How To Finish One Month of Work Today

Summary

The transcript outlines a revolutionary productivity protocol known as the 'one-month day,' which enables individuals to achieve a month's worth of work in just 11 hours. This is made possible by leveraging the neuroscience of flow, a state of deep absorption and peak performance. The process involves isolating a clear goal, clearing physical and cognitive loads, and creating an 'impenetrable flow fortress' to guard against distractions. The day is structured around intense work blocks interspersed with strategic recovery periods, culminating in a profound sense of accomplishment and the 'flow afterglow.' The transcript also suggests varying modes of implementing this approach for different levels of productivity acceleration.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The 'One Month Day' is a productivity hack that allows one to achieve a month's worth of work in just 11 hours by leveraging the power of flow states.
• 🧠 Neuroscience-based principles are used to train individuals to access states of flow, enhancing productivity and work-life balance.
• 💡 Average knowledge workers do real work for only 2.3 hours per day, while executives can increase productivity by up to 500% when in a flow state.
• 🌟 Flow state is characterized by a mix of brain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin that enhance performance.
• 🎯 Clear goals are essential for entering flow; they decrease cognitive load and help maintain focus on the next step of the task.
• 🛠️ To prepare for a One Month Day, one must clear physical (allostatic load), cognitive, and life maintenance loads to increase flow proneness.
• 🏰 Setting up an impenetrable flow fortress involves eliminating distractions, preparing for a disruption-free environment, and making self-distraction impossible.
• 🌧️ Flow stacking involves entering and exiting flow blocks throughout the day, with each block being a focused period of deep work.
• 🏆 Treating each flow block as an event and using high-consequence environments can increase neurochemical responses and improve focus.
• 🌈 The One Month Day can be practiced in different modes (acceleration, turbo, light speed) depending on the desired level of productivity and personal goals.
• 🌠 The one-year month Institute is a 30-day period of intense flow mode designed to accomplish superhuman feats and elevate one's baseline performance.

Q & A

What is the one-month day and how does it redefine productivity?

The one-month day is a science-based protocol that allows an individual to compress 30 days of work output into 11 hours. It redefines productivity by enabling extreme achievement and work progress within a single day, challenging the traditional understanding of what can be accomplished in a month.

How does neuroscience support the concept of the one-month day?

Neuroscience-based principles show that people can enter states of flow, characterized by a mix of brain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin, which enhance performance. This neurochemical change allows for a significant boost in productivity, making the one-month day possible.

What are the four pillars of flow that need to be maximized to execute a one-month day?

The four pillars of flow are: removing flow blockers, increasing flow proness (the likelihood of accessing flow), using flow triggers effectively, and entering and exiting the flow cycle multiple times throughout the day to sustain the neurochemistry of flow.

What is the importance of clear goals in achieving a one-month day?

Clear goals are essential for flow because they decrease cognitive load by providing a specific action or target that leads to the ultimate outcome. They help filter out irrelevant information, allowing for deeper immersion in the task and sustaining attention and motivation.

How does one prepare for a one-month day to ensure high flow proness?

Preparation for a one-month day involves clearing both allostatic load (physical wear and tear) and cognitive load (items in working memory). This includes active recovery protocols, getting sufficient sleep, setting up a distraction-free workspace, and planning out all details of the day to minimize decision-making outside of the flow state.

What are flow stacks and how do they contribute to the one-month day?

Flow stacks are discrete chunks of time, usually one to two hours, dedicated to a single task to achieve flow. During a one-month day, these flow stacks are stacked together, allowing for multiple entries into flow states, which significantly boosts productivity and enables the completion of a month's worth of work in a single day.

How does the one-month day schedule look like for an early riser?

For an early riser, the one-month day starts with a flow block from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., followed by a non-stimulating recovery break. The day continues with alternating flow blocks and recovery periods, ending with a final flow block from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This structure includes multiple recovery hours, ensuring that the individual remains productive throughout the day.

What are the different modes of Olympian productivity for the one-month day?

The different modes are acceleration mode (one one-month day per month), turbo mode (one one-month day per week), and light speed mode (five one-month days once per quarter). Each mode determines the frequency of executing a one-month day to achieve varying levels of productivity and progress.

What is the one-year month Institute and how does it enhance the one-month day experience?

The one-year month Institute is a 30-day period where one enters 'Flow mode,' pushing their performance to superhuman levels. It involves setting high standards for every aspect of life, such as waking up early, maintaining a strict diet, and eliminating distractions, making the practices that work for an individual the new baseline for optimal performance.

How does the one-month day affect an individual's perception of themselves and their capabilities?

The one-month day leads to a permanent elevation of an individual's baseline productivity and self-confidence. It fosters self-efficacy and conviction in one's ability to execute challenging tasks, reducing stress and boosting the desire to reach new heights of achievement.

What is the 'flow Afterglow' and how does it contribute to long-term productivity?

