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A Quick & Simple Way To Increase Flow States And Improve Your Leadership

Based On Psychophysiology

By Cody Dakota Wooten, C.B.C.Published 15 days ago 6 min read
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Everything that Leaders are seeking in the world of Business comes from Flow States.

  • Increased Innovation
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Peak Productivity
  • Work Engagement
  • Improved Decision Making
  • Faster Learning

Just to name a few of the Benefits of Flow.

This is the Ideal State of Mind that Leaders need to Succeed.

The entirety of Flow Science is very Complex, and there are a few things that we can look at that will help us get more Flow States.

For instance, something you must understand is that Focus drives Flow.

If you are not Deeply Focused on something, it will never drive you into Flow.

So if we want Flow States more often, we need to Increase Attention.

Along with this, something that "Blocks" Flow States frequently is that people Struggle too much.

I typically talk about this in terms of Stressors.

Stress is not inherently Good or Bad.

Stress only "becomes" Good or Bad based on the Total Stressors you have, and your Current Stress Threshold.

If you do not have enough of a Stressor, you become Bored.

You will not reach Flow if you are Bored.

Alternatively, if you have too many Stressors, you become Dis-Stressed.

With 80% of people in Burnout, it is safe to say "most" people are in Dis-Stress.

However, if you find the "Goldilocks" point of not too much and not too little, you will get Eu-Stress which "can" lead to Flow States.

As most people are in Burnout, you need to find something that will also Decrease your overall Stressors.

Then, another factor to consider is Novelty.

Our Brains enjoy a bit of Novelty, and that Novelty can often fuel our Flow States.

If we can add that as well, then we will have a winning Recipe to get more Flow!

Is there anything in the vast universe that can Increase our Attention, Decrease our Dis-Stress, and "also" Add Novelty to our Lives?

There actually is!

It is also far more simple than you probably are Imagining.

All you have to do is go for a Walk Outside for at Least 15 Minutes!

If this sounds too good to be True, let me explain how this plays out with our Psychophysiology.

First, we have the Attention aspect.

Some research that has been conducted has shown that walking outside has a Direct Impact on our Attention.

The Researchers tested the differences between Walking Inside and Walking Outside on Attention.

Based on the Research, Walking Outside provided the Best Benefits to Attention.

There are a few other Interesting things in this study as well.

They discovered the Reaction Times Increased for those who walked outside, which could be an Indication of Increased Pattern Recognition.

This is a trademark of Flow States!

Due to task they used (called a visual oddball task), it would likely be considered "Micro-Flow", which could become a stepping stone to Deeper Flow States.

The other Interesting part of this Study is that they report that they did not see Improved Accuracy between the Groups "BUT" they Suspect that is likely for one of two reasons:

  • The Task was too simple
  • Other Studies Reveal 20 Mins. "May" be the Baseline for Promoting Cognitive Function

It is possible that Walking Outside for 15 Minutes "Could" Improve Cognitive Function, but the Methodology cannot show that.

If you want to get a higher likelihood of Improved Cognition, then you can simply increase your Walk Outside for 20 minutes!

Now, can Walking decrease our Dis-Stress?

This is absolutely the case!

One organization that has looked deeply into this is called Original Strength.

One of the fascinating things they have discovered in their research is that our Bodies have Natural Movement Patterns that directly Impact our Nervous System and create a Calming Effect (aka Reduces Stressors).

These include:

  • Diaphragmatic Breathing
  • Head Control (specifically Head Nods)
  • Rolling
  • Rocking
  • Crawling/Cross-Crawling/Gait Patterns

Another word for "Gait Patterns" is "Correct Walking".

That is right!

When we walk properly, it can immediately Calm our Nervous System Down!

Based on what other Research is showing, 15-20 minutes of walking can be enough to Reduce our Stressors below our Stress Threshold, so when we get back to Work, we can get to Eu-Stress and then Flow!

We can take this all further though because "specifically" Walking Outside will immediately drive "Novelty".

Every day you go outside, even if you walk the same Path(s), you will have a Novel experience every time.

You may see different people and animals.

The weather may be dramatically different between days.

Even simply how you feel from one day to the next will be different.

So many factors quickly Change in Nature that Novelty is Guaranteed.

Which is "Exactly" what you need if you want more Flow States.

There is actually another secret Beneficial Factor here that has to do with the Interaction between our Conscious and Unconscious mind!

See, the Conscious mind is capable of incredible things, but the Unconscious mind is significantly better at putting things together.

It has been explained like this:

  • Conscious Mind = Solving Problems on Sticky Notes
  • Unconscious Mind = Solving Problems on NASA Supercomputer

Which one do you think will get Better Results, Faster?

Well, most people try to keep their major work in their Conscious Mind constantly, which limits what their Brain can do with the Information.

However, if you go on a walk, and you Focus on moving correctly, and take in the Novelty of everything around you, what happens?

Everything you are working on gets uploaded to your NASA Supercomputer Unconscious Mind!

Once you finish your 15 to 20 minute walk, your Unconscious Mind has probably computed more information about your work than you would have if you kept it in your Conscious Mind for 8 Hours Straight!

That Process will also Fuel new Insights, which drives More Novelty into your Work!

Isn't it Fascinating how Simple and Quickly we can affect our ability to get into Flow States?

The Primary Reason that Leaders so often Fail is that they work "Against" Psychophysiology, instead of "Using" Psychophysiology to their Advantage.

This is true not only of themselves but also of their Teams.

If Leaders just had their Team go on an Enjoyable Walk Outside in Nature for 15 to 20 minutes before every meeting, do you know how much "More" Could be Accomplished?

That is also only one "tiny" way to drive these types of Changes.

This is why I am such a proponent of Regenerative Legacy Design.

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About the Creator

Cody Dakota Wooten, C.B.C.

Creator of the Multi-Award-Winning Category "Legendary Leadership" | Faith, Family, Freedom, Future | The Legendary Leadership Coach, Digital Writer (500+ Articles), & Speaker

https://www.TheLeadership.Guide

[email protected]

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Comments (1)

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  • Lana V Lynx15 days ago

    Excellent advice, as always, Cody. I think you should start mapping out some concepts into flow charts so that they show the movement of key states and conditions. I'm a visual person, so maps and images always help me.

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