How To Slay Procrastination With Flow States—Boost Your Productivity By 500%

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Executive Summary

• Understand why you procrastinate—it's the mind's default setting.

• Beat procrastination with "flow states" not willpower.

• Flow boosts motivation, productivity and creativity by 300-500%.

Do You Ever Procrastinate?

Chances are that you do.

Maybe from time to time. Maybe frequently.

You know what to do but you don’t.

You say you'll do it later or tomorrow.

It takes a Herculean effort just to start.

You wait until the last minute, hoping for the magic "deadline mode" to save you:

Or maybe it's less of an issue for you but you still wish you'd start more promptly on your critical tasks.

“What's wrong with me?" you ask.

Nothing.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with you.

Everyone struggles with procrastination to various degrees.

The truth is that:

However, it is your responsibility to turn your mind into an ally that works with you, not against you.

Your mind is a powerful tool but a terrible master. It evolved to help you conserve energy and avoid risk. This helped us survive in our ancient past.

But if you let this mind run the show, it will hold you back from doing those hard things that your goals demand of you.

This tendency to want the easy way out is the mind's default biological setting.

When you understand this, you free yourself from the guilt and shame that comes from the mistaken belief that you are inadequate in some way.

And you can begin to overcome it.

Procrastination Kills Dreams

What has procrastination cost you in the past?

Abandoned dreams?

Peace of mind?

Beating yourself up for falling behind on your to-do list?

Time with friends and family?

And…

What might it cost you in the future if you don't handle it decisively?

Procrastination starves your goals of fuel. And kills your self-confidence.

Entrepreneur Alex Hormozi, who crossed $100 million in net worth by the age of 32 advises that:

Procrastination depletes this "stack of undeniable proof" with every broken promise.

The result? You start to slowly and almost imperceptibly limit the size of your goals and settle.

This happened to me.

And it's dangerous.

About a decade ago, I was working in a soul-crushing job in banking. I consistently worked brutal 80-90 hour weeks (sometimes 100+ hours)—partly because I was unfocused and procrastinated (a lot).

I was burned out and my self-confidence plummeted.

Insidiously this led me to stop setting goals for myself because I thought:

"What's the point? It's not like I'll actually do what is needed to achieve them."

Without a sense of purpose, I stopped growing and I hit rock bottom.

Renowned psychologist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl said, "When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure."

And I did exactly that. I used my little free time to party, drink too much and watch Netflix hungover—hiding from reality.

I was living a life of quiet desperation devoid of meaning because I hadn't learned to operate my mind effectively.

Luckily, something deep inside me refused to let me go down this way.

I decided to go on a self-mastery quest and turned my life around.

I left my career that I had invested a decade of my life in to be my own boss, do work I love and be a force for good.

It was scary. But the alternative of living below my potential was scarier still.

Now I am a Performance Coach.

My business allows me the freedom to work whenever I want from anywhere in the world I want with people I enjoy working with and admire.

A pivotal lesson I learned is that:

Inspiring goals will drive you to take more action and gain more experience. As your confidence grows, you will allow yourself to set ever bigger goals in a virtuous upward cycle.

But…

Hard Work Alone Isn't Enough

A majority of people make the mistake of relying upon willpower alone as their method of getting things done.

This used to be me.

I would "force myself to work hard and harder".

Inevitably, I would burn out and lose my hard-earned momentum

And then use even more willpower to regain it.

You must use it strategically only on needle-moving activities like acquiring new habits, making important decisions, solving complex problems and overcoming significant challenges.

Do not squander it on the mundane and repetitive task of overcoming your mind's "default resistance" to doing daily work.

The game changer for me was learning to use "the state of flow" to decrease my reliance on willpower, avoid burning out and enjoy my work more.

I know it can do the same for you.

Flow Is The Antidote To Procrastination

Have you ever experienced being in “flow" or "the zone"?

Think of when you crushed a project, got a second wind during a workout or got lost in a hobby or conversation with a friend as the hours flew by.

