Productivity

I’ve always preferred long work sessions filled with intense focus. When I get into the groove, it’s like riding a wave—steady, focused, and exhilarating. Everything around me disappears, and I find great joy in maximizing my time and energy on the task at hand. This is the exact state Csikszentmihalyi describes as “flow” in his book Flow.

In the more recent book Move The Body, Heal The Mind, Dr. Heisz explains that “flow happens when the brain has what it needs to be both focused (work mode) and creative (vacation mode) at the same time.” She discusses how different regions of the brain control these modes. The vacation mode is our default, letting our minds wander, jumping from one idea to another, staying creative. Work mode, as you’d expect, is used to maintain focus and accomplish tasks. When we strike the right balance between these two modes, we become our most creative selves.

What I found fascinating is how different activities shape these mental states. For example, artistic sports like figure skating demand a strict training regimen, which strengthens the inhibitory control needed for work mode. However, this intense focus can make athletes less mentally flexible. On the flip side, sports like badminton or fencing, which require quick thinking and adaptability, exercise the cognitive flexibility needed for creativity.

Skateboarding, to me, blends both types of exercises. When I’m learning a new trick, I concentrate on specific movements, focusing intensely. But when I’m casually skating, stringing different tricks together, I’m constantly responding to changes in my environment and the unexpected dynamics of movement. It’s a mental dance—a creative river that flows freely.

I find that I’m most focused and creative shortly after waking up, especially if I fell asleep feeling extremely tired. It’s as if my mind, freshly rested, can slip into flow with ease, ready to ride that wave once again.

Copyright 2024, Brian Lee