Flow Writing

I'm cooked.

I don't know what to write about today.

I had a solid idea what I was going to write about the past 2 days, but I have no idea with this post.

What if this turns out similar to one of my "flow writing" entries?

What if it sucks?

For context, I do a flow writing journaling session every morning.

It's a practice where I write 2 pages by hand, without pausing, entirely stream-of-consciousness.

It takes me around 20 minutes and the hardest part–at least for my ego/inner critic–is being okay with my writing sometimes being random, incoherent, or entirely pointless.

But there is a point.

The point is to keep the pen moving the entire time.

No pausing to take a sip of coffee.

No pausing to think about how I want to phrase something.

No pausing to try to think up a good idea or something clever to write about.

I just keep writing and remind myself that this practice isn't about creating good writing, it's about overcoming self-judgment and allowing whatever is in me to flow through freely.

It's about tapping into that mythical "flow state" and maintaining it for as long as possible.

It's about making me a better creator.

Flow isn't mythical or supernatural though.

It isn't some magic state that you're in or you're not. It's not like the cool kid's club.

It's more a question of "how much flow" you are accessing.

Kinda like a faucet. Yes, it can be fully off or fully on, but there are many states of flow in between.

There's a spectrum of flow that we can, through practice, get better at moving ourselves along as we become more skilled at accessing higher and higher states of flow and maintaining those higher states for longer periods of time.

My "flow writing" usually ends up being a hot mess of jumbled thought, littered with typos and grammatical errors.

I have many days where I write things like, "I don't know what to write. I am breathing right now. The dog is laying on the floor. My mosquito bite itches."

Sometimes though, I access higher flow states and surprisingly good stuff actually comes through me in a natural and effortless way.

Well, it's good to me at least.

I've even cried during my flow writing sessions a few times.

I wrote about how Writing Is Foundational yesterday, and I believe that flow writing or stream-of-consciousness writing is an incredibly powerful practice for anyone who want to get better at tapping into higher states of flow.

Being able to "flow" goes beyond just writing though.

Yes, you can use writing as a means to practice it, but being good at accessing flow directly translates to all creative endeavors, be it writing, playing a musical instrument, painting, or whatever other creative act you participate in.

If you're going to try it though, give the practice time to rewire how your brain works.

Give it at least 90 days.

If you can commit to that, I'm confident you'll notice a change and you'll likely keep going past the 90 days to see just how much more you're able to grow as a creator.

That's it for today!

I hope I served you well today.

Hasta mañana,
Acme