How To Finish One Month of Work Today
Summary
TLDRThe 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
- π 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.
- π§ Neuroscience-based principles are used to train individuals to access states of flow, enhancing productivity and work-life balance.
- π‘ 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.
- π Flow state is characterized by a mix of brain chemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin that enhance performance.
- π― Clear goals are essential for entering flow; they decrease cognitive load and help maintain focus on the next step of the task.
- π οΈ To prepare for a One Month Day, one must clear physical (allostatic load), cognitive, and life maintenance loads to increase flow proneness.
- π° Setting up an impenetrable flow fortress involves eliminating distractions, preparing for a disruption-free environment, and making self-distraction impossible.
- π§οΈ Flow stacking involves entering and exiting flow blocks throughout the day, with each block being a focused period of deep work.
- π Treating each flow block as an event and using high-consequence environments can increase neurochemical responses and improve focus.
- π The One Month Day can be practiced in different modes (acceleration, turbo, light speed) depending on the desired level of productivity and personal goals.
- π 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
π 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.
π― 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.
π‘οΈ 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.
π 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.
ποΈββοΈ 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.
π 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Flow State
π‘Productivity
π‘Neuroscience
π‘One-Month Day
π‘Flow Research Collective
π‘Clear Goals
π‘Allostatic Load
π‘Cognitive Load
π‘Flow Triggers
π‘Life Maintenance Load
π‘Flow Stacking
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
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