILMENT through contributing to the lives of others and to the world around you.

This is an excerpt from my Medium Series of the same name. As it is a living document please open in the Medium App and remember to tap on Get Updates [+]

Check out https://dayninja.co for more tips and resources:

• “The ultimate” startup founders morning routine
• “The ultimate” startup founders evening routine

DayNinja is a free App available from the App Store.