Finding Feel-Good Flow in Your Writing Practice
Finding flow.
Get in the flow.
Create in the flow.
Flowing.
I’m in the flow.
What the hell does this mean?
Flow state, according to Wikipedia -
“In positive psychology, a flow state, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.”
The idea of flow used to feel like a feminine one to me — circular, round, moves like water, but I realize it runs much deeper as I explore this concept further.
A few weeks ago, I listened to this Aubrey Marcus podcast episode where he interviewed author Steven Kotler. The discussion centered around all the amazing benefits to getting into a flow state. The way Steven articulated flow completely resonated with me. I listened to the episode twice and then bought his new book, The Art of Impossible. Now, I rarely listen to podcasts, so listening to this one twice is a big deal.
He’s called “the maven of FLOW STATE,” so I figured he knows a thing or two about flow.
Let’s unpack a “state.” In learning about NLP from my NLP coach, I’ve learned how important it is to be in a positive state. And not for feel-good, toxic positivity reasons, but that when you’re in a positive state, life feels easier, you’re more present, and you can attract more delightful things.
I have many tools to manage my state — including amplifying a feel-good state to train my brain to expect more of that. My NLP coach explains it so much more eloquently than me; check out The Mind Revolution podcast to learn more about NLP.
You’ve likely felt flow many times in your life — maybe you’ve just never given it a name.
Flow feels like I don’t have a body anymore and I’m so intensely into what I’m doing the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Flow is what’s going on when time seems to stop. Flow happens when you’re leaning into discomfort and learning something challenging.
Athletes get into flow when they’re playing their sport — and really, it’s inspiring to watch. I’ve seen it in the kids — Jacob when he’s hockey, Talia when drawing or painting. Literally, nothing else matters but that moment.
Kids live and breathe in flow state. Seeing them get lost in Legos, painting, or learning a new song on the piano — I’m watching them in flow.
Flow feels good, so we should chase it, right?
Yeah, I’d say it’s a smart idea.
The interesting part was HOW you achieve flow state isn’t necessarily as important, only that you experience flow state and often.
Think back to early 2020 (I know, I know, you don’t want to), but if the way you found flow was working in a cafe, traveling, or connecting with friends over dinner — and it was suddenly not allowed — what happens?
If you didn’t find a way to replace the flow state you used to find yourself in, this could have made the feelings of isolation, anger, sadness, and even worse. This is not to minimize depressive feelings, but if your way of finding flow came to a grinding halt in 2020, finding a modified method to that flow state became essential.
More than just feeling good, though, flow has a purpose. I think it makes you smarter and happier.
Flow doesn’t always have to be fun or easy. There are also many moments when we’re embracing the suck — as in learning new things, writing about something that feels fuzzy, or investing in a new skill. And in those moments, we find flow.
It goes like this…
I suck
I suck
I suck
I suck
I suck
I suck
I’m kinda good at this
I’m good
This is fun
Depending on what you’re learning, the suck-to-fun ratio might look different, but all the while you’re in there, you’re experiencing flow.
Think about flow in your writing practice.
When you didn’t want to write something, maybe even resented that you had to do it at all, and forced it out of you, how did that feel? Shitty? And importantly, on the other end — how did your reader or potential client receive it?
I think this is why in the book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggests practices such as weekly artist dates and morning pages. Weekly artist dates are appointments you keep to yourself where you do something just for you — changing your scenery if possible and trying something new. Morning pages are three full pages of stream-of-consciousness writing, usually in the morning. If you’ve ever tried this practice, perhaps like me, you oscillated between losing yourself in the moment and wishing you were finished.
I also found it exciting that flow state can also apply to groups. When the Writing Community gathers on Zoom, and we’re in the zone of creating — some people call it magic — the ideas that came through, their progress, or even the breakthroughs they have in their writing work.
When we get together in community and find flow, we can borrow each other’s energy and even tap into a higher energy level than we could have imagined, which is handy when your enthusiasm is waning or scattered.
And even when business owners feel stuck on a name for their new offer, they get an instant download if they walk away from the screen and make cookies (true story for Diane). The key here is stepping out of what they were doing and finding flow to uncover answers.
Flow begets flow
The more you find yourself in that flow state, the more easily you’ll get into it. But how do you find the time and space for feel-good-flow when people are all up in your face — working and schooling from home?
I can find myself in a flow state when writing, cooking, walking, painting, doing yoga, and rollerblading. Sometimes it’s squeezing it into the cracks of my day — a slow lunch or journaling in the morning or evening. These days, scheduling flow has been the only way to make it happen.
Just like writing, if it’s not on the calendar, it’s as if it’s unimportant to me.
Finding flow isn’t a nice to have — it’s essential — for our well-being and craft. Instead of putting those things you love to do last on your list, you know, if you have time, how about scheduling in time for flow and making it a priority?
Schedule time for flow first — before you do anything else.
Even if you find that state in various ways, even putting 15 minutes on your calendar every day as a chance to practice flow will help set the stage for the rest of your day.
Want to find flow in your writing and experience some of that magic, join us inside the community.
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