Move over mindfulness – future fulfilment is all about flow. And if you thought they were different buzz words describing the same thing, think again.
Sports psychologist Gavin Freeman, whose expertise over 25 years includes working with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), across several Olympic campaigns and with professional leagues around the world, said mindfulness and flow “are not as related as we think” because mindfulness is a more passive mental state, while flow is extremely active.
Freeman said flow is achieved by reflecting on past experiences, combined with “sustained appropriate focus” and a little positive self-talk. And while most people might reverse the priority of these three components, Freeman is adamant experience must come first.
“Effective training history is the most important thing you can do,” he said. “We know athletes are going to get upset at times, or frustrated … what we’re trying to do is create training programs that enable them to develop and build those first two components.”
For those keen to escape today’s epidemic of digital distraction by doing or achieving something, Freeman’s top tips include seeking external help from a coach, psychologist or mentor and taking business expert Jim Collins’ advice to set “a big hairy audacious goal (BHAG).
“Too many of us don’t have these,” Freeman said. “Where we go, ‘This is really what I want to do and achieve with my life’. People who have those find it easier to be able to demonstrate discipline.”
And it’s not just elite athletes. Watch artists, authors and musicians at work and achieving a flow state starts to seem fundamental to creativity.
Award-winning author and playwright Kathryn Heyman is a self-confessed flow fanatic who “always knew from childhood it was something I wanted more of … this elevated, suspended state, this portal”.
As founder of the Australian Writers Mentoring Program, Heyman constantly reminds mentees that flow “is something we already knew how to do and we’ve kind of forgotten”.
“It’s not that we have to learn a new thing – we actually have to just remove the things … that stop us getting into that state,” she said.
Creating a container of time and space was for Heyman “the most important thing”.
Her universal hacks include wearing headphones to avoid being interrupted, using a timer and (come on, you can do it) downing devices.
Author of The Unexpected Mess of it All (HarperCollins), Gabrielle Tozer also tunes in the literal way.
“When I want to get in the zone, I love listening to music playlists that I’ve compiled to whisk me away to imaginary worlds or remind me of my current manuscript-in-progress,” she said. “Music really fires up my imagination.”
The good news is that it is never too late – or too early – to find your flow.
There’s still a week remaining for young Padawans to enter the annual Kids News Short Story Competition, with judges including venerated children’s author Jackie French. The free creative writing competition is open to students across K — 9 until Friday 31 May.
For more information and free entry, visit kidsnews.com.au
Originally published as Feel the force: you can reach the ‘flow’ state of athletes and artists