Get lost in your work: the magic of flow state

Flow state is a mental space where deep focus and creativity come together, allowing you to work more effectively and productively.

If you've ever found yourself so focused on a task that you're nearly blind to the world around you, you have very likely experienced flow state.

First defined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow state is a state of mind where you're so absorbed in an activity that you lose track of time and external distractions. It's a delicate blend of focus, creativity, and energy that allows you to get lost in your work. (source)

Flow state can make you feel superhuman. It's a state where focus, motivation, and productivity are at their peak.

If you've felt it, you know what I'm talking about.

Engineering and product design are complex tasks, which are often best done without distraction. When I'm untangling a particularly complex bug or building a new feature, I am far more likely to be successful if I can focus on the task at hand.

For me at least, this doesn't always mean a silent, vacant room. I've found that I can get into a flow state in a busy coffee shop, while walking around the city, or at my desk in the office in the mdidle of a workday

Finding your flow state is one of those things where you need to know yourself and your brain a bit. Even for me, it varies a bit day to day: some days I work best from the comfort of my kitchen, or the counter at my local espresso bar, and other days I do best at my desk in the office, with two monitors and a good pair of headphones on.

Regardless of where I am, there are a few things I do to help me get into a flow state:

1. Turn off notifications, and don't look at my phone
2. Close any apps or tabs that might distract me
3. Have a clear, specific task in mind

The pomodoro technique is simple: set a timer for 25 minutes, work until it rings, then take a 5-minute break. This method can effectively help you enter a flow state.

I learned this from a teammate at Google, who tracked his productivity with 🍅 emojis — each representing a pomodoro.

(Thanks for the inspiration, Proppy!)

Many productivity apps include a pomodoro timer, like Logseq and Raycast. If you prefer a physical metaphor, you might like the minimalist modern timer above, which I recently snapped up for a few bucks on Amazon.

I regularly use Google Calendar's Focus Time feature to block off 90-min blocks of time to get things done. This gives me a guaranteed block of productive time, regardless of which meetings get added to my day. It's something I encourage my teammates to do, and if you've never tried it, I highly recommend it.

Whether you use an iPhone or an Android, your phone has support for Focus Modes. These are a great way to block out distractions and get into a flow state. If you haven't tried them before, here's a quick guide for each: iPhone, Android.

If you're not a fan of focus mode, Do Not Disturb is a very effective cudgel for blocking out distractions.

Side note: did you know that iOS has a feature that will play calming nature sounds called Background Sounds?

As always, communication is foundational to working with others. Tell your teammates about focus time (make it public on your calendar), let them know you're blocking off time to get work done, and be diligent about following up on messages that you missed during your focus time.

• 🎙️ Cortex is a podcast by creators Myke Hurley and GCP Grey, where they discuss and explore their creative process, working lives, and the tools they use to get things done.
• 🦙 Llama Life is a todo list app designed with ADHD in mind. It's built by Marie Ng (@threehourcoffee), who has done a tremendoud job of sharing the app's story and development process on Bluesky.
• Raycast is a powerful productivity app that has an extension store full of slick productivity tools - including a pomodoro timer. Its free tier is extremely generous, and the app is a joy to use.

That's all for me for now, friends - the next two weeks are full of holidays for many of us, so I may not send a newsletter again until January. Please be good to yourself, be good to your people.

If you want to keep up with me in the meantime, track me down on Bluesky @mikebifulco.com.