“You should try to be ‘in the Zone’ several times a week”.  This advice came to me after I described enjoying an old obsessive activity of mine (see below) where I lost sense of time.  Finding and living in the ‘Zone’ can lead to a more vibrant, exciting, and satisfying life. 

What is “The Zone”?

“The Zone” is a frame of mind where the activity is the only thing on your mind, where time melts away, where you could be doing it all day and enjoy it.  I researched this topic on Wikipedia, where it is also known as “Flow”.  The salient points of being in the zone are:

  • Energized focus on the present moment
  • Action and Awareness
  • Not really self-conscious
  • Transformation of a sense of time
  • Enjoyment of the Rewarding Activity

Typical Activities

People experience “The Zone” in a few activities.

  • Sports
  • Hobbies
  • Games
  • Music
  • Religion
  • Workplace

Dangers

There are activities that can technically be in the zone, but need examination for their usefulness.  They can be harmful or lead to neglect in other parts of your life.

  • Workaholism
  • Gambling
  • Social Media  (Moderate it.)
  • Addictions

Get More

Here are a few ideas on getting more Zone