I'm in the zone, all day, every day.
Almost.
So I made a list of tips on what I find works for me and things I want to remember.
When you're in the zone, your mind just flows a lot better, faster, you aren't distracted,
and you also have more fun.
This is useful for intellectual tasks, creative pursuits, sports, and practically anything.
It's also useful to remember that not every activity you do is exactly the same, so while
some of these tips might sound like they conflict with each other, you want to pick the one
or ones that work best, for you, in the activity you're using them for.
#1 Sleep.
The two main things here are: (1) get enough sleep.
It's probably around 7 hours.
So sleep for 7 hours a night every night for a week, and work on similar things on each
of those days.
Then sleep for 6 hours a night for a week and work on similar things and see if it affects
anything.
If you still feel great, try 5.
If you don't feel as good, go back to 7.
If 7 isn't enough, try 8.
Experiment and figure out how much works best for you. and (2) Relax before you sleep.
I like to have at least an hour or 2 before bed where I'm not doing anything like reading
articles online, texting, complaining, thinking about negative things, or anything like that.
Instead, I use that time to read, visualize, meditate, and think.
If you do agitating stuff before you sleep, it can result in you having less relaxing
sleep, and even sinking into your mind so you're less on point when you wake up.
You always want to think about things before sleep that you actually want to sink into
your mind.
#2 Just start.
Just start doing stuff.
You might feel like you're not on point, but once you actually start doing things and accomplishing
things, you'll pull yourself more into it.
For example I remember this time when I sat down to start and I didn't feel 100% so I
thought about doing something else that day, I told my friend who I work with that I'm
not on point, and she's like "yeah you are, just start," so I did, and within like 30
seconds I was already starting to boost up and within a few minutes I was really into
it.
Just start doing stuff.
I find that regardless of how I feel before I start, as soon as I start, I start getting
more and more into it.
So don't sit back and think "I'm just gonna play videogames right now" or "I need to walk
around and do this and that" - just start.
Just start.
Just start doing it.
Just do it.
Do it.
I didn't feel like I was 100% when I started writing this script.
But I just sat down and started doing it to see what'd happen.
Then I looked up, hours had passed, I had written multiple pages, and I was like "it's
lunch time already?
huh?!"
#3 Don't do "other stuff" first.
So you eat breakfast, you sit down, and before you start working you check reddit, you send
off a couple texts, go through your emails, and then you start work.
No big deal.
Wrong!
Fuck all that shit.
First, every little bit of time that you spend on random shit adds up.
I bet if you add up all the random shit you do throughout the day, even if it's only a
few minutes each time, it'll add up to at least an hour.
So don't waste time if it's not benefitting you.
And second, even if you do only do it for a short amount of time, it can stay in your
mind and disrupt your thought process.
You want to stay in that flow, imagine your day as you being on a little raft in a river,
you want to keep flowing smoothly and moving along, you don't want to take random detours
and crash into rocks and all that because even if you get back on track afterwards it
still takes some time for you to start rowing and accelerating again.
#AnalogyGod.
Depending on how mentally and emotionally stimulating the distraction was, the more
time it can take you to "accelerate" back into the zone.
#4 Always stimulate yourself.
Always be thinking about interesting things, visualizing, solving problems, and so on.
If you get up to brush your teeth or to get a drink of water, keep thinking.
Stay in the zone, instead of breaking from it.
On that same note, don't do boring things.
If you have to do something that you'd usually find boring, figure out how to use it to your
advantage.
If you sit around thinking "ugh I have to stand in this line, this is so boring, fuck
this" all you're doing is wasting that time, as well as working yourself up so your mind
is more scrambled and less able to think.
If you want to be in the zone, stay in the zone.
Don't take little breaks.
Stay in the zone.
Now this doesn't necessarily mean you have to walk around all day every day solving a
math problem or something like that.
You don't actually need to be "thinking about", all the time.
The 2 main things you want to do are (1) stay in the right headspace related to what you're
doing, and (2) avoid distractions.
This is related to something like a meditation retreat, in that you learn to not notice anything
that isn't related to what you're doing.