The 'flow Afterglow' is a state of satisfying intentional fatigue and accomplishment that comes after an extended period in flow. It reinforces the desire to achieve flow states by associating them with a rewarding sense of completion and success, which in turn motivates individuals to push for new heights of performance.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The One-Month Day: Productivity Unleashed

This paragraph introduces the concept of the One-Month Day, a productivity hack backed by science that allows for completing a month's worth of work in a single day. The speaker, Rane Daris, CEO of the Flow Research Collective, shares his experience of writing half of his master's thesis in one day and emphasizes the power of achieving flow states for peak performance and work-life balance. The paragraph outlines the science behind productivity, highlighting the difference between average work hours and the potential for increased productivity when in a flow state.

05:00

🎯 Setting Clear Goals for Flow State

The second paragraph delves into the importance of setting clear goals as a prerequisite for entering a flow state. It explains that clear goals decrease cognitive load and increase focus, which in turn boosts productivity. The speaker emphasizes the need to prepare for the One-Month Day by isolating the target task, clearing cognitive and allostatic loads, and setting up a flow-friendly workspace. The paragraph also discusses the concept of flow triggers and the significance of having a low life maintenance load to maximize productivity.

10:01

🛡️ Building a Flow Fortress: Distractions Be Gone

This paragraph focuses on the third step of preparing for the One-Month Day, which is to build an impenetrable flow fortress to guard against distractions. The speaker advises eliminating digital distractions, setting expectations with others that you'll be unreachable, and creating a dedicated work environment. The paragraph also touches on the importance of self-discipline in avoiding self-distraction and suggests strategies for managing intrusive thoughts that may arise during the workday.

15:03

🌟 Flow Stacking: Maximizing Productivity

The fourth paragraph introduces the concept of flow stacking, where flow blocks of focused work are strung together to achieve maximum productivity. It explains the process of waking up and immediately entering a flow state, treating each flow block as a significant event, and the importance of maintaining a high level of commitment throughout the One-Month Day. The paragraph also discusses the psychological and physiological benefits of this approach, including the release of neurochemicals that enhance performance and the mental clarity that comes from focused work.

20:05

🏋️‍♂️ The One-Month Day Schedule: Balancing Work and Recovery

This paragraph outlines the detailed schedule of a One-Month Day, emphasizing the balance between intense work periods and recovery times. It describes the process of starting the day early with a flow block, followed by short breaks and longer recovery periods, and then re-entering flow. The schedule is designed to maximize productivity while preventing burnout, with the understanding that recovery is just as important as work. The paragraph also addresses common concerns about the intensity of the One-Month Day and explains how the structure of the day actually supports more efficient work.

25:05

🌈 The Afterglow of Flow: Lasting Benefits

The final paragraph discusses the long-term benefits of the One-Month Day, particularly the flow afterglow, which is a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It explains how experiencing this afterglow can motivate individuals to reach new heights and become more productive. The paragraph also explores different modes of implementing the One-Month Day, such as acceleration, turbo, and light speed modes, each corresponding to different frequencies and goals. The concept of a one-year month, a 30-day period of intense focus, is introduced as a way to achieve superhuman feats and permanently elevate one's baseline performance.

Keywords

💡Flow State

Flow State refers to a psychological state of deep absorption and focus, where individuals are fully engaged in an activity and experience a heightened sense of performance. In the video, it is emphasized as a critical component for achieving peak productivity, where the brain's neurochemicals like dopamine and endorphins enhance performance and creativity. The concept is central to the 'one-month day' strategy, aiming to compress a month's worth of work into an 11-hour period of intense focus and productivity.

💡Productivity

Productivity in this context refers to the efficiency and effectiveness with which individuals complete work tasks. The video discusses unconventional methods to boost productivity, such as entering a flow state and structuring the 'one-month day' to achieve a significant output in a condensed time frame. It contrasts the average worker's productivity with the potential gains of a flow state, highlighting the transformative impact on work-life balance and performance.

💡Neuroscience

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system and brain functions, which in this video is applied to understand and enhance productivity through the concept of flow. The speaker, being a neuroscience expert, uses principles derived from neuroscience to train individuals and organizations to access flow states at will, demonstrating the practical application of this field in improving work performance.

💡One-Month Day

The 'One-Month Day' is a productivity strategy introduced in the video, aiming to compress an entire month's worth of work into a single day. This is achieved by leveraging the flow state and following a structured protocol that maximizes focus and output. The concept is about intentional extreme effort with the understanding that it's temporary and time-bound, allowing for a significant achievement in a short span.

💡Flow Research Collective

The Flow Research Collective is an organization co-founded by the speaker, which focuses on using neuroscience-based principles to train individuals and entities, such as Audi and the US Air Force, to achieve flow states at will. The collective's work is centered around the application of scientific research on flow to enhance performance and productivity.

