How To Unlock Insane Focus On Command

Summary

Ryan Doris, co-founder and CEO of Research Collective, introduces the concept of Flow State and its four pillars: flow blockers, flow pronus, flow triggers, and the flow cycle. He explains that Flow State is a neuroscientific phenomenon where work feels effortless, and it's characterized by heightened productivity and creativity. Doris emphasizes the importance of training oneself to access this state consistently, especially in the modern workplace, and provides insights on how to overcome common obstacles to achieve a Flow State, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and success.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The concept of 'flow' is a neuroscientific state that makes work feel effortless and enhances productivity, creativity, and learning.
• 🌟 Ryan Doris and Stephen Cutler have taught professionals and organizations how to access the flow state at will for increased productivity.
• 🛑 'Flow blockers' are obstacles like distractions and stress that prevent individuals from entering a flow state, common in the 21st-century workplace.
• 🌬️ 'Flow before phone' is a strategy to engage in productive flow on high-priority tasks for 2-3 hours before using any digital devices.
• 🏃‍♂️ 'Flow pronus' refers to one's tendency to enter flow states, which can be improved by waking up and starting work within 90 seconds to leverage morning productivity.
• 🎯 'Flow triggers' are preconditions that help individuals enter flow, such as clear goals, immediate feedback, and a balance of challenge and skill.
• 🔄 The 'flow cycle' involves a struggle phase, release into flow, a period of flow, and then recovery, which is essential for consistent flow experiences.
• 🧘 'Attention span stretching' helps to increase focus and persistence through the struggle phase, leading to a deeper flow state.
• 📈 The flow state is characterized by the deactivation of the prefrontal cortex, allowing for rapid, instinctive decision-making.
• 🌈 Achieving flow involves neurochemical changes like increased dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, as well as brainwave alterations like alpha Theta waves.
• 📚 Applying the four pillars of flow (blockers, pronus, triggers, cycle) can lead to consistent productivity and peak performance in the 21st century.

Q & A

What is the main issue discussed in the transcript?

The main issue discussed is the struggle to complete tasks efficiently and the concept of 'flow' as a solution to increase productivity.

Who are Ryan Doris and Stephen Cutler, and what is their role?

Ryan Doris and Stephen Cutler are the co-founders of a research Collective. They have taught thousands of professionals and organizations how to access the Flow State to become more productive.

What are the four pillars of Flow State?

The four pillars of Flow State are flow blockers, flow pronus, flow triggers, and the flow cycle.

What is Flow State and why is it important?

Flow State is a state of consciousness where work feels effortless and productivity is at its peak. It's important because it enhances skills critical for thriving in the 21st century, such as learning, creativity, and productivity.

What are some historical examples of individuals who were in a Flow State during their significant accomplishments?

Examples include Alex Honnold during his free solo climb of El Capitan, Sam Altman's team at OpenAI while coding for Chat GPT, Marie Curie during her pioneering research, and Einstein when he formulated the theory of relativity.

What are the neurochemical and neurophysiological changes that occur during Flow State?

During Flow State, there is a neurochemical cascade of dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, serotonin, endorphins, and the alpha Theta brain waves. There are also performance-enhancing alterations to neuroanatomical changes in the brain.

What is the 'flow before phone' rule and why is it recommended?

The 'flow before phone' rule suggests getting two to three hours of productive flow on the highest priority task in the morning before turning on or touching a phone. This helps to avoid distractions and enhances productivity.

How can one increase their flow pronus?

One can increase their flow pronus by waking up and getting to work within 90 seconds of opening their eyes, ensuring their physiology, psychology, and environment are conducive to flow, and doing the most important work in the first two to three hours of the day.

What are the three initial flow triggers identified by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi?

The three initial flow triggers are clear goals, immediate feedback, and challenge-skills balance.

How can the flow cycle concept be applied to improve productivity?

The flow cycle concept suggests that flow states are like dimmer switches, requiring persistence through the struggle phase, attention span stretching, and eventually reaching a flow state followed by a recovery phase. This understanding helps in consistently achieving productivity and focus.

