Getting into the flow is a great feeling, isn’t it? You’re super productive and your brain is firing on all cylinders. Your endorphins kick in and you feel like you’re on a bit of a natural high. It’s amazing while it lasts and a super-productive time.
Coming out of the flow state can be a bit of a letdown. It’s not unusual to feel drained and a bit lost. And after a fairly short period of time, you miss the amazing feeling of being in a flow state. Here are five tips to help you cope and get you ready for getting back into the flow.
1 – Revel In Your Success
Start by taking a deep breath when you’re done and taking a look at how much you have accomplished while you were in the flow. You may just suprise yourself. Pad yourself on the back for a job well done.
Working in the flow takes a lot of mental energy. Don’t brush over that lightly. Spend a little time reveling in your accomplishment. It’s good for your self-esteem and will help motivate you to get back in the flow later on (or tomorrow).
2 – Take Note of Where You’re At
One of the biggest time wasters when it comes to just absout any job or chore is trying to figure out where you left of. Don’t spend valuable time backtracking and trying to figure out what you were doing. Instead invest a few minute right now to jot down a few notes about your project, what you were doing, and what you should be tackling next. You’ll be glad you did when you come back to this task.
3 – Get Some Well Deserved Rest
After the initial burst of adrenalin from being in the flow wears off, don’t be surprised if you find yourself tired and mentally drained. It’s completely normal. And frankly the adjustment from a high fueled by excitement and adrenalin to utter exhaustion can be a little hard. Acknowledge it for what it is … your mind and your body need some rest. Then go relax. Take a nap, do something fun and relaxing, or head to bed early. Allow your body and mind to rest before tackling your next project.
4 – Review What You’ve Done
When you’re ready to get back to work and get back in the flow, spend a little time reviewing what you’ve done. If you took the notes we talked about earlier, now’s a great time to look those over as well.
Make sure you’re prepared and you know exactly what you want to work on before you dive back into the flow. Not only will this make your work more effective, it will also ease your transition back into the flow.
5 – Plan For Your Next Flow Session
Before you dive in and try to get into the flow, spend a few minutes mapping out what you will work on and how you will get it done. Your Flow State work session will be that more productive, if you’ve determined what you should work on and made a task list ahead of time. Indecision will get you out of the flow fast. Avoid this by making all the important decisions first.
Give these five tips a try the next time you come out of a flow sstate session and see if they don’t help you transition back to reality and make it easier to get back into the flow next go around.
