Flow is that magic place where work keeps happening smoothly and easily, and the next time I look up from what I’ve been doing it’s done and time has passed me on by.

I can get into a good state of Flow with writing, designing, and even seeming scut work like website updates, and when I do, it reminds me of why I do what I do. It’s when I can’t seem to find my way into that space that I get frustrated and behind, so this post is to remind me of the things that (sometimes) work to get things Flowing.

• Make a cup of tea, and don’t forget to drink it.
• Just get started.
• Make a list of what needs to be done, and check things off as I finish them.
• Play a game of something brain-stimulating.
• Open one file, and do something easy.
• Close a bunch of tabs until the browser no longer mocks me with its waiting articles.
• Eat a piece of chocolate or two.
• Set up all the equipment for it – open the Scrivener doc, get out the Wacom tablet, pull out some paint tubes, get out the Copic markers, take the computer to the scanner desk.
• Put on some really embarrassingly rockin’ ’80s tunes and go clean something small, just to get the blood flowing.
• Take a shower.
• Move to a different spot.
• Put up an away message on IM and tell people I’m working.
• Pick one thing, and start.

Obviously, some of these tricks are me-specific, but some of them would work for other people. I’ve often found that, no matter how much I’m avoiding something, if I just start it then that resistance skulks away in the face of my obvious productivity.

Also, chocolate really does help.

Do you have any tricks you use to get into the Flow of things?