What is the goal of the research and teachings mentioned in the transcript?

The goal is to decipher every research paper on peak performance and flow into easy-to-understand, instantly applicable steps, helping individuals consistently drive themselves into a flow state, which is a critical skill set for thriving in the 21st century.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Understanding the Flow State

This paragraph introduces the concept of the Flow State, explaining why people often struggle to complete tasks efficiently. It introduces Ryan Doris and Stephen Cutler, co-founders of Research Collective, who have taught professionals and organizations how to access the Flow State to increase productivity. The paragraph outlines the four pillars of Flow: flow blockers, flow pronus, flow triggers, and the flow cycle, which are essential for harnessing the power of the Flow State. It emphasizes the importance of flow for productivity and peak performance, providing examples of individuals who have achieved great accomplishments while in this state.

05:01

🌞 Maximizing Flow Pronus and Triggers

The second paragraph delves into the concept of flow pronus, which refers to one's tendency to enter the Flow State and the likelihood of doing so. It suggests strategies for increasing flow pronus, such as starting work immediately after waking up. The paragraph also discusses flow triggers, which are preconditions that facilitate entry into the Flow State. It highlights the work of psychologist Mihai Csikszentmihalyi and Stephen Cutler in identifying these triggers, such as clear goals, immediate feedback, and challenge-skill balance. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of incorporating these triggers into daily activities to enhance the ability to enter and sustain the Flow State.

10:01

🔄 The Flow Cycle and Persistence

The final paragraph discusses the flow cycle, a concept introduced by Herb Benson and further developed by Stephen Cutler, which explains the stages one goes through when accessing the Flow State. The cycle begins with a struggle phase, where one must persist through discomfort and distraction. This is followed by the release phase, where dopamine increases focus and motivation, leading to the Flow State itself. After the Flow State, there is a recovery phase where one integrates the knowledge or skills acquired. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of persisting through the struggle phase to experience the full benefits of the Flow cycle and suggests techniques like attention span stretching to improve one's ability to enter and maintain the Flow State.

Keywords

💡Flow State

Flow State is a mental condition where an individual is fully immersed and engaged in an activity, making it feel effortless. It is characterized by heightened focus, creativity, and productivity. In the video, Flow State is central to the discussion, with examples such as Alex Honnold's free solo climb and Einstein's work on the theory of relativity illustrating the concept. The video emphasizes the importance of achieving Flow State for peak performance and productivity.

💡Flow Blockers

Flow Blockers are external and internal factors that prevent an individual from entering a Flow State. These can include distractions, uncertainty, and a lack of clear goals. The video suggests that the 21st-century workplace, with its rapid distractions and chronic stress, is particularly unsupportive of Flow. The script mentions smartphones as a common source of Flow Blockers, blocking the natural progression into Flow State.

💡Flow Pronus

Flow Pronus refers to the likelihood or tendency of an individual to enter a Flow State. It is influenced by physiological, psychological, and environmental factors that make it easier for a person to achieve Flow. The video emphasizes the importance of waking up and starting work within 90 seconds to increase Flow Pronus, as this maximizes productivity by tackling the most important tasks in the morning while the brain is most capable of entering Flow.

💡Flow Triggers

Flow Triggers are specific conditions or activities that facilitate the entry into a Flow State. These include clear goals, immediate feedback, and a balance between challenge and skill level. The video uses surfing as an analogy to explain how these triggers work in practice, with each wave representing a clear goal and the act of surfing providing immediate feedback and a challenge-skill balance.

💡Flow Cycle

The Flow Cycle is a concept that describes the stages of moving in and out of a Flow State. It begins with a struggle phase, where one must persist through discomfort, followed by release into Flow, and concludes with a recovery phase where one integrates the knowledge or skills acquired. The video mentions Herb Benson and Stephen Cutler's work on this concept, emphasizing that Flow is not a static state but a dynamic process that involves persistence and recovery.

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system and brain function, which in the context of the video, is used to explain the physiological basis of Flow State. It involves understanding neurochemical processes such as the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and anandamide, as well as brainwave patterns like alpha Theta, which contribute to the experience of Flow. The video suggests that these neuroscientific shifts enhance critical skills like learning, creativity, and productivity.

