One tool for infinite flow

I’m convinced the skill of the future is learning how to optimize for the flow state.

This week I’m going to show you a simple tool that will help you tap into it at will.

As always, take what you need and leave the rest…

One tool for infinite flow

Flow is the state of “effortless action”.

It’s that juicy state where you’re fully immersed in an activity and you experience a deep sense of timelessness and an absence of self consciousness.

It almost feels like an accident when it happens.

But it’s not—your brain is actually wired for it.

And we can optimize for it every day.

The first step is to create better boundaries for our time.

Just like the food we consume, or the activities we participate in, time is an extension of our health.

We need to create parameters for our time that support our wellbeing.

And the best way to do that is with a calendar.

Introducing The Flow-Recovery Calendar

The Flow-Recovery Calendar is a universal calendar method designed to optimize your day not just for tasks and obligations, but for optimal human performance.

It focuses on harnessing your natural energy rhythms to maximize output and mind-body recovery while helping you balance the flow of work, home and wellbeing without losing steam.

Here’s how you can set it up and test it for a week:

1. Design Your Week In Advance

   • Set a Weekly Design meeting with yourself (I design my week ahead on Friday afternoon)

   • Block out each hour to align your obligations and personal life to direct yourself and reduce decision fatigue.

2. Use The 5 Flow-Recovery Calendar Blocks

   Set up the following new calendars (Google or Outlook):

   • Meetings

     • Consolidate recurring meetings to specific days/times and be ruthless about how others book time with you.

   • Communication

     • Allocate time slots to batch-check emails, social, messages, etc. This contains communication distractions for specific times.

   • Flow

     • Schedule uninterrupted blocks for high-priority tasks that require deep concentration.

   • Home

     • Dedicated times for family activities, home management tasks and personal downtime.

   • Recovery

     • Set aside time for breaks to rest and reset. Disconnect from screens and all stimulation to give your brain a rest.

3. Optimize For Energy

   • Align your actions with your peak energy times—creative, deep work in the morning, meetings in the afternoon is what works best for me.

4. Create Consistency

   • Use the Communication & Home time blocks to stack consistent activities to minimize context-switching.

   • Batch email, social media and IM together under two 30-minute blocks a day to avoid distraction.

   • Batch similar home maintenance tasks together like laundry, garbage and office clean-up to compress time and get through the mundane.

5. Balance Flow & Recovery (This Is The 🔑)

   • Alternate 90-minutes of intense focus or meetings with 15-20 minutes of recovery activities like: walking, meditating, sauna or breathwork.

   • Treat recovery like an athlete and your energy levels will stay high, and your output will increase in size and quality.

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me next week:

For some, this might feel a little restricting, or that it may not work with your life circumstances, but there is a version of this that works for everyone.

Just make it your own and follow the principles.

And remember, boundaries create infinite possibilities. The more you create a boundary for your time, the more you create an integration of intention, achievement and wellbeing in your life and work.

Much Love,

Cory Firth
Creator of One Minute Weekend

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