💡Clear Goals

Clear goals are specific, actionable objectives that direct attention and effort towards a desired outcome. In the context of the video, setting clear goals is a prerequisite for entering a flow state, as it helps to decrease cognitive load and allows for deeper immersion in the task at hand. Clear goals are about focusing on the next step rather than the final outcome, which helps in maintaining motivation and filtering out irrelevant information.

💡Allostatic Load

Allostatic load refers to the physical and mental stress that accumulates from daily activities and challenges. In the video, clearing the allostatic load is crucial for preparing the body and mind for a one-month day, as flow requires a fully recovered state to sustain the neurochemicals necessary for peak performance. Strategies like active recovery and proper sleep are suggested to reduce allostatic load and increase flow proness.

💡Cognitive Load

Cognitive load is the amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In the video, reducing cognitive load is essential for increasing flow proness and productivity. By minimizing the number of decisions and distractions, individuals can focus their cognitive resources on the task at hand, leading to deeper immersion and higher performance during a one-month day.

💡Flow Triggers

Flow triggers are conditions or actions that facilitate the entry into a flow state. According to the video, these preconditions are crucial for setting the stage for a productive one-month day. Flow triggers might include environmental factors, mental preparation, or specific behaviors that signal the brain to shift into a state of focused productivity.

💡Life Maintenance Load

Life maintenance load encompasses the necessary but non-work-related tasks that keep personal life functioning, such as cooking, cleaning, and errands. The video emphasizes reducing this load for the one-month day to minimize distractions and allow for uninterrupted focus on the set goals, thus enabling a successful period of deep work and flow.

💡Flow Stacking

Flow stacking is the process of stringing together multiple flow states or blocks of focused work without significant interruptions. This technique is central to the one-month day strategy, allowing individuals to achieve a high volume of work in an intense, concentrated period. By alternating between flow blocks and recovery periods, individuals can sustain productivity and prevent burnout.

Highlights

The concept of the 'One Month Day' is introduced as a method to achieve a month's worth of work in a single day.

The 'One Month Day' is based on neuroscience-based principles and has been used to train individuals and organizations for peak performance.

The average knowledge worker does only 2.3 hours of real work per day, while executives can increase productivity by up to 500% in a flow state.

Flow state is characterized by a mix of brain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin that enhance performance.

The 'One Month Day' involves maximizing the four pillars of flow: removing flow blockers, increasing flow proness, using flow triggers, and entering and exiting the flow cycle multiple times.

Clear goals are essential for entering a flow state, as they decrease cognitive load and increase focus.

To prepare for the 'One Month Day', one must clear their allostatic load through active recovery protocols and ensure proper sleep.

Cognitive load is minimized by erasing all decisions from the day and preparing everything in advance.

The workspace should be set up as a 'flow dojo', a distraction-free environment for optimal performance.

Life maintenance tasks should be minimized or paused for the 'One Month Day' to reduce non-work related obligations.

Building an 'impenetrable flow fortress' involves eliminating distractions and making oneself unreachable during the 'One Month Day'.

Wake up and immediately dive into the highest priority task to prime the brain for flow.

Each flow block should be treated as a significant event, invoking a sense of urgency and focus.

The 'One Month Day' schedule involves alternating between focused work blocks and recovery periods to maintain peak performance.

The 'flow afterglow' is the satisfying fatigue felt after an extended period of flow, which reinforces the desire to achieve flow states.

Different modes of productivity can be applied to the 'One Month Day', such as acceleration, turbo, and light speed modes, depending on the desired outcome.

The 'One Year Month' is a 30-day period of intense focus and performance improvement, setting a new baseline for productivity.