It's the opposite of procrastination.

Your actions feel effortless.

No overthinking. No hesitation.

No delay between intention and action.

You move easily from one action to the next.

You know what to do. And you "just do it".

And your (often negative) inner chatter shuts up.

Distractions, doubt and the stress of everyday life fade away.

You are operating near your edge, producing your best work, deeply present—like there is nothing else you’d rather be doing at that moment.

How often do you feel like that in your work?

For most, flow is rare, random and unreliable because they don't know how to harness it intentionally.

On the other hand, pro athletes, artists, successful entrepreneurs, coders in Silicon Valley, executives (at Google and Red Bull), and the Navy Seals use flow to accomplish the impossible over and over again.

It's a big factor to their success.

And it can be the same for you.

Since they are based on science they are repeatable and will work for everyone—not just the world's peak performers.

For a practical guide to the best bang for your buck of these 22 triggers, click here.

Let's talk about what specifically flow can do for you:

1) Flow Will Help You Slay Procrastination By Harnessing Your Intrinsic Motivation

Flow is autotelic.

Meaning that you do it for its own sake.

And not because of some external reward.

You are naturally motivated to do it.

Like kids playing.

Or being engaged in your favourite hobby.

Or surfers waking up at 5 am to catch the surf.

What would it feel like to approach your work as children do their play?

Working in flow is very enjoyable and will make those things you procrastinate on feel less daunting. You'll start quicker without wasting time and willpower.

Or feeling guilty.

In addition:

It helps you feel great and operate near your edge because it is powered by a potent cocktail of performance-enhancing neurochemicals:

• Dopamine boosts motivation and enjoyment.

• Norepinephrine enhances focus and memory.

• Serotonin elevates mood creating a sense of calm and satisfaction.

• Endorphins elevate resistance to pain (similar to "runner's high").

• Anandamide regulates pain and heightens creativity.

2) Flow Boosts Productivity, Motivation and Creativity by 300% to 500%

This is according to a 10-year study by global consulting firm McKinsey of executives in flow.

You'll finish your tasks quicker, solve problems more effectively, learn faster and free up your time.

Just imagine what it would feel like to finish a week's worth of work in just one day.

This is not hyperbole.

Rest assured that the top players in your industry are using this unfair advantage to the max. Make sure you are one of them.

3) People With The Most Flow In Their Lives Are Happiest

In the 1970s, during the largest study on human "happiness" ever undertaken, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi noticed that the happiest people frequently experienced a state of mind where things "just flowed".

In addition, when you are deeply absorbed in a task, the stress of everyday life and your inner chatter fade away. This can feel like a calming oasis in a sea of chaos and overthinking which is very restorative to your nervous system.

And all of the above combined naturally lead to a better life quality.

Finally, flow can also be a powerful amplifier of positive change. People often adapt their lifestyle so they can experience flow more frequently. They start doing things they previously struggled with or were reluctant to do such as:

• Getting more sleep.

• Spending less time scrolling on their phones.

• Planning their days.

• Eating healthier.

All these thing increase your focus and energy, which leads to more flow.

The Key Takeaway Idea

It allows you to use less willpower to overcome your mind's natural resistance which frees up energy and time.

Your work will feel less like a grind and more like play allowing you to harness your creativity, act from intuition and enjoy it more.

You will experience less burnout.

Your productivity, momentum and confidence will compound exponentially.

And as you unlock more of your potential, you will create a positive domino effect in the world.

As Marianne Williamson, author of "A Return to Love" said:

Where Do We Go From Here?

My mission is to help you master "the state of flow" and level up in life so you can live life on your terms and be a force for good for those around you.

Every Saturday, I will share with you:

• Actionable, cutting-edge tools for peak performance.

• Novel and unconventional perspectives.

• And point out common blindspots and pitfalls.

If you want to join me on this journey:

1. Click here to subscribe to my weekly newsletter.

2. Come back next week for a more practical guide on how to use specific triggers to get into flow more often.

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Let's be all we can be!

Ovi