The Flow state is when your mind is focused and you're seamlessly going from one task to the next, getting a lot of work done.
What is flow?
When you're riding a bike, your motions are rhythmic and repetitive. You can pedal faster or slower, but either way your movement is efficiently moving you forward and you can feel the progress.
As creative professionals, we could be in the flow, or dragging our feet and the day's output will be wildly different.
It's important to be in the flow to produce results, so we have to be aware of when we're flowing, and how to get there when we're not.
I have always gotten away with doing homework or studying for tests at the last minute. As I got older, my responsibilities got much more complicated and it fell on me to stay organized and plan my work schedule. I have honestly struggled with this as an adult.
Am I flowing?
An important question to ask yourself is Am I flowing? If you are, keep going! Crank out as much as you can in the time you have.
Your flow won't last forever. You will eventually get tired, or hungry, or your calendar will remind you there are other things to do.
If you have a point in time you need to stop and move on, this will help you from slowing to a grind and not noticing. Schedule your "deep work" windows for the point(s) in the day when you have the capacity to hit your flow, and save some energy for the next one.
Get in the flow
If you're not in the flow, reflect on what you're experiencing. I am not always consistent, and there are often other things on my mind that distract me from my priorities.
Figure out what these impediments are and how you can work around them. Are you tired? Look at your sleep routine and make some adjustments. Is there something else you need to do? Take care of it.
When I need to get started on something and I'm not feeling it, I like to build up momentum on smaller things first. It doesn't event have to be related. Folding laundry, or cleaning the kitchen will get you in the productive mood. From there, it's easy to feel the progress and look for more creative things to get into.