Transcripts

imagine completing a month's worth of

work before dinner sounds ridiculous

right well the science shows there's an

unconventional but proven way to

actually do this and it's the ultimate

hack for Peak Performance and work life

balance and it will permanently redefine

what productivity actually means to you

now I'm ran Daris co-founder and CEO of

the flow research Collective we've used

neuroscience-based principles to train

everyone from Audi centure to the US Air

Force to access states of flow at will

it turns out there's a new of

science-based protocol to compress 30

days of output into 11 hours I'm going

to break that down for you in a moment

this is a protocol you can run to take

yourself to an intentionally

unsustainable extreme with the benefit

of knowing that it's temporary and that

it's time bound so that you can produce

an extreme result A month's worth of

work progress achievement in a single

day it's an Olympian level feat

challenging to pull off but doable and

it's called the on month day I'll never

forget my first one Monon day I was

temporarily living in New York working

on my masters in applied Neuroscience I

did everything I'm about to break down

in this video I managed to write half of

the thesis in one day proofread it

convert it into the necessary academic

format and submit the thing and I left

the library high as a kite finished at

11:30 p.m. on Friday and couldn't

believe I had done it all and was able

to take the whole weekend off it was a

Heavenly feeling ever since the one

month day has been an indispensable part

of my pig performance toolkit but before

I break down how to execute the

one-month day how is it possible to

accomplish A month's worth of work in a

single day well let's run the map

research suggests that the average

knowledge worker does real work for only

2.3 hours per day or about 46 hours per

month in contrast research done by

McKenzie has shown that Executives can

increase their productivity by up to

500% when in a flow State at work

psychologist Mii jmi describes flow as a

state in which people are so involved in

an activity that nothing external seems

to matter a characteristic of the flow

state is a potent mix of brain chemicals

dopamine nephrine endorphins anandamide

and serotonin that directly enhance our

performance and this neurochemical

change is highlighted in research

conducted by Arna Dietrich of the

American University of Beirut dopamine

and norepinephrine sharpen focus and

boost pattern recognition and motivation

endorphins and anandamide increase

endurance and enhance creative thinking

and serotonin elevates our mood and

helps us stick with ch alling tasks now

considering these neurological shifts

it's easy to see how a 500% productivity

boost is possible but this 500% figure

though astounding is actually kind of

conservative Believe It or Not we've

seen Elite performers match a full-time

day in just 60 to 90 minutes of

dedicated time spent on the right work

in a flow State and when you do the Flow

State stacking we about to cover 500%

productivity boosts start to sound

inevitable still for our one Monon day

calculation let's be conservative and

assume a 400% a 4X increase in

productivity at four times productivity

for 11 hours you can achieve the

equivalent of 44 hours of average work

output in that single day now to show

you that a one- Monon day is possible

let's walk through exactly how to pull

it off in order to make the one month

day a reality requires maximizing the

four pillars of flow first you have to

remove all the flow blockers things that

make flow imp possible then you have to

increase your flow proness that is your

tendency and likelihood of accessing

flow at any given moment third you make

expert use of flow triggers all

throughout the day these are the

preconditions that pop you into a flow

State and finally you enter and exit the

flow cycle multiple times in the day to

ensure your brain can sustain the

neurochemistry of flow for the entire

day now don't worry we're going to cover

these along the way as we break down how

to set up schedule and run the one month

day and that brings us to step one which

is isolate the target the first part of

the one month day happens before the day

even begins you want to take a moment to

consider everything that's on your plate

consider your current goals and your

current plan for the next 30 days or so

if you could snap your fingers and have

something be completed in a day that

would normally take you about a month

what would that piece of work be when I

was studying neuroscience at King's

College in London I knew exactly what I

wished I could wave a magic wand and

finish it was my masters in Neuroscience

thesis now as an example you may want to

rebuild a complex system in your

business or complete several chapters

for a book that you're working on or

develop an entirely new skill after all

flow increases learning rates by up to

490 You' be shocked by how much Mastery

you can attain with 11 hours spent in

flow focusing on acquiring skill or

knowledge On Any Given subject but

whatever it is bring something to mind

to accomplish during your one month day

okay now that you've got that thing in

mind we need to convert that outcome

into what's called a clear goal and mihi

chii's research on Flow State chmi

identified several preconditions that

cause flow to emerge and again these are

called flow triggers but there's one

precondition for flow that isn't just a

trigger it's a prerequisite without this

there's no flow and that trigger is

called clear goals a clear goal is an

action to take a target for your

attention on the task level that will

lead to the ultimate outcome clear goals

aren't about the Finish Line they're

about the next step selling a million

books is the dream writing 500 Words is

today's clear goal now clear goals

decrease cognitive load the number of

items held in working memory so your

brain isn't bogged down deciding what to

do next this these more mental resources

for actually doing the work and

neurologically when a clear goal is set

the prefrontal cortex filters out a

relevant information allowing for deeper

immersion in the task then as clear

goals are hit dopamine floods your

system this reward chemical makes the

work feel good and keeps you motivated

sustaining your attention in order to

pull off the one month day you need to

have your clear goals decided upon

before the day even begins if you're not

sure what to focus on ask number one

what action if completed would progress

my primary professional Pursuit the most

or what task will allow me to do more

with less or reduce future demands of my

