How to Get Into Flow (and Stay There Longer)
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A few weeks ago, I sat down to write — the same way I do most mornings — but for once, everything just… clicked.
My phone was in another room. My coffee was hot. The words came easily, and hours passed before I even noticed the time. I wasn’t distracted or bored; I was completely absorbed.
That’s flow — the rare mental state where focus feels effortless and time disappears.
It’s the feeling athletes describe when they’re “in the zone,” or when an artist loses track of hours painting. It’s total immersion — that quiet, satisfying hum of doing one thing really, really well.
But here’s the thing: most of us spend our days in the opposite state — fragmented, overstimulated, constantly switching tasks.
The good news? Flow isn’t magic or luck. It’s a skill. And you can train it — the same way you train your body, your mindset, or your habits.
Here’s what I’ve learned about getting into flow — and staying there longer.
1. Redefine What “Focus” Actually Means
For years, I thought focus meant willpower — sitting at my desk and forcing myself to concentrate until I finished. But that approach just made me tired and frustrated.
Then I learned something: focus isn’t something you push; it’s something you protect.
The brain naturally wants to focus — it just can’t when it’s overwhelmed by input. Every ping, text, or notification costs attention. Neuroscientists call this “attentional residue” — the lingering distraction that sticks around even after you switch tasks.
So if you want flow, the first step isn’t trying harder. It’s removing friction.
Now I think of focus like clearing a runway: the fewer obstacles in the way, the smoother the takeoff.
That means:
- Turning off notifications.
- Closing tabs you’re not using.
- Working in chunks of uninterrupted time (more on that later).
Focus isn’t discipline. It’s design.
2. Start with Your Energy, Not Your Calendar
I used to schedule my most creative work first thing in the morning — because that’s what productivity experts said to do. But here’s what I found: my brain doesn’t really wake up until about 10:30 a.m.
That’s when I hit my “flow window.”
Your brain cycles through natural rhythms of alertness throughout the day, called ultradian rhythms. Most people have 90–120 minute peaks of focus, followed by dips.
The trick is learning your rhythms — when you feel sharpest, when you need breaks, when you should recharge.
For me, that meant tracking patterns with my Oura Ring — a small smart ring that measures sleep, recovery, and readiness.
The Oura Ring 4 quietly tracks everything from heart rate variability to sleep cycles. Seeing my data helped me realize when I’m naturally most focused — and when I should probably take a walk instead of pushing through.
Knowing your body’s rhythm is one of the easiest ways to work with yourself instead of against yourself.
If you’re forcing focus during your low-energy hours, flow will always feel out of reach.
3. Fuel Your Brain
Flow requires both mental clarity and stable energy. The problem? Most of us fuel our days like we’re running on fumes.
Coffee, skipped meals, multitasking — and then wondering why we can’t concentrate.
I used to rely on caffeine to “jumpstart” my focus, but it always left me jittery and distracted by 2 p.m. What actually helped was switching to something smoother: adaptogenic coffee.
Everyday Dose Mushroom Coffee blends coffee with functional mushrooms like lion’s mane and reishi, plus amino acids for calm focus. It tastes like normal coffee but feels completely different — steadier, cleaner energy, no crash.
Adaptogens work by helping regulate your body’s stress response, keeping cortisol balanced so your brain can actually stay present.
And since your brain runs on glucose, not adrenaline, I started pairing my morning drink with protein (like eggs or chia pudding).
4. Build a Flow Ritual
Flow doesn’t just “happen.” You can train your brain to enter it — and one of the best ways to do that is through ritual.
Rituals are signals to your brain: it’s time to focus now.
Mine looks like this:
- Clear my desk.
- Make my mushroom coffee (or this matcha latte, depending how I feel.)
- Play the same lo-fi playlist.
- Open one document — just one.
That’s it. The routine itself only takes five minutes, but it sets the tone for hours of work.
Research from the University of Chicago shows that predictable rituals reduce anxiety and increase attention by creating psychological safety. Basically, your brain stops wondering when focus will happen — it already knows.
Try building your own version: light a candle, put on a scent, play a specific sound. Repetition builds association — and association builds focus.
5. Create Boundaries for Deep Work
Here’s the truth: you can’t do deep work in 10-minute fragments.
Flow requires about 20 minutes of uninterrupted attention just to enter. That means if you’re checking your phone every few minutes, you never actually get there.
