This week I’ve been thinking about flow. It’s that feeling of being in your zone of genius. When things are effortless and you feel energised and alive. Your flow is unique to you. How much of your time do you typically spend in your flow? Do you understand what drains you and what gives you energy? How about for the people you work with and your customers? Whether you’re just launching a new business, thinking about starting or in a growth phase, having an understanding of what makes you tick and how to leverage the strengths of the people around you is critical. Focusing on putting yourself and others in flow is key to what being a leader is all about.
“Where attention goes, energy flows and results show.” T. Harv Eker
Time to get into your flow
Flow is that wonderful place between being bored and being stressed. Between having too much and not enough. You’re in your zone of genius and everything is as it should be. You’re achieving, you’re feeling connected, you’re adding value and you’re happy.
Flow comes from looking at what you’re spending your time and focus on. And crucially it comes from understanding where you get your energy from and what drains it from you. It’s about doing things your way rather than comparing yourself to others or chasing someone else’s definition of success. Flow is different for each and everyone of us and it’s not a static thing. As entrepreneurs it’s our job to get ourselves and those around us into flow as much as we can. The most challenging aspect of growing a business for many people is bringing together a group of people who grow to trust each other and work together productively.
It’s difficult to overstate the power of understanding where you get your energy from and what drains it. It quite simply helps you build better teams and better businesses. If you don’t pay attention to your flow and that of those around you, you risk burning out and falling out of love with your business. Finding your flow is a constant process of trying different things and finding what works. Here are my Top Ten Tips:-
🌟 Routines. Our brains like certainty. Being intentional about what you spend your time doing, will help you prioritise those things that put you in your flow. Think about both the daily and weekly rhythms you’d like to live by.
🌟 Health. We cannot hope to get into flow when we’re stressed or overwhelmed. Prioritising your mental and physical health is vital if you’re going to build a business that works for you.
🌟 Control. Depending on how you’re wired, control will be more or less important to you. The truth is that we all find a lack of control unsettling. Focusing on what you can control will help you focus on your flow.
🌟 Clear your head. Make sure you’re capturing everything that pops into your head that your brain might interpret as a commitment. If you don’t have a method of effectively capturing, overwhelm will soon be upon you.
🌟 Actions. Instead of capturing random ‘stuff’ that your brain has to figure out every time, make sure you turn everything on your list into an action. If you’re not sure of all the actions, make sure you capture at least the first step.
🌟 Organise. Being organised is a skill and it takes practice. Whatever system you find that works for you, it must enable your brain to stop worrying and reminding you of things it thinks you’ve forgotten.
🌟 Review. Review your notes, calendar and lists to keep things fresh, stay up-to-date and on top of things. Do a quick daily review and a longer weekly sweep through your system to ensure you’re ready for the week ahead.
🌟 Prioritise. Make sure you’re doing the most important things first. When do you feel most engaged and focused? For some it’s the morning, others are night owls. Use your ‘on’ time wisely to tackle the most important tasks.
🌟 Separate. This one is truly magic! If you separate the deciding from the doing you will make it significantly easier for yourself to make progress. Decide upfront what the first step is so when you get there you can simply start.
🌟 Gratitude. A daily gratitude practice will help you find and stay in your flow. What went well today and what have you learned? What are you grateful for? What and who can you leverage for increased flow?
It’s completely unrealistic to expect yourself to know everything or be able to do everything. Please be kind to yourself and if you’d like to talk through the choices you’re facing or any blockers in your business, let me know.
Lisa Zevi – October 2021