time energy and attention that may be

the target for your one month day

remember the brain craves clear goals

clear goals filter the noise and free

you to focus now that you've isolated

the target for your attention that

brings us to the second steps for making

the one month day work which is to clear

the load in order to pull off the one

month day your flow proness has to be

high flow proness refers to your

inherent tendency or likelihood to

experience flow frequently and easily

rather than leave this up to chance we

can intentionally clear everything that

suppresses flow proness in advance the

first is to clear your allostatic load

for the one month day your body and

brain must be fully recovered flow

requires neurochemicals that are

expensive for the brain to produce it's

not possible to sustain the state for

long without proper recovery the way to

recover is to clear your allostatic load

which is a fancy way of referring to the

physical wear and tear that your body

and brain accumulates throughout your

day-to-day to clear your alistic load

use active recovery protocols active

recovery is different to passive

recovery active recovery involves

engaging actively in activity that

accelerates the recovery process

activates the parasympathetic nervous

system and downregulates your

sympathetic nervous system things like

nature immersion cold plunges sauna and

massage and of course get 7 to n hours

of sleep the key to getting successful

sleep is to go to bed deaf blind cold

and hungry that's how we like to put it

deaf means blocking out all sound and

using some kind of earbuds blind is

easiest done by using an shade cold

means having the temperature cold and

hungry means not eating at least 3 hours

before bed and you can track how low

your allostatic load is and how high

your recovery is before your one month

day by looking at your heart rate

variability your HRV which is a key

indicator of Fitness stress and

Readiness for Peak Performance you want

to aim to get your HRV at or above your

usual average 30-day range to heighten

your flow proness and be fit for the one

month day and if there are any acute

stressors in your life save the one

month day for another day you don't want

to be doing a one Monon day on the break

of getting sick or after having had a

week of terrible sleep or being plagued

with jet lag now the second piece is to

clear your cognitive load after you've

cleared your alistic load cognitive load

refers to the number of items you're

carrying and working memory research has

shown that flow triggers work by

decreasing cognitive load start with

erasing all possible decisions from the

day don't wake up wondering where you're

going to work what you'll wear or what

you'll eat prep your clothes commute and

food the night before save all decision

making for your time spent in flow on

the work rather than on the minutia

within the day required to get to doing

the work treat this process as if you're

preparing for a 3:00 a.m. flight where

every detail is planned out the night

before your bags are packed you're

checked in for the flight your boarding

pass and passport already in your pocket

and you have a ride to get to the

airport that's the level of preparation

needed to truly pull off a one Monon day

the next step for clearing cognitive

load is to wrap up all new sents go

through all your text respond to

everything as needed ping whoever you

need to Ping and wrap up any final

dangling tasks the rule here is zero

open Loops are allowed for the one month

day the final step for clearing your

cognitive load is to set your workspace

up to be a flow Dojo a chaotic physical

environment mirrors mental chaos to

organize your workspace as carefully as

you would arrange the tree light

stockings and gifts for the kids on

Christmas morning for example instead of

having to pull out your laptop untangle

a cable and search for an outlet set

your office up the day or night before

so you can press a key and boom start

working immediately now on the final

kind of load we want to clear to nail

our one month day we want to clear our

life maintenance load life maintenance

load is all the necessary but nonwork

tasks that keep your personal World

running think cooking cleaning errands

it's the plate spinning that prevents a

breakdown but doesn't actually Propel

you forward for the one month day you

must bring your life maintenance load as

low as possible or find a way to safely

pause it for a full day I had a list by

prepping a week's worth of meals

Outsourcing laundry whenever possible

and knocking out all minor errands the

week before for the one month day I also

make sure my primary relationships are

in a good place and give friends family

and work colleagues a heads up that I'll

be completely offline for those 24 hours

so now you've cleared the load to boost

your flow proness it's time to guard

yourself against everything that will

threaten your ability to hit the target

that we've already set during your one

month day and that brings us to number

three which is to build an impenetrable

flow Fortress within which you're going

to carry out your one month day now tell

me if you can relate to this I'm deep in

a crucial task the momentum is building

I'm on a roll then my phone pings it's

just a glance I think but that glance

spirals into seconds minutes then hours

this is distraction at work and it's the

most immediate flow blocker before you

kick off the one month day you must make

distractions and impossibility this

means first free yourself from the phone

if working at an office keep your phone

at home leave it there if working at

home turn it off and store it in the

back shed lock it up or give it to your

spouse whatever you got to do the rule

here is simple it's Out Of Reach and

hard to even access keeping your phone

in the room even if it's off is like

keeping your car car door open all night

you'll drain the battery of your brain

your brain has to work hard to ignore

the phone's constant promise of

effortless reward of easy dopamine my

flow Fortress Is Here in LA in a garage

and what I like to do is turn off the

phone and put it in my bedroom which is

on the floor above out of sight out of

mind the next thing we want to do is to

go dark no emails texts calls or instant

messaging all notifications turned off

and we want to inform people beforehand

that we're not going to be available for

the entire day everyone needs to know

you'll be unreachable and you need the

of mind that you won't be interrupted

and that all the Loops have been closed

so that people aren't going to be

wondering why you're unreachable they

know where to find you in an emergency