💡Productivity

Productivity in the video refers to the efficiency and effectiveness with which individuals complete tasks and achieve goals. It is intrinsically linked to the concept of Flow State, as achieving Flow is shown to drastically improve productivity. The video discusses strategies for increasing productivity, such as eliminating Flow Blockers and optimizing one's environment for Flow Pronus.

💡Ryan Doris

Ryan Doris is the co-founder and CEO of Collective, an organization focused on teaching professionals and organizations how to access Flow State to enhance productivity. In the video, he introduces the concept of the four pillars of Flow and explains how they contribute to the productivity and success of individuals and teams.

💡21st Century Workplace

The 21st Century Workplace, as discussed in the video, is characterized by rapid distractions and chronic stress, which are counterproductive to achieving Flow State. The modern work environment, with its constant connectivity and multitasking culture, often hinders the natural progression into Flow, making it challenging for individuals to reach their peak productivity.

💡Attention Span Stretching

Attention Span Stretching is a technique mentioned in the video to improve one's ability to persist through the struggle phase and enter Flow State. It involves gradually increasing the duration of focused tasks to train the mind to maintain attention for longer periods. This practice is likened to physical exercise, where pushing beyond one's comfort zone leads to growth and improvement.

Highlights

The concept of 'flow' is a neuroscientific explanation for productivity and peak performance.

Flow is a state of consciousness where work feels effortless and is often experienced during activities like biking, surfing, or working on a project.

Ryan Doris and Stephen Cutler have taught professionals and organizations how to access Flow State at will to increase productivity.

The four pillars of Flow State are flow blockers, flow pronus, flow triggers, and the flow cycle.

Flow State is characterized by neurochemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, anandamide, serotonin, and endorphins, as well as brain waves and neuroanatomical changes.

Alex Honnold, Sam Altman, Marie Curie, and Einstein were able to achieve great feats due to the neurophysiological shifts that occur during flow.

The 21st-century workplace, with its rapid distractions and chronic stress, is not conducive to accessing flow consistently.

Flow blockers, such as smartphones, are the main obstacles to entering a flow state.

The 'flow before phone' rule encourages individuals to engage in productive flow before using their devices.

Flow pronus refers to one's tendency to access flow and the likelihood of entering a flow state.

Waking up and starting work within 90 seconds increases flow pronus and productivity.

Flow triggers are preconditions that drive us into flow, such as clear goals, immediate feedback, and challenge-skill balance.

The flow cycle, as described by Herb Benson and Stephen Cutler, outlines the stages of struggle, release, flow, and recovery.

Persistence through the struggle phase is key to entering flow, which can be achieved through attention span stretching.

During flow, the prefrontal cortex deactivates, allowing for efficient, instinctive decision-making.

The recovery phase after flow is crucial for replenishing and integrating the knowledge and skills acquired during flow.

Understanding and applying the four pillars of flow can lead to consistent productivity and incredible results.

The goal is to make the skill set of driving oneself into a flow state consistently accessible, which is essential for thriving in the 21st century.

Transcripts

have you ever struggled to complete a

task that should have taken 90 minutes

yet after 8 hours of slaving away you

still haven't finished the thing

well there's a neuroscientific

explanation for why this happens and a

simple way to solve it behind the

world's most successful people

stand the four pillars of flow which

allows anyone to become effortlessly

productive now my name is Ryan Doris

co-founder and CEO for research

Collective along with my partner Stephen

Cutler and we've taught thousands of

professionals and organizations how to

access Flow State at will so they can

become drastically more productive in

their working lives it all comes down to

the four pillars of Flow State first

there's the flow blockers second flow

pronus third the flow triggers and

finally and fourth the flow cycle these

are the pillars that power the brains of

the most productive people on the planet

well coverage in a moment but first what

is flow

I want you to remember for a second the

last time you were hyper productive and

totally absorbed in what you were doing

that was flow now flow is a state of

consciousness that makes work feel

effortless you've experienced flow

perhaps when you were riding a bike

surfing a wave making music singing

dancing maybe working on a big project

many of Humanity's greatest

accomplishments have happened in this

state of flow

[Music]