There could be a dinosaur outside your window but if it's not related to what you want to
do, you not only won't be distracted by it, but you won't even perceive it.
#5 Stay positive.
Be positive, and enjoy what you're doing.
It's as simple as that.
Being negative loops you out of that zone state by working you up and agitating your
mind.
Avoid that.
Being negative almost never serves any real purpose and you're just complaining for the
sake of complaining and spiraling.
Spiraling, isn't very helpful.
Find a way to center yourself.
This is something I'm working on now.
I really enjoy my work, in fact I love it.
But every now and then I see something that I feel negatively about and it just puts me
in a lesser mood, I start complaining and talking about how stupid it is, and stuff
like that.
And I had a friend say, "if you know what makes you happy, why do you keep doing things
that make you unhappy?"
And I was like HOLY SHIT THAT'S SO PROFOUND!
It sounds so simple but it's something that has to be mastered.
If you're doing something that makes you unhappy, why are you doing it?
Why are you doing it?
Especially when the alternative, the thing that makes you happy, is also the thing that
supports you.
It really makes no sense to do anything else.
In relation to being positive, you can also enjoy things like comedy, laughing, and smiling.
In my experience, being in the zone is a positive thing that comes a lot faster with a positive
mindset, so eliminate negative stimuli and learn how to control your mind and use them
to your advantage.
Watch a funny TV show while you're eating breakfast to pump you up for the day, spend
a few minutes talking with a friend and laughing and having fun.
You can also use it as a way to "un-agitate" yourself, if you've been thinking about something
negative, just flip it and do something funny or watch a funny show for a few minutes, and
you'll be feeling better.
#6.
Be in the present.
Don't let yourself be distracted.
Be in the moment.
I recently noticed a distinction between "thinking about" and "being with," whether it's in relation
to a friend, an idea, or a question.
Just allowing yourself to "be with" it, rather than analyzing and plotting, will result in
a lot of fun, and a lot of progress.
This is something taught in sports as well, where instead of "thinking about" what's happening,
the player just stills his mind and stays in the moment.
You notice what's happening but you don't "think about" it, you just experience it.
You can apply this to anything you do, for example if you're hanging out with a friend,
instead of "thinking about" her, thinking about how good she looks and what you want
to do with her later and thinking about all this stuff, just "be with" her, in the present,
have fun right now, experience right now, and enjoy yourselves.
If you're going skiing, don't spend the entire time "thinking about" skiing, like "I need
to put my leg like this, and I need to put my other leg like this, and angle myself like
this, and I wonder what we'll do when we get back to the lodge later" - just DO it.
Just ski.
That's what you're doing.
Do it.
Of course, if you're working on something you are gonna have considerations about the
future.
So the way you can apply it in this context is to look at those things in a more detached
way.
Instead of worrying about the future, just be confident in yourself, in your ability,
and pick the best path based on the information you have at hand.
Most, if not ALL, of the things you worry about never even happen ... so the negative
effects of the worrying itself actually outweigh the negative effects of those things actually
happening!
Holy shit ... I know, right?
#7 Don't "over try."
Don't try too hard to get into the zone.
Just DO stuff, and be in the present, and you'll find yourself in it.
If you "over try," you start working yourself up.
"Oh shit, I'm not in the zone, I wonder if I'll be able to accomplish these things today,
I gotta start trying really hard right now."
You'll also start clenching your jaw and tightening up your body, things that can actually impede
your productivity.
Like I said, stop worrying about it.
Just start doing.
#8 Know what to work on.
This is a simple thing that helps.
Decide what you want to work on tomorrow.
Then when tomorrow is today, do it.
When I do this, I find myself looking forward to it, and then when I sit down to do it,
I'm already into it.
#9 Get up for a couple minutes.
If you've been starting and you just can't get into it, usually all you have to do is
get up and do something else for a couple minutes, move around a little, go to the bathroom,
get a drink of water, walk around the house for 30 seconds to a minute, bounce on the
ends of your feet, do something physically stimulating like walking on a treadmill for
a few minutes or even do something to get you turned on, something like that, and then
come back to it.
