Neil Desai

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Have you ever been so immersed in a task that it feels like time speeds by? You can do anything and you’re extremely productive. You aren’t distracted and you’re only focused on the matter at hand. This is a state of flow. Every time I work I try and attain this state. At this state I feel like superman. If you want that feeling all the time then here’s a list of things you can do to help achieve “flow”.

• Minimize distractions. Put your phone in airplane mode. Quit all other applications (if you’re at your computer). Force yourself to focus on only the task at hand.
• Your environment. Find a place where you are comfortable and can get work done. Preferably, work some place where you have previously achieved a state of flow. Try and isolate yourself from other people if it helps. 
• Clear your mind. Write whatever else you have to do down. Clear your brain out so it can focus on only one thing. 
• Challenge yourself. The task that you’re trying to accomplish must be engaging and take some serious brain power. Some say you can make boring tasks more challenging by setting time limits etc to help you achieve a state of flow but I don’t buy it. The task must be truly invigorating to get your heart racing. 
• Have clear goals. Set your level of expectations and what you need to accomplish. If you have good action steps defined then each one you accomplish will reenergize you and get you one step closer to a state of flow.
• Kill the clock. Hide all forms of time away from you. The most important one I’ve done is to hide my clock out of my menu bar/start bar. It makes a world of difference not having an easy to look place to see the time.

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One of the best things I’ve done to increase my mental health, relieve stress, and boost productivity has been to write everything down. Any task, mental note, or whatever I want to do I write it down in my system.

First, you must create a system. You can go old school with a pen and paper or new school with some sort of digital system. I personally prefer Things for my Mac and iPhone. Just find something that works and the most important thing is that it’s with you at all times. 

Clear your mind. You have no idea how unbelievably freeing it is to know that everything you have to think about is written down. You can finally focus on the task at hand and not have to worry about running errands later. 

This also helps with keeping commitments. I firmly believe that honoring commitments helps build relationships with your friends and family. When you say you are going to do something then do it. Don’t forget. Write it down and you’ll do it.

So today I challenge you to write every single thing you have to do down. If you want to spend some time brainstorming for a project then write it down. If your friend tells you to check out a new album then write it down. If you forget to floss a lot then write it down. Make this small change in your life and it could make a huge difference. It has for me.

I started thinking about yesterday’s post called The Deadline Dilemma after I published it and I realized the ultimate deadline is death. Everything before then is a long marathon trying to get the most out of every step. No one knows when they’ll die but they do know it’s coming. Death is the greatest equalizer among all people. We are all going to experience it and each and every one of us faces that deadline. Why waste a moment doing something you don’t love when that deadline could come at any time? So throw out your preconceived notions of what you have to do and don’t have to do and start doing what you love to do.

Image by wallyg via Flickr

A problem I’ve recently run into is having to explain to my friends and family that I have other things to do that I have to take care of in the day when I can’t do whatever it is that they want me to do. For example, I may have to make some progress on some projects I’ve decided to try out for myself or blog a little bit. When they ask what I have to do, I explain and then usually the response goes something like, “That’s not required though right?” or “You don’t actually have to do that.” It’s very frustrating to say the least. I’ve noticed that many people I know believe in deadlines. If there isn’t a deadline then it’s not important or it can just be put off. 

I feel many people are wrapped around deadlines. Their whole life revolves around them and it causes them a lot of stress. Don’t get me wrong. Deadlines can be great and force you to do something you really don’t want to but everything in your life doesn’t have to be a deadline. If you are surrounded by deadlines take a step back and find out what really needs a deadline and what doesn’t. Do what you want to do and you’ll be much happier. So when someone questions what you’re doing what should you do?

Explain it’s important to you. I usually try to explain to whoever it is that what I’m doing is important to me and I’m sorry if I can’t do what they want me to.

Stay calm. It’s unnerving hearing someone else tell you what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Accept that other people don’t understand and it’s alright. Realize that the only person you answer to is yourself.

Don’t Break Commitments with Yourself. If you make a commitment you should honor it all costs (within reason of course). Most importantly, you must honor those commitments you make to yourself. If you need to make progress on your goals then don’t let anything stop you. Make yourself a priority.

Just wanted to let everyone know that Tumblr has now introduced iPhone optimized versions of their sites so you can now view this blog much better on your iPhone. Just point Safari to http://neildesai.tumblr.com and you’ll now see a much better version for your eyes. Android, Blackberry, etc support will be coming soon.