Alex Honnold in the movie free solo was

in a flow State when he summited El

Capitan with no gear Sam Altman and his

team at openai when they were coding

chat GPT which has already changed the

world were deep in flow while doing it

when Mari Curie did her pioneering

research and Einstein finally figured

out the theory of relativity they were

harnessing the power of flow to pull off

these superhuman Feats that drove

Humanity forward and flow isn't just a

metaphor in fact over ten thousand

research papers on Flow have found that

the neurophysiological shifts that occur

while in flow increase the exact skills

that research has shown are most

critical to thriving in the 21st century

like learning creativity productivity

and the reason why Alex and Sam and

Marie and Einstein were able to

accomplish such Feats is because of what

happens in the body and in the brain

when flow kicks in from the

neurochemical Cascade of dopamine

norepinephrine anandamide serotonin

endorphins the alpha Theta brain waves

and the performance enhancing alteration

to the neuroanatomical changes that

occur in the brain in flow listen this

all sounds great flow sounds like some

kind of a Panacea that's going to solve

all of your productivity and Peak

Performance problems in a heartbeat and

that would actually be true if you could

access a flow State on demand but the

problem is most of us can't

so until you train yourself in the four

pillars of flow flow is going to remain

Elusive and nowhere is less conducive to

accessing flow with consistency and

reliability than the 21st century

workplace and the 21st century way of

working where distractions are rapid

Across the Nation plagues us and chronic

stress is just considered the norm you

know that horrible feeling of being over

caffeinated and riddled with

productivity guilt from delaying doing

what you know you should have been doing

and then hitting Lunchtime with barely

any work done even though half the day

is done

well if this has ever happened to you

it's due to the flow blockers

if you go were to run a marathon first

off you'd have to ensure that you don't

have some foundational injury or health

condition that simply blocks you from

doing it and it's kind of similar when

it comes to Flow State because research

shows we're evolutionarily wired for

flow your brain and body actually wants

to kick you into a flow State when the

condition is necessitated most of the

time our 21st century work style blocks

flow at every turn think about it when

you get up in the morning what's the

first thing you look at well if you're

like 80 percent of people you check it

within 15 minutes of waking up and it's

packed with flow blockers distraction

uncertainty task persistence deficit

attention deficit trait and this one

thing is the source of over a dozen

other blockers for flow like a damn

blocking a river from naturally moving

forward now obviously this thing is your

phone so what's one tool to remove the

most common source of flow blockers well

it's simple we call it flow before phone

the golden rule is to get two to three

hours of productive flow on your highest

priority task in the morning before you

turn on or ideally even touch that

device now this is easier said than done

it's hard to change ingrained habits

especially when the Habit itself is

linked to a device that's designed to be

addictive but once you try this and once

you experience deeper and deeper states

of flow the flow states that you can

access become more compelling and

overrule the addiction next up we have

flow pronus so let's say you have

removed all the blockers and you still

can't get into flow because this is what

happens to lots of people it's because

they missed the second thing which again

is is flow pronus so using the marathon

analogy consider this your overall

Fitness level because flow pronus is

simply your tendency to access flow and

the likelihood of getting into flow at

any given moment we need to make our

physiology our body our psychology up

here and our environment conducive to

flow proneness to maximize our

likelihood of accessing a flow State now

the easiest way to do this is to wake up

and get to work within 90 seconds of

opening your eyes

you're probably like what this sounds

like some kind of a weird workaholic

thing to do but it's actually the

opposite by getting your most important

work done within the first two to three

hours of the day in a float state

just going to amplify productivity

dramatically you can relax a lot more

the rest of the day the neuroscientific

reason to do this is that your flow

pronus is highest first thing in the

morning this works for a few reasons one

being that the brain waves of sleep

Theta or Delta are similar to the alpha

Theta brain waves of flow as a bonus the

first 90 seconds of the morning are also

before the rest of the world can impose

its will upon you which makes it easier

to focus okay so you've removed the main

source of flow blockers and you've

increased your flow pronus so how do you

