How to be productive alone

1. Learn to enter a streaming state

The concept of "flow" - complete unity with activities and situations - was introduced by the psychologist Mihai Csikszentmihalyi. In his book "Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention," he leads conversations with artists and scientists, on the basis of which he identifies nine elements necessary to enter the flowing state:

having clear goals during work;
constant assessment of their actions;
finding a balance between the difficulty of the task and the skills of the performer;
unity of action and consciousness;
ridding the mind of distractions;
lack of fear of failure;
lack of self-doubt;
altered perception of time;
involvement in activities.

According to Csikszentmihalyi, in a state of flow, people absorb information better, analyze and remember it better. It also helps you enjoy your work.

2. Curb internal stimuli

In the environment of people, an atmosphere of collective activity acts on us, distracting from thoughts about ourselves. Alone with ourselves, we begin to listen again to the inner voice that reminds us of our mistakes and failures. You can get rid of this by listening to the sounds of nature or simply accepting your shortcomings.

3. Know when to stop

American writer and screenwriter Stephen Pressfield in his book "War for Creativity" says that one of the secrets of successful work is the ability to stop in time so that your brain has time to subconsciously structure information. Pressfield himself starts his work day at 10:30 am and ends exactly when he starts making typos.

The working day should have an end: a certain time of the day or some indicator, for example, frequent mistakes or yawns. This will give yourself time to unknowingly work on assignments and the next day you will be surprised at how many new ideas have come up. If you are unable to end your day at any time, take at least short rest breaks.

4. Find your "natural habitat"

If the animal does not return to its natural habitat, its survival is in serious danger. For people this is not so critical, but we have a lot to learn from the animal world.

For example, if you do strenuous creative work in the morning, you may feel more comfortable in the privacy of your room. During the day, you can try answering emails from crowded places: cafes, parks, libraries. Experiment and observe your condition - this is how you will find a circuit that works for you.