Achieving Creative Flow
How to Build a Creative Deep Work Routine
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Welcome back to another Slow Sunday Letter! I hope you have had a slow and gentle week.
In this week’s, A Writer’s Life we are getting straight down to it, and talking about how we find our creative flow. Achieving creative flow in any form - writing, music, art, making, or designing, takes on a life of its own when we go into that higher gear and tap into deep work.
How do you get into that flow state? Some days the work just flows and you feel unstoppable - yet others days, the work doesn’t come, and it all feels hard and slow. I want to think about how we can create our own individual creative deep work routines to try and get the best out of our creative work.
So grab a cuppa, get cosy and let’s explore how we find our creative flow together…
Creative Flow - Deep Work
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.
So what exactly is a deep work routine?
The concept of deep work was first explored by Cal Newport in Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. In this book, Newport defines deep work as follows.
“Professional activities performed in a state of distraction free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate”.
Deep work is first and foremost free of distractions, and second - demanding! I have definitely got the demanding memo! Deep work will also take place over an extended period of time- this could be anything from an hour to three hours and beyond (this is entirely down to you and your work rhythms).
Newport argues that deep work is both rare and valuable. It is rare, because it is challenging and uncomfortable to achieve, and valuable because what you can achieve is capable of creating real value.
So, how can we build our own work routines that help us tap into deep work, so we can achieve our own creative flow?
Creative Routine:
Focused and driven by your creative goals
Will be demanding and uncomfortable
Free of distractions
Can be repeated often
Follows the same framework
Produces work
Is buildable (you could start aiming for thirty minutes of deep work and grow to two hours)
It will encourage confidence
Creative Flow : Journal Prompts
What would it mean to you to have a clear, actionable routine to do your creative work?
What is the first project you would apply this new routine to completing?
How To Build a Deep Work Routine
If you can put together a routine, that works and speaks to you personally, you are better poised to tap into creativity and trigger more states of deep work. I did a class recently on Creative Deep Work by Mark Sample on Skillshare, and honestly it has changed how I work. Sample splits creative deep work into three main areas - preparation, the actual work, and reflection.
Preparation
It may sound strange - but I believe preparing to work is just as important as doing the work. Creating a transition from ‘normal life’ to ‘deep work’ is vital, and it is this ritual that will start encouraging all those creative juices to start flowing. If you do this time and time again, your body will learn that this is the time and this is the way to do creative deep work.
Preparing your work space doesn’t need to take long - it can be as simple as gathering your materials, lighting a candle, doing a breathing exercise, making a coffee, going to the toilet, grabbing a glass of water, going for a quick 5 minute walk, stretching, putting on some gentle background music. They are gentle signals that guide you on your way to creative work.
Within this preparation, I would also take a minute or two to decide where my focus will be, and create at least one achievable goal - whether it is writing one page, or editing one piece of work. Creating an achievable goal should help you tap into deep work by pulling on that muscle memory that knows exactly what to do.
Better yet, this preparation should be something you can repeat, a ritual that leads into your work. So whenever, it is time to settle into some deep work you can start these specific actions in motion, which should trigger your brain to enter a flow state.
These actions should be easy, even indulging and gentle. No effort required! Just settling in, and preparing your space and desk (or work area). Next, I like to set a timer (I love the forest app - fill a virtual forest as you move through each work session), and then it is time to get going!
The Actual Work
Ok - so now we are actually going to do the work! … Easy ! Nope!
We all know this can be the hardest to actually achieve, but remember what Cal Newport said - deep work is uncomfortable, cognitively demanding. It is absolutely normal to struggle when doing the actual work! But, you cannot avoid it - everything relies on the work, whether that is writing, or other creative projects. We cannot mould what isn’t there, so we have to produce.
To help us on our way - keep your goal clear in your mind. I like to write down my one achievable goal and have it nearby - so if I feel myself drifting or getting distracted - I can pull my focus back into line and recentre.
Also, and this could possibly be the most difficult - but as much as is humanly possible you need to work distraction free. No quick scroll on Instagram, checking your emails, or having a quick conversation with a friend or family member. It may seem like nothing, but these little distractions will prevent you from reaching and remaining in your flow state.
A simple tip - to help filter out any thoughts, worries or issues that are off topic from your work, have a piece of paper or a separate document on your computer where you can write those thoughts down, as and when they pop into your head. Get them out of your mind, and onto paper, and then you know they are safe, but you are free of them to return to your work.
I also encourage breaks - coffee breaks are a must (for me at least) !!!! Often just getting up, moving my body a little, waiting for the kettle to boil and returning to my work space with a fresh cup of steaming coffee (and a biscuit!), is enough to shake up all those thoughts in my mind and re-channel them into the work. I think the most important thing about breaks, is to limit what you consume (information wise) - no news, no emails etc.
Reflection
So you’ve reached the end of your work session, you’ve achieved your goal, and you’ve planted another virtual tree (if you are like me and use the forest app!). The closing act according to Mark Sample is reflection. We need to reflect on a daily basis on the work that we have completed. Think about how much work you got done, what went well, what could you improve on, and what do you want to focus on next time?
Get into the habit of reviewing and reflecting on your work as often as you can. This will help you get a sense of direction, and help you keep focused on your main goals and projects.
I hope you have enjoyed this week’s, A Writer’s Life and it has got you thinking about how you can tap into deep work more regularly within your own writing practice. I am so intrigued, if you feel able please do share your own routines and habits and what helps you get into a flow state with your writing or any other creative projects.
I would really love to know your thoughts and if any of this resonated with you - if you feel able, please do share in the comments.
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Wow, this was an amazing post, Emily! Thank you so much for the inspiration! ❤️
Thank you so much for this post, it's just what I needed to read. I'll also definitely have to check out the forest app. ❤️