Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University, published "Flow" in 1990, the seminal text on flow state based on decades of research. In Csikszentmihalyi's words, flow state is âa state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter." In flow state, anxiety and your ego drops away, and you improve your ability to direct your attention. The key to feeling in flow is to identify activities that are just challenging enough for your skill level, and progressing to bigger challenges as your skills expand.
As modern knowledge workers, we rarely get to experience flow state. Even more elusive is the sense of progression and mastery of your work. When was the last time you felt accomplished? Do you feel like you are better than you were a month ago? The pursuit of flow state reminds us to asks these questions about the work we do everyday, and Flow Club is where we gather to do it.
Ultimately Flow Club is about improving mental fitness, feeling fulfilled at work and finding more time for life. The specific benefits you will experience include but are not limited to:
- Sharpened focus
- Minimized distractions
- Heightened intentionality and awareness of your work
- Motivation on demand
- More time for deep work, side pursuits, and life
- Increased confidence through a sense of agency
- Clearer delineation between work and rest
- More restorative rest
- Inspired company of peers and hosts
- Lower stress and anxiety
- More creativity
We hate BS too, and some of these things inevitably sound like BS. Best we can do now is to show you some testimonials, but you should stay skeptical and try it out for yourself.
âSee our Wall of Love.
Flow Clubâs method is based on the popular Pomodoro Technique, which millions of workers around the world practice on a daily basis. The Pomodoro Technique helps people overcome discomfort by working in small time increments of 25-minutes, followed by a 5-minute of break. In Flow Club, the most popular length of session is 50 minutes.
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Research shows that we put off work not because we are lazy or lack discipline. We do it to avoid negative feelings like overwhelm and uncertainty. We reach for distractions to soothe our negative feelings or busy work to help us feel productive. Instead, the Pomodoro Technique helps you focus by shrinking your goal down to the next few things you can do in the time allotted, making it easier for anyone to make real progress.
Our hosts are volunteers from the community. Hosts help lead each session, check in with you on your progress, and bring their music and positivity to help propel you forward. You can be a host too after 10 sessions.
Yes, as much as you can. Of course, if you need to turn off the camera, thatâs okay. As a community, we keep our videos to create an energetic virtual environment for each other while we work, like working at a cafe! This concept is actually called body doubling and is a useful technique for everyone to remain focused, present and reduce distractions.
The video boxes are small, and no one is looking at you because everyone is focusing. In case things go wrong, we enforce our community guidelines to keep out bad behavior.
Not much at all because we gather to focus on getting stuff done. We share our goals and progress with each other to keep each other accountable, thatâs all.
Flow Clubâs aim is to support diverse working styles. We believe that you know what works best for you. To this end, you can use the session structure as it suits you.
Most people tend to stay for the whole duration and keep their video on, because it is helpful to them to do so. If you need to join late, hop out early, or turn off video, that is completely fine with us. This is a tool thatâs here to serve you, not the other way around.
Our sessions provide the flexibility for you to:
⢠Join at any time as long as you have booked the session in advance.
⢠For new trial members, we offer even more flexibility so that you can drop in and try out a session without booking in advance.
⢠Turn your video and audio on and off.
⢠Leave a chat message to your fellow attendees if you are joining late or jumping out early.
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In Flow Club you are still working solo. What Flow Club adds is a layer of structure and external accountability to help you push yourself a little harder. Itâs like going to the gym by yourself versus going to a workout class. Youâll find lots of high performers like yourself in Flow Club, and youâll be surprised by how much more you get done.
To be clear, itâs still you who is keeping yourself accountable! Thereâs just no way around that. đ
But, itâs also clear that we are social animals. Many people work better when they are in the presence of others. The host in the room asks each participant to share their goals out loud. The act of sharing and being visible to others creates enough energy for our members to get started and to follow through.
Take a moment to think about what you need to do, and then figure out the smallest first step you can take. Then simply join a Flow Club on time to get it done.
Flow Club is a live, structured experience with specific choreography that is easy to participate and host in. As a member, youâll find that itâs much, much easier than organizing your own group.
We've thought through details to help people focus and remove overwhelm:
Flow Club's Schedule
Flow Clubâs predictable schedule helps you create consistent daily routines. You can book ahead to help you block out time.
Calendar Reminders
We send you a calendar invite so that you can make an appointment with yourself and others to remind you to show up. Your teammates will also respect your time because it appears as a meeting.
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To-do List
The To-do list doesnât carry over, which helps you start fresh each time.
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Small Videos
Videos help people feel present. We display them in limited width and height so that they aren't overly distracting. Controls such as on/off toggles and background blur support your changing needs.
$40 / month or $33.33 / month (paid annually) to access hundreds of live sessions every week
Flow Clubâs subscription model makes it so that you can keep up the habit consistently without attendance limits.
Do you buy coffee to be around others while you work? Do you pay for services to help you increase your productivity and focus, or address issues with distractibility? Then, Flow Club instead! $40 might be similar to the cost of a fitness class or two, and at this price you get access to unlimited sessions every month. Flow Club is mental fitness for work!
Your subscription will help pay for the constant learning and improving that our team does to provide this platform.
Yes, Flow Club usually fits under a co-working or wellness stipend. Hereâs a resource page on how to ask.