Stephen Collar

And if I lower cognitive load, this is why people will tell you, clean your office, right? If when you're totally distracted and you're all over the place, what do I do first? You clean your office. Why would you possibly clean your office? It lowers cognitive load. All the crap you're trying to think about starts to go away. And what happens? You liberate some extra energy.

And if I lower cognitive load, this is why people will tell you, clean your office, right? If when you're totally distracted and you're all over the place, what do I do first? You clean your office. Why would you possibly clean your office? It lowers cognitive load. All the crap you're trying to think about starts to go away. And what happens? You liberate some extra energy.

What does the brain do with that extra energy? It repurposes it for focus and attention. So complete concentration is the first flow trigger, the most important. So if you're interested in complete concentration on the task at hand, right? If it's a group setting, you want your entire team focused on the same thing. If it's an individual, you want all your attention here. So what does that mean?

What does the brain do with that extra energy? It repurposes it for focus and attention. So complete concentration is the first flow trigger, the most important. So if you're interested in complete concentration on the task at hand, right? If it's a group setting, you want your entire team focused on the same thing. If it's an individual, you want all your attention here. So what does that mean?

You asked about flow killers. The first step is distraction management, right? I start my day with my hardest task. I wanna get the biggest, hardest, most complicated thing out of the way first. One, because I'm gonna have the most energy when I wake up, right? I know that. So that's where I go from me. You're telling me you start your day. I am telling you.

You asked about flow killers. The first step is distraction management, right? I start my day with my hardest task. I wanna get the biggest, hardest, most complicated thing out of the way first. One, because I'm gonna have the most energy when I wake up, right? I know that. So that's where I go from me. You're telling me you start your day. I am telling you.

I am telling you, I didn't tell you why. I go from my bed to my desk in less than seven minutes. I bed, bathroom. I put my dogs outside and let them go run around. And I walk over to my office. I have big properties of my house. My office is on my property or from my house. Walk over to my office. Go on the coffee maker and I'm down at the computer and I don't.

I am telling you, I didn't tell you why. I go from my bed to my desk in less than seven minutes. I bed, bathroom. I put my dogs outside and let them go run around. And I walk over to my office. I have big properties of my house. My office is on my property or from my house. Walk over to my office. Go on the coffee maker and I'm down at the computer and I don't.

So I not only do I practice distraction management, I make my to do list the night before. So I know exactly where I'm starting. I shut everything down in my office. There's no email. There's no phone. Slack is off. All the things that my staff can reach me on. All those things are turned off. There's no communication channel open except Slack. for messages.

So I not only do I practice distraction management, I make my to do list the night before. So I know exactly where I'm starting. I shut everything down in my office. There's no email. There's no phone. Slack is off. All the things that my staff can reach me on. All those things are turned off. There's no communication channel open except Slack. for messages.

And that's literally kept open for my wife and my business partner and my parents and a couple other people. Other than that, like I won't check anything. That's first distraction management. So like, you know, I've walled off. And in fact, I turn all my lights off in my office and I put my writing the night before in focus view, which is a Microsoft Word thing where all you see is the words.

And that's literally kept open for my wife and my business partner and my parents and a couple other people. Other than that, like I won't check anything. That's first distraction management. So like, you know, I've walled off. And in fact, I turn all my lights off in my office and I put my writing the night before in focus view, which is a Microsoft Word thing where all you see is the words.

So literally, I walk into a black room where my book is floating in front of me. And the only difference, Tommy, is the hardest thing I have to do is actually create new words, right? I have to advance my chapter, a thousand words or 2000 words or whatever. I start by editing what I wrote the day before. And there are flow-based reasons for it.

So literally, I walk into a black room where my book is floating in front of me. And the only difference, Tommy, is the hardest thing I have to do is actually create new words, right? I have to advance my chapter, a thousand words or 2000 words or whatever. I start by editing what I wrote the day before. And there are flow-based reasons for it.

And I can talk about that in a second, but I start by editing and then I go into the hardest thing. So I guess I start my day with my second hardest task, which is editing what I wrote the day before. And then I go into writing. And I will tell you, like, if you're good at this and I'm good at this, 95% of the time, I'm on a flow state within like 15 minutes.

And I can talk about that in a second, but I start by editing and then I go into the hardest thing. So I guess I start my day with my second hardest task, which is editing what I wrote the day before. And then I go into writing. And I will tell you, like, if you're good at this and I'm good at this, 95% of the time, I'm on a flow state within like 15 minutes.

I usually write for four hours in the morning. I started four o'clock in the morning and I, at eight o'clock I stop and I'll usually take my dogs for a hike in the back country. At that point, I'm a big believer in long walks too. And I like, so I like to go out for like an hour right after I've written for a bunch of reasons that we can talk about.

I usually write for four hours in the morning. I started four o'clock in the morning and I, at eight o'clock I stop and I'll usually take my dogs for a hike in the back country. At that point, I'm a big believer in long walks too. And I like, so I like to go out for like an hour right after I've written for a bunch of reasons that we can talk about.

This has been my life since I was 28 years old every day.

This has been my life since I was 28 years old every day.