Dominate Your New Year's Resolutions Using the Power of Psychological Flow

Better Process. Better Outcomes. Better Life.

Take advantage of behavioral science and psychological flow to dominate your resolutions for the year.

Here we go!

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Before you read the rest of this post, I would suggest reading my first post about New Year’s resolutions. Today’s blog is more of a “part 2” on the matter. You can find that first post right here.

Psychological Flow

Psychological flow is a peak state of consciousness where we think and feel and perform at our best. A flow state allows us to be completely absorbed in a task. So much so that we can experience the “loss of self” feeling. This state produces some of the most potent feel good brain chemicals we have. 6 of them to be exact (Dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, oxytocin, and serotonin). And, they pack a punch! Some studies have shown it boosts performance up to almost 500%. That’s a worthwhile number to at least check it out for yourself! 

Psychological flow is also what we call “autotelic”. That means that the experience of flow is also the reward in itself. On the borderline of addicting. It is the means and the end. Doing the behavior feels so good when it is done in a flow state. So good, in fact, that we keep coming back for more and more. Autotelic. 

Dropping in to flow can help you accomplish your resolutions because it will literally keep you coming back for more. Flow states will have you craving to go to the gym, for example, instead of having to drag yourself to the gym. Flow science allows you to stop relying on willpower to accomplish your goals. And, most importantly, it is guided by your values. Producing a life that is more rich and full and meaningful.

If you read my first blog post then you are ready to begin the journey of fulfilling your New Year’s resolutions (and probably even more thanks to the 500% boost in performance). If you still didn't read it, here is that link again. https://www.podhealthllc.com/blog/act_new_year_resolutions

Using Flow to Dominate Our Resolutions

That first article gets us started in the right direction. We are now centered on our values and ready to pursue psychological flow. 

1. Take some time and write out your resolution. Make sure it is very clear and can fit into one sentence. Detailed enough for clarity, but vague enough not to hamper your creativity. Clear, but flexible. And of course, in alignment with your core values! 

2. Now we are going to break that resolution down a bit and massage it for some committed actions. These committed actions become our process goals. The step by step road-map for achieving our resolutions. Follow the steps of the Passion Recipe from this blog post by Kotler-  Feel More Fulfilled This Year: The Passion Recipe

   1. Make a list 

   2. Hunt for intersections

   3. Play in the intersections

   4. Go Public

3. The exercise from step 2 gave you some action steps and set you up to experience some psychological flow along this journey of reaching your resolutions this year and after. Step 3 is about maintaining grit and focus over the long haul. Thankfully, that is easier with psychological flow!

   1. Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy core processes to help get back on track. No one will pick a resolution and stick to it perfectly. We will need ACT skills to compassionately get back on track. 

   2. Grow at a small pace. Research shows us the brain and nervous system respond better to incremental changes. That sweet spot? About 2%. Aim for expanding yourself at that small percentage. It’ll help you over the long term!

   3. Keep a journal. Writing down your experiences will help you recognize patterns quickly and adapt more efficiently. Again, necessary for long term focus on grit.  

4. Finally we must learn about the flow cycle and how to apply it. 

   1. 4 phases of the flow cycle:

      1. Struggle phase- the hard, learning, researching, studying part

      2. Release phase- taking a mindful break away from the topic

      3. Flow phase- reuniting with the topic and dropping into a flow state

      4. Recovery phase- time after the flow experience to debrief, refuel and prepare for the next cycle. This is active recovery. 

Let’s Run Through an Example

Resolution: Win a competitive golf tournament in 2022. I love golf. Now, I am an average, maybe slightly above average golfer. Depending on who you ask. And, I love competing and challenging myself. I can make Golf into a great blend of those two things. This resolution is in alignment with my values of vitality, diversity, and flow. 

1. After creating that list of 25 things I am curious about (as it relates to winning a golf tournament), I identified a few areas to play around in including: strength training with resistance bands, muscle pliability training, swing speed training, nutrition and hydration, course management strategies, swing mechanics (alignment, grip, and posture). 

2. Mindfulness practice will help bring more awareness to my current experience. Self-as-context work will help me defuse from any unhelpful thoughts or feelings that arise along the way. I began keeping a journal of my golf practice experiences. And I am trying to increase my swing speed 1-2% at a time. I also adjusted my driver loft down to 9.0 degrees. 

3. The flow cycle helped me set up my schedule. Most of my “struggle”- research, reading, podcast listening etc.- will happen on Saturday- Monday. Including swing speed training. Tuesday is a release day. Wednesday is the day I hope to drop into flow by practicing my putting and short game by playing little games. Trying to make it fun but challenging. Thursday and Friday are recovery days. Focused on recharging my body, journaling about my experiences from the week, and prepping for my next struggle phase. 

Resolutions are difficult to stick to and accomplish. Give yourself a boost by applying some Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Psychological Flow. You inevitably increase your chances of success when you have the correct set-up in place. 

Set better resolutions and use ACT core processes to help you achieve them. Achieve your resolutions and live better! Set up an appointment with us if you would like some help with your resolutions!

Live better this New Year!