Teach children power of focus, flow and creativity
The United States of Advertising encourages distractions and multitasking mania. People are glued to their phones while driving or applauded for writing emails, taking calls and writing proposals simultaneously.
What is lacking here? The most succinct answer is focus and flow.
As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian psychologist, said, “Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the precious one, like playing jazz.”
It is no wonder that many Americans suffer from depression. Harvard University researcher Matt Killingsworth found people were happiest when they were mindful of the moment. It not about what we are doing as much as how present we are. If the average person’s mind wanders 47 percent of the time then, the most direct road back to contentment starts with simplifying. Focus is not only imperative for flow, but for joy and creativity.
According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, the attribute our children need most to succeed in the future? The most coveted skill in a CEO? Both answers are: creativity.
When we focus on one thing and embrace stream of consciousness, we step into flow. The scientific name for this is transient “hypofrontality — when the front part of the brain goes off line, silencing the nagging voice; time flies, action and awareness merge, and richness pervades. This creates more space for creativity.
What if we begin throughout New Mexico schools to systematically teach young students about flow? To implement exercises in which students can get lost in the moment; more arts and crafts, morning pages, music, etc. Not only does this create greater joy and creativity, but it also increases productivity.
Fortune 500 companies are implementing strategies to harness more flow in the workplace. Employees will turn off their email notifications for two hours and pour themselves into one task. Being interrupted from “being in the zone” takes about 22-26 minutes to return to that state. Doing less is doing more and creating more creative solutions.
How does this relate to my work as a flow coach? From firsthand experience, we must address our emotional roots from past traumas to fully experience joy and creativity.
Many of us were told not to cry or be strong to survive. That emotion was never fully experienced, creating havoc in body and mind. When we allow emotions to surface, we create more space for contentment and creativity.
After addressing this emotional root, I have my clients add flow rituals to their weekly regimen. For one to two hours, they put away their phones, turn off email, create quiet and go to work. This includes writing, painting, singing, throwing Frisbee, gardening, playing an instrument, etc.
The ability to solve challenges in the moment requires focus and creativity. We can retrain our brains to focus by doing one thing at a time. If we begin to teach our children to focus and face their emotions in the moment, not only will they create more space for focus and contentment, but for creativity.
We must teach our children the power of focus, flow and creativity while they are young and impressionable, not only through schools, but through leading by example. Parents, babysitters, mentors and others need to embrace these rituals, too. Not only to help our children (and future), but to help ourselves.
Barrett Freibert is a flow coach, energy healer, yoga teacher and writer who lives in Santa Fe. Her website: www.barrettfreibert.com.