2 Thoughts - Flow State & Winning

#1: Flow State

“Once I’m in a flow state I can’t be distracted. That’s the magic of it.” -Ryan McDevitt

This week I had my best Pickleball game to date.  

(I realize that sentence has already polarized half of the readership, but stay with me...) 

I've been playing a few months, and as a beginner I find myself constantly thinking about where the other team will hit the ball, where I want to hit it, how I'm holding my paddle, what my partner is doing.  It's exhausting energy that takes away from the prime purpose of the moment - winning.

This week, though, I had one epic game. For 5 minutes I didn't think about anyone and anything.  It was just me and the ball.  

Later I realized that was a brief "flow" state. Why did it happen and how can I replicate it?  Because in those moments, everything I did was gold.  

Here's what I came up with:  

1) Competence matters.  Lean into the things you're good at and start with small consistent wins.

2) Set uninterrupted time aside so you can relax into the space.

3) Start with the outcome in mind, but then focus on the actions, not the outcome.

#2: One Question to Ask Yourself

When can I set aside time to leave potential for hyper productive flow state, and what should I be working on?