and then you want to block everything on

your computer except what you're working

on use tools like self-control or

freedom to make accessing specific

sources of distraction nearly impossible

and of course you want to set up a

disruption free environment research by

Gloria Mark highlights the hidden cost

of disrupted work even a small task

switch increases stress drains cognitive

resources and extends the time it takes

to finish a task even after the

disruption ends your brain needs a

significant chunk of time about 21

minutes to regain concentration this is

why trying to do a one-month day in an

office with the disruptions of swarming

colleagues or at home with kids running

around will not work not even close if

needed check into a hotel or co-working

space for the day there's even famous

stories of people booking 15 plus

hourong flights and doing their one

mother day to protect themselves from

Interruption you love having this kind

of impenetrable attention and you'll

notice how deep the flow state that you

end up immersing in will become the last

step in building a flow Fortress Is to

make self-distraction impossible during

the one month day you can count on this

happening you're deep in the flow words

flying code compiling creativity

crackling and then bam an idea unrelated

to your task Pops in an errand you

forgot to run intrude with urgency or

you think of something you need to tell

a colleague well if you give into these

distracting thoughts your focus will

fracture like a dropped mirror

shattering slowly into multiple pieces

these sorts of thoughts are particularly

likely to drop into your head when

you're offline that's because it's easy

to get worried about not checking in the

way to deal with this impulse to self-d

distract is to take a note take a breath

and then take a quick walk that is keep

a notepad with you during your one month

day specifically dedicated to

externalizing the thoughts that will pop

up so that rather than acting on those

thoughts you jot them down you get it

out of your head to lower cognitive load

and then you get back into float with

all distractions and disruptions guarded

against it's time to dive into the one

month day itself when you run the one

month day you are flow stacking and

specifically you are stacking flow

blocks together now flow block is a

discrete chunk of time usually one to

two hours in which you allocate all of

your attention to the task at hand such

that you tap into flow and milk that

flow state for all that it is worth

here's how you can dive into your first

flow block when your brain is the most

primed for flow that brings us to the

fourth step to run a one- Monon day

which is wake up and Float my partner

stepen Cotler has written over a dozen

best-selling books he wrote all of them

by waking up at 3:00 a.m. which he's

done for nearly 30 years now and then

dropping straight into flow so to kick

off the one month day instead of an

elaborate routine wake up and dive into

your highest priority task not in an

hour within 90 seconds of opening your

eyes why well because Alpha and Theta

the neuroelectrical signature of flow

are not far from Theta or Delta which

are the brain waves active in sleep the

struggle phase of flow is the movement

from beta to the borderline between

Alpha and Theta this is a way to

shortcut it even if you're half asleep

and groggy drop right into your most

important task within 15 minutes you'll

wake up in a flow State while working

this dream to waking state is when your

flow proness is naturally at its peak it

might be a struggle at first stage one

of the flow cycle being the struggle

phase but once you get through the

initial rough patch you release into a

flow State more quickly than fully

waking up doing some elaborate morning

routine and this brings us to the next

critical step to increasing your flow

proness treat each flow block as an

event the average knowledge worker's day

is a blur it's endless emails scattered

projects and the nagging feeling of

never truly being finished work bleed

into life and back again the result a

NeverEnding state of almost done this

starkly contrasts the event-based work

required for the one month day

event-based work let you give your all

to flow blocks then truly unplugg during

breaks to maximize the flow you get

during the one month day the key is to

approach each flow block as if you're a

soldier about to enter the battlefield

picture the tense focused Cal that

envelops a soldier in the moments before

action you're on the front line poised

and ready you're is heightened awaiting

the signal to advance with a deep

steadying breath you prepare mentally

and physically then the command is given

and you surge forward Into The Fray

every move calculated every action

purposeful honing in on the Target or

imagine yourself as an Olympian you've

trained your whole life for this one

shoted gold medal once you dive in

you're all in when you treat each flow

block as an event in this way you evoke

resources within you that are otherwise

inaccessible physiologically adrenaline

surges heightening alertness the heart

rate accelerates pumping oxygen rich

blood to your muscles your body your

brain and psychologically memory

circuits in hippocampus providing a

mental blueprint for the actions that

you're taking before any flow block that

I do I always say to a friend or a

colleague if they're there all right I'm

going under as I put my headphones on

and start that flow block a flow block

should have some sort of trigger sipping

a coffee closing a door putting on those

headphones pull a trigger and drop into

the slipstream of flow to help Ure you

treat each flow block as an event we can

enhance the stakes and specialness of

the one one month day and that brings us

to step six which is to cement the

commitment during the one month day as

you move through one flow block after

another entering and exiting the flow

cycle it's key to not let yourself get

derailed during any of your quick breaks

for me the biggest sabator of the one

month day is when I let it specialness

erode for example checking my WhatsApp

just for a minute in the morning getting

one quick call in because it's really

important and I felt I couldn't delay it

I've learned that the one month day

needs to be completely categorically

distinct from every other day in your

life you want to think of it like a

cherished holiday tradition you

Faithfully observe all the rituals that

make it special you need the one month

day to be sacrosanct too important

valuable or special to be interfered

with or it will erode into normaly and

the composure will fall apart so to make