To protect my focus, I started using “focus blocks.” I set a timer for 60–90 minutes, silence my phone, and close everything except the task at hand.
During that block, my only goal is to not switch contexts.
This simple change doubled my productivity — not because I worked harder, but because I stopped leaking energy across five tasks at once.
And yes, I still take breaks afterward. But during that block, it’s all-in.
6. Manage Distractions
Distraction isn’t the enemy; it’s information.
Every time I catch myself checking my phone, I ask, “What am I avoiding?”
Sometimes it’s boredom. Sometimes it’s fatigue. Sometimes it’s the discomfort of doing something hard. But once I name it, it loses power.
Studies show that naming emotions activates the prefrontal cortex — the rational part of your brain — and reduces activity in the amygdala, which handles impulse.
Translation: awareness gives you control.
So instead of fighting distractions, study them. They’ll tell you exactly what you need.
7. Optimize Your Environment for Flow
You don’t need a perfect setup — but your environment matters.
Flow thrives in spaces that are quiet, predictable, and free of visual noise.
For me, that means:
- Keeping my desk clear except for what I’m working on.
- Wearing noise-cancelling headphones or soft instrumental music.
- Using warm lighting and a clean scent (it helps my brain anchor to calm).
One small trick: I leave a blank notebook open next to me. When a distracting thought pops up (“email Sarah,” “buy detergent”), I jot it down and keep going. It’s like an external hard drive for my brain.
8. Use Micro-Goals to Stay in Flow
Flow breaks when you feel either bored or overwhelmed.
The secret is to find the sweet spot — the challenge that’s just hard enough to stretch you, but not so hard it feels impossible.
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (who coined the term flow) calls this the challenge-skill balance. When your skills match the task, your brain releases dopamine — keeping you engaged and curious.
To build that balance, I set “micro-goals”: instead of “write a blog post,” it’s “finish the intro” or “outline section two.”
Each small win keeps momentum going, and momentum fuels motivation.
9. Honor the Power of Recovery
You can’t stay in flow indefinitely. After deep work, your brain needs to recover — just like a muscle after exercise.
If you ignore that need, you’ll burn out and start confusing exhaustion with lack of focus.
That’s where recovery comes in:
- Go outside.
- Stretch.
- Take a five-minute sensory break (look at something green, drink water, breathe deeply).
My Oura Ring data taught me something surprising here: my best focus days almost always follow my best sleep nights.
Seeing the direct connection between recovery and focus on the Oura Ring dashboard was kind of wild. The better I rest, the faster I can get into flow again.
Rest is the foundation for sustainable focus.
10. Protect Your Flow Like It’s Sacred
Once you know how to get into flow, the hardest part is protecting it.
That means setting boundaries — with technology, people, and even yourself.
I used to feel guilty about being “unavailable” during my focus hours. Now, I see them as non-negotiable appointments with my best self.
No notifications, multitasking, or guilt.
When you treat your deep work like something sacred, people learn to respect it — and so do you.
11. Reframe Boredom as a Gateway
We’re conditioned to avoid boredom at all costs — but boredom is often the doorway to flow.
When your brain isn’t overstimulated, it starts looking for novelty internally — which is where creativity begins.
So I’ve stopped filling every pause with my phone. Instead, I let my mind wander during walks or chores.
Ironically, most of my best ideas show up after I stop trying to force them.
As writer Neil Gaiman says, “You have to let yourself get bored to get brilliant.”
12. Stay Gentle With Your Focus
Some days, I drop right into flow. Other days, my brain feels like a browser with 47 tabs open. That’s normal.
Attention is cyclical, not constant. It depends on sleep, nutrition, hormones, and stress.
The key is not giving up when focus feels hard — it’s trusting that it comes back.
Flow isn’t perfection; it’s presence. You can’t chase it — but you can create the conditions that invite it.
What Changed
Since learning how to build (and protect) my flow, my work feels deeper and calmer. I get more done in less time — and it feels good while doing it.
If you want to start small, try this:
- Learn your focus rhythm.
Track your energy with the Oura Ring for a week. You’ll start seeing when your mind naturally hits its peak — and when to rest. - Fuel your flow.
Swap your caffeine crash for steady energy with Everyday Dose Mushroom Coffee. It’s a small swap that supports clarity without burnout.
You don’t need more time. You just need to protect the energy you already have — and learn how to ride that wave when it comes.