1 — State of Mind
“Our mind has a mind of its own, we must coax it into a state of focused attention.” (V. Snow, 2017)
There is no point in touting fantastical techniques to bridge matter and mind if your mind is in no state to listen. What I’m dancing around is none other than ‘flow’. Flow is a state in which we are engaged in our task unaware of the time. It is otherwise known as immersion and it implies a level of automaticity. What I mean by automaticity is that you are not consciously aware of each element of the process or singular behaviours but rather your mind takes over and your focus is holistic. How to achieve such a Mecca of mind?
What works is unique to all of us.
For me a cluttered desk equals a cluttered mind. I require a neat environment with loads of natural light and nothing but music and my own company. Despite being vehemently opposed to early mornings I find them, ironically, to be the most productive time for deep work. My ritual is coffee, music and a blissfully empty house.
Finding your space, your work Mecca, is undoubtedly a trial and error process. Additionally, what works may change over time. You change your space to fit your needs and as your needs change so will your space (how very Confucius of me). When it comes to choosing your space, there is no right or wrong. It is simply whatever works for you. The most crucial thing to remember is that space has a significant impact on your work and you have the power to engineer it to suit you.
I use space rather loosely here to refer to anything which impacts the senses. This extends past the visual, auditory and tactile and invites you to extend yourself into experimentation with smell and taste (for me it’s coffee and rain).
Crucial to note is that you can’t just sit in this environmental utopia and instantly become a productivity magician. Immersion, funnily enough, requires a gentle entry, in which we dip ourselves toes first rather than headlong. It is a conscious preparation to submerge ourselves in our subconscious (thank-you Freud).
Once you have built your Mecca take a moment to relax into it, allowing the mind to take a deep breath and clear. For me this slow submerge begins with relaxing into my chair, sipping my coffee then closing my eyes and welcoming the slow build of Divenire (by Ludovico Einaudi).
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