the one-month day sacr synct we can

leverage a powerful external flow

trigger and use our cognitive biases to

work for us instead of against us first

we can embed the external flow trigger

of high consequences as Action Sports

athletes can attest a high consequence

environment demands that we summon a

higher degree of skill and focus than

what is typically required in the brain

the higher consequence flow trigger

activates the amydala which processes

emotions like fear anxiety it signals to

the rest of the brain that something

important is at stake thereby increasing

neurochemical responses adrenaline

dopamine and nephrine are released

sharpening focus and reaction time to

heighten the high consequences ritualize

the one month day treat it as a sacred

experience you're dedicating yourself to

accelerating your most meaningful impact

or goals for example you can Check Into

Your Dream Hotel work in the lobby

during the day and buy the highest end

massage in the spa pay to make it an

event a special event a sacran day that

you are backing with finances to create

Financial Stakes there's immense

pleasure in ritualizing this buy your

favorite snacks or meal wear your

favorite clothes schedule your favorite

social gathering for the next day and do

the most pleasurable recovery activities

that ice bath and sauna that you love a

beach workout pepper the day with

pleasurable rewards investing in making

the one month day acros leverages our

cognitive biases in our favor in

particular the sun cost policy once

you've invested in setting up the

perfect work conditions your brain will

fight to avoid squandering the resources

you spent on that setup this urges us to

stay consistent and combats the

temptation to give up and boost your

motivation to power through the one

month day and here's why this is so

important every second counts you're

going for an Olympian level feat here

think about what you're trying to do

you're trying to do a month of work in a

day it sounds ridiculous and hyperbolic

but again it's possible however there

are no 5 minutes here or there in a one

month day if we're actually going to

pull this off no singular phone check no

quick call with your doctor you might be

having a productive day in that way but

with a one month day there's no margin

for error it must be uncontaminated a

single meeting or call however short can

tilt the entire day while an open

calendar allows you to get sucked into

flow a scheduled meeting acts as a flow

black hole sucking your Flow State into

it the way to avoid this is to keep the

one month day sacri make no exceptions

for anything other than that Olympian

level feet you're engaged in so now that

you have the building blocks for running

a one- month day let's dive into the

actual hour by hour schedule now most

people have one of two reactions to this

when they see it reaction one isn't this

a recipe for overworking and burnout

well in reality working too hard isn't

really a thing under recovering is and

part of how we get in the right amount

of recovery which replenishes our energy

is by entering and exiting the flow

cycle multiple times in a single day

which brings us to the second reaction

people have to this schedule they're

shocked by how many hours of recovery

are contained within a one month day

surely you got to get up at 5 and work

straight until midnight in order to pull

this kind of feet off right well no it's

quite the opposite most people if they

try to do this amount of work linearly

just plowing through hours of work

they'll hit a wall by the time they're 5

hours in they'll be sapped their

composure will flop they'll check

Instagram grab a sugary snack and boom

the thing collapses instead who we're

trying to multiply is our per hour

output to do so we have to enter and

exit the flow cycle over over and over

with rapidity struggle release flow

recovery On and On Again throughout the

one month day the beauty with the one

month day is that you are oscillating

like an Olympian from extreme exertion

to extreme recovery and back to extreme

exertion so let's bring this schedule to

life with a quick play-by-play this is

where you'll see how all the components

of the one- Monon day fit together this

play-by-play is based on the schedule of

early risers those who wake up at around

5:00 a.m. Rising early isn't a

prerequisite your biology will have its

unique prime time to start when you're

most flow prone historically if you are

gener Riser move the start of the day up

a few hours and run the equivalent

schedule starting a little bit later

here's what a one month day actually

looks like so 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. we

have flow block one your eyes open

because you prioritize sleep you feel

alert instead of grgy for the first flow

block wake up and flow this is your

body's Prime Time pull up the task you

carefully targeted the night before and

dive in push past any initial struggle

and then let that momentum build most

people can flow for an hour before

needing a quick boredom break focused

attention draws on cognitive control

resources which deplete over time a

brief non-stimulating break allows these

resources to replenish much like a

muscle resting the key is to keep these

brakes short and nonstimulating don't do

anything that will suck you in and

prevent you from getting back into flow

just sit there and stare at a blank wall

for a few minutes and you'll be

surprised by how quickly you'll regain

energy and be itching to get back to

work now 8: to 9:00 a.m. we're going to

do some nonstimulating recovery the

buzzer sounds you banked 3 hours of

ultra efficient time spent in flow

you've moved through the flow cycle

struggle release and flow now it's time

to do the fourth phase recovery to

recover take a longer break do a flow

proness reboot meditate do yoga take a

cold shower and incubate come up with

ideas from your work integrate what

you've just completed ideally you remain

in a fasted state food can often be a

flow deterent depending on your

metabolic fitness and health you can

remove this variable for another 3 hours

if needed have 100 Mig of caffeine to

Stave off hunger and 200 Mig of althe

for a significant cognitive boost with

the alanine cutting down any angst the

caffeine might bring on and this primes

you for the next flow block 9:00 a.m. to

12: p.m. it's time to jump into another

3 hours of flow as long as you didn't

get distracted you should be raring to

go it's time to restart the flow cycle

roll up your sleeves take a breath push

past the struggle phase and watch tasks

vanish steadily from your list as you

continue your Relentless Pace from 12:

to 1:00 p.m. we want non-stimulating

recovery again you've moved through the

first three phases of the flow cycle and

G to the other side to keep this pace up

a quick recovery is needed take a nap a

quick walk or do some stretching eat a

fuel meal food that will pump out more

Flow State rather than give you lunch

brain at this point you've already

enjoyed 6 hours of focused work time

spent in flow you're already two weeks

ahead of the average knowledge work from

1: to 3: p.m. we're going to do our next

flow Block it's time to dive back into

flow but this time it'll likely only be

about 2 hours the reason is that for

most people these afternoon chunks come

with energy troughs this is also by a

nap beforehand in the prior recovery

block can be a great idea we'll still

move through the flow cycle but we'll be

in flow for Less total time then from 3:

to 5:00 p.m. we're going to do a longer

active recovery block now you've hit the

trough this deeper restoration will give

you what you need for the final Sprint

soak in a bath hot or cold take a

luxurious nap do a full workout for a

strong parasympathetic rebound nitric

oxide flush an injection of Feelgood

anandamide which exercise brings out or

have a sauna and an ice plunge if you

plan to get a massage this is the time

we've still got one more flow cycle to

spin through which is from 5:00 p.m. to

8:00 p.m. the fourth flow block this is

it approach these last 3 hours of flow

like it's the end of a marathon when

competing with world class competitors

it's that final stretch even the last 10

seconds that leads to Victory have water

handy open the window for fresh air

crank the air conditioner to keep you

Vigilant blast some epic Tunes as you're

working to stay in the zone leave

nothing in the tank in this final flow

Sprint persist and finish the day strong

and then at 8m we want to recover and

relax Congratulations by flow stacking

and repeatedly entering and exiting the

flow cycle you've managed to get 11

intense deeply focused hours of Flow

State wedged into a single day now it's

time to land back to Earth and relish

the fact that you just accomplished what

most people manage to in a month and as

you run the one month day you'll feel a

satisfying intentional fatigue known as

the flow Afterglow it's that deeply

satisfying emptied out feeling of

accomplishment that only comes after

riding the wave of flow for an extended

period in the brain the dopamine

norepinephrine and serotonin of flow

subsides and you're rewarded with

relaxing neurochemicals like endorphins

and endoc canabo as you learn to

recognize and relish the flow Afterglow

it becomes a self reinforcing cycle the

more you experience it the more you want

it and the more you push yourself to

reach New Heights that makes it a Target

to shoot for which boosts performance

and achievement because you can only

experience it by getting into flow and

sustaining it for a long time for this

reason the one month day is one of the

biggest drivers of the flow Afterglow

once you experience the one month day

you'll permanently elevate your Baseline

and you'll pull your seemingly

impossible goals towards you and by

having this skill in your back pocket

you gain self-confidence self-efficacy

and conviction in your ability to

execute it decreases stress knowing that

you can deploy this whenever needed so

now that you know how to run the one

month day the next question is how often

should you do it after all producing A

month's worth of accomplishment in a

single day May gain you progress but

it's intense here are a few modes of

Olympian productivity to consider each

mode determines how often to run the one

month day acceleration mode involves

running a one Monon day once per month

start your month with an intense surge

of output that builds momentum you can

ride turbo mode is to run a one Monon

day once per week do this to gain

leverage that allows you to do more with

less for the rest of the quarter finally

there's light speed mode run a one month

day for 5 days once per quarter this is

for the Trailblazers the record Breakers

the eat my dust Achievers sometimes this

is needed to hit a book deadline to

launch a new product before a competitor

does or to get a new company off the

ground in light speed mode you can

accomplish what ends up feel like years

worth of work in weeks or months this is

how you achieve the impossible and if

you want to take the one Monon day even

further do the oneyear month Institute

this once a year this is a 30-day period

where you enter what we like to call

Flow mode summoning from within a

hitherto unseen level of performance to

accomplish a superhuman feat every

performance Improvement you know that

works for you becomes the default the

mandatory Baseline feeding only steak

and broccoli puts you at your best

that's what you do for this 30 days if

waking up at 4:00 a.m. puts you at your

best that's what you do for these 30

days if having no phone whatsoever puts

you at your best that's what you do for

30 days after a properly executed one

month day you won't view yourself or

life the same now there's a way to get

even more out of the one month day and

that is to supercharge your creative

rumination before during and afterward

to learn how click the video on screen