This is WEEK THREE of our February POWER HOUR challenge.

That's three hours of music for focus, creativity and flow.

Can you get through three hours of work without interruption? Join the Flow State community in this monthly challenge to improve your focus and attention 🧘🏼‍♂️🎧🧘🏻‍♀️


THREE HOURS of Music for focus, creativity and flow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/37uhE7paMvema56K9Wc0Tf?si=4adc4a951419418e

THREE HOURS of Music for focus, creativity and flow on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/our_flow_state/power-hour-67-3-hours-of-music-for-creativity-focus-work-study-in-60-min-pomodoros/

THREE HOURS of Music for focus, creativity and flow on Youtube: https://youtu.be/GtKnkF1pXf8

THREE HOURS of Music for focus, creativity and flow on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ourflowstate/power-hour-67-3-hours-of-music-for-creativity-focus-work-study-in-60-min-pomodoros

February Power Hour Challenge: Enhance Focus with Three Hours of Music

A flow trigger, in the context of psychology and optimal human performance, refers to an event or condition that initiates a state of "flow."

So what are some good flow triggers?

Clear goals

Having a clear and specific goal to pursue helps focus attention and create a sense of purpose in the activity.

Challenge and skills balance

The activity should provide a level of challenge that matches the individual's skill level, leading to a sense of control and competence.

Autonomy

Having a sense of control and freedom in choosing how to approach the task enhances the flow experience.

There are many more triggers...

...but none of these work for very long if you haven't solved the most important flow trigger.

The #1 flow trigger lies within you: your natural talents and strengths.

"Find the thing that comes easiest to you and master it!" - Erykah Badu

When you spend time on your deepest interests and curiosities, flow comes easy. Because you're spending time on the thing you were designed to do.

Your genetic makeup and your life experiences have never occurred before and will never repeat. What natural talents lay dormant within you? What were you designed to create?

Understanding this can unlock a life of flow.

You can read the unrolled version of this thread here: https://typefully.com/our_flow_state/y01hLk1

Flow Triggers: Unleashing Optimal Performance

POWER HOUR is Live :). https://ourflowstate.com/#podcast

Here's a look at some of the music featured in this weeks episode.

Vamp by @EdwinOosterwal is a nice up-tempo riser that gets us warmed up for focus 🤸

https://open.spotify.com/track/2XA2eWOsnoAwhEbpFERMr2?si=60460c11e5334146

The epic vibe of Smells Like Sheep by @NicholasBritell is calming yet energizing. A perfect combo for creative outbursts 👩🏻‍🎨

https://open.spotify.com/track/5RB1DkUoYVQzoKO6ink4Iy?si=896bd2fc9bc9415d

The steady beat and beautiful synths of Detached by @imamouseville gets us into a steady flow 🤩

https://open.spotify.com/track/2CZnuQBGvGryfY2hDAzH8x?si=f65c3194ff1944ec

And we love the arpeggios of Check Two by @w_golczewski - a great way to close off a solid flow session 💪🏽😌

https://open.spotify.com/track/5Nv2I6F7MOqKVstT2BcEOb?si=c2fa8be588c84140

Listen to these artists and more in the full episode at https://ourflowstate.com/#podcast

The music of S5.EPISODE 8 // Synthwave, LoFi, Organic House and more

🧘🏻‍♀️ The brain's ability to concentrate relies on its "Selective Attention" mechanism. When it's quiet, our brain can easily focus on the task at hand. But in noisy environments, the brain must constantly filter out irrelevant sounds, making it work overtime! 🤯

🔍 Studies have shown that exposure to continuous noise can lead to "Cognitive Fatigue." The brain becomes drained as it attempts to process multiple stimuli, leaving less mental energy for productive tasks. 😓

🎧 I'm sure you're already combating this with the some incredible noise canceling headphones, maybe bopping the latest Nas album. We agree, Nas is Still Magic ;). But the lyrics of his music and most music is probably not helping you solve complex problems 🫤

🎶 Using instrumental electronic music or even white noise, like the sound of birds or wind blowing in the trees, can help you tune out the noise of the world and strike an emotional chord that pushes you forward through any cognitively demanding task 😤

Caves Lit by Flame, by @JamalGreenMusic (featured in the latest episode of Flow State) is a great example of a track that can help you tune out the noise, calm down and focus. https://open.spotify.com/track/6uksFpENKduAMBgTetGBF5?si=909e8a81c2384fe2

Listen to this track and more to help you tune out the noise and get focused with the latest episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ZFUvCJoMfpNhSBGUKlpqi?si=aae73727e8c14ca3

The Negative Impact of Noise on Focus and Using the Right Music to Improve Concentration

As the weekend approaches, let's not overlook the importance of rest and relaxation. It not only revitalizes our energy and rejuvenates our minds but also fosters the emergence of innovative solutions.

Recall that rest, or as @_bobbylyte likes to call it "creative rest", is a physical action you're taking. It puts the brain in a state of broad focus, giving it the best opportunity to make novel connections between ideas and come up w/ creative solutions.
https://twitter.com/_bobbylyte/status/1676984623086325763?s=20

Wishing you a weekend of self-care, recharging your brain, and letting your subconscious creativity flourish! 🌟💆‍♀️🔋🎨✨.

The Power of Rest and Relaxation

Fly through those end of week tasks with the latest POWER HOUR episode.

On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/21IPGRWZQh14BeuIrki1I4?si=9efe785a02ac428f

On Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/our_flow_state/power-hour-s5e6-minimal-dub-techno-synthwave-one-60-min-pomodoro-and-one-10-minute-bi/

AND .. on Soundcloud :)

https://on.soundcloud.com/DLhDS

Power Hour: Fly Through Your End of Week Tasks

One of our favorite tracks from this week's episode is Welcome to TSC by  @stevemoore2600.

The ambitious synth arpeggio and aggressive bassline makes for a perfect track to jumpstart your pomodoro session.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6YzXA7QfMSu5IOjt5egx7a?si=b183a23b3413448a

We also love That Gurl, by Gesmis. A soft LoFi beat that'll massage your ears, calm your inner chatter and ease you into focus.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5E2ZlARzfpAfvM6F5Db1Iz?si=bd6860d857bc4a88

Full episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pskkiCN0cpM6VjmpEr1Qr?si=a0435eccc10a4151

And on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/our_flow_state/s5e5-compositional-ambient-lofi-dub-and-synthwave-30-min-pomodoros-5-min-breaks/

Favorite Tracks from S5E5 // Synth Arp and LoFi for Focus

New episode of Flow State is Live!

Two 30 min pomodoros, one 5 min binaural break, featuring LoFi, Compositional Ambient, Synthwave and more.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pskkiCN0cpM6VjmpEr1Qr?si=45ba2b2b236d40e9

And Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/our_flow_state/s5e5-compositional-ambient-lofi-dub-and-synthwave-30-min-pomodoros-5-min-breaks/

Season 5, Episode 5 // Compositional Ambient, LoFi, Synthwave

If you're not using Binaural Soundwaves for work you're not taking advantage of one of the simplest tools to increase your working memory, cognitive focus and creativity.

Studies show that binaural beats help the brain organize and retain information acquired throughout the day, thus promoting successful reasoning, comprehension, and goal-directed behavior.

This is why we release a binaural version of every episode of Flow State. Here's a glimpse of todays episode combining music and binaural soundwaves designed to improve your focus.

Check out the full episode on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/episode/76F7UwJWUym9B0xwGwEaEO?si=b27df5ad76fd4f10