actually trigger flow directly well this

is where the flow triggers come in

these are preconditions that instantly

drive us into flow now back in the 1960s

psychologist mihai chick family had the

Godfather of Flo who coined the term

flow identified several of these

triggers and since then Stephen Cutler

and other researchers have identified

even more while mihai trixemihai

pioneered the psychological research on

Flow kotler has pioneered the

neurobiological research on the state

and is commonly regarded as the world's

leading expert on Flow now the more

triggers you have present in an activity

at any one time the faster you'll enter

flow the deeper the flow state will be

and the longer you'll be able to hold

and sustain that flow State certain

activities are naturally rich in flow

triggers like surfing playing music

video gaming the three first triggers

for flow that mihai chick sent me high

identified or clear goals immediate

feedback and challenge skills balance so

here's an example of each of these in

action let's say you're surfing you spot

the wave you catch it you write it these

are the clear goals that are going to

pop you into flow then you're feel the

balance on the board and the waves power

this is immediate feedback you're taking

action in response to the information

you're receiving from the wave and as

you continue surfing you ride waves of

varying sizes varying difficulty and if

you're a surfer varying weight matching

your skill level to keep engaged which

is the challenge skills balance of play

now that's all well and good for surfing

but what about your work well the trick

is to take these triggers and add them

to activities that they don't

necessarily show up within so to apply

this right away you can tune the

challenge skills balance by engaging in

tasks that are about four percent more

difficult than your current skill level

our constant goal as mihai chick sent me

High's book title suggests is to move

beyond boredom and anxiety That's The

Sweet Spot that leads to flow the fourth

pillar flow is seldom discussed but it's

the reason behind the world's most

productive people and how they operate

and it's called the flow cycle herb

Benson was a Harvard cardiologist and he

wrote about this for the first time in

his book called The breakout principle

and then Stephen Cutler mapped it

further directly to flow in his book The

Rise of Superman what the flow cycle

tells us Is That Flow states are more

like dimmer switches than light switches

now first there's struggle this is a

loading phase that's when you first

start a task in the neurochemistry

involved which is cortisol and

norepinephrine kind of makes you squirm

the discomfort causes us to want to

avoid the task relieve ourselves of the

discomfort and distract ourselves the

sad truth is that most people spend

their entire careers dropping in and out

of the first few minutes of the struggle

phase they never persist long enough to

get into flow they're an inch deep into

work forever so start by getting Grace

at persisting through the struggle phase

this comes down to task persistence you

can do this with something that we call

attention span stretching

so if you had a bar that you were

hanging from every day research shows

that if you did that you would actually

grow by an inch in height

similarly if you stretch your attention

your attention span becomes longer so

for example read a book all the way

through even if it's uncomfortable even

if you retain less you gain more

sustained attention you're training your

intentional capacity if you do a long

meditation just try adding another

minute and another minute same with deep

focused work add another minute then

another treat it like a Muscle Max out

the Reps then release happens once you

reach the edge of wrestling with the

task or problem true sustaining focus

and attention as you persist your brain

increases dopamine enhancing focus and

motivation finally popping you out of

struggle through release and into the

Flow State itself then next up we have

flow which is the state we've been

talking about this whole time during

flow the prefrontal cortex deactivates

to allow efficient instinctive rapid

decision making to occur after the Flow

State itself we have the recovery phase

on the back side of flow where we're

replenish finishing the expanse of

neurochemistry that's involved in flow

or recuperating after expending so much

energy and we're integrating the

knowledge or skills acquired during flow

so there you have it the four pillars of

flow which underscore Elise productivity

extreme accomplishment and Hyper focus

by understanding and applying these

pillars of flow you can become

consistently productive and Achieve

incredible results our goal here is to

take every research paper on Peak

Performance and flow and decipher it

down into easy to watch instantly

applicable steps so that as you stay

tuned to our Channel you build the skill

set of driving yourself into a flow

State consistently which the critical

skill set to thrive in the 21st century