I recommend saving this for later because like I said usually if you think you're not
into it all you have to do is start and you'll get into it really fast.
But if you've been at it for awhile, OR if you're already feeling scrambled, and you
want to defrag your mind a little, try something like this.
#10 Try different types of exercise.
If you work out, try different types of exercise.
Aerobic, High Intensity Interval Training, and Low Intensity Training can all affect
you differently.
For example if you start doing intervals, it can burn additional calories all throughout
the next day, and if you keep your meal schedule exactly the same as usual you might find yourself
more or less attentive at certain times than you're used to.
I recommend trying different types of exercise in your workouts, you can try one type for
a couple weeks and see how you feel, then switch it up and compare, and so on.
#11 Get hyped up.
Here are some ideas: 1) Look at pictures that support your goal.
2) Listen to music that gets you hype.
3) Visualize yourself doing something you love.
4) Meditate.
5) Look at a single picture and visualize yourself in it, without letting your mind
drift.
Basically, you do something that either (a) stimulates you emotionally in a way that reinforces
your need / desire to achieve your goal, or (b) gets you feeling good and "into it."
This leaves you feeling the opposite of tired and worried and negative, so you can more
easily get into your groove and let your mind flow.
Music is great for calming you if you're feeling anxious or annoyed about something.
You can also use it to set the mood - for example if you're organizing all of your photos
of your trip to France, you could play some French music to set the vibe and help you
get in that mindset.
#12 List things that take you out of it.
If you find there are specific things that always seem to take you out of it, list them,
and then figure out how to enhance those things and use them to your advantage.
#13 Don't rush.
Rushing puts you in a high beta brainstate and takes you out of the zone, which is more
of a mid alpha, high alpha, or sometimes low beta depending on what you're doing.
If you start rushing, feeling overwhelmed, panicking, or feeling stressed, you kick your
brainwaves into a higher, more agitated state, which isn't always helpful.
Plus, like I said earlier, it may take awhile to cool down back to your flow state, so the
more you let yourself roll out of it, the less productive you might be.
This doesn't mean you can't do things quickly.
There's a huge, huge, huge difference between doing something quickly and efficiently, and
RUSHING like "oh shit I'm late, I'm behind, better rush through this really fast, uh oh!"
The latter is unhelpful.
#14 Diet.
Pay attention to the foods you eat and especially how much you eat.
You may find that there are certain foods that help you, or foods that don't help you,
or you may find that if you eat a little more and balance it out with a little more exercise
that you feel better (or not) than if you eat your usual maintenance level.
Just experiment with it and see what works for you.
I like to avoid these things: eggs, cows milk, processed sugar, meat, wheat, fish, and unnecessary
chemicals like food coloring and so on.
You should experiment with your own diet and figure out what works best for you.
So in summary: 1) Sleep, and don't agitate yourself before
bed.
2) Just start.
3) Don't do "other stuff" first.
4) Always stimulate yourself.
Don't be bored.
Don't take little breaks.
5) Stay positive.
Have fun.
6) Be in the present.
7) Don't "over try."
Trust yourself.
Don't worry.
8) Know what to work on.
9) Get up for a couple minutes if you want to.
10) Try different exercise.
11) Get hyped up.
12) List things that take you out of it.
13) Don't rush.
14) Diet.
If I had to summarize all of these tips, I'd say:
Just start.
Be in the present, and don't be distracted.
Instead of always "thinking about," sometimes just try "being."
That's it.
You'll accomplish things better, faster, and you'll have more fun doing it.
"Hello, let's play a game.
Today, your task is to stay 'in the zone' for at least five hours.
If you do not ..." "Oh for the love of fuck!
These movies just keep getting more and more ridiculous!
The first one had the guy who was cheating on his wife or whatever,
the fifth one was like the bitch who worked at Title Max like bruh who the fuck gives
a shit?"
"Hello, let's play a game.
You have been saying these movies are too ridiculous.
So today, your task, is to watch these movies for the rest of your life."
"Aaaaahhhh!"
Sawception.
Saw Vs Jason, In Space.
3D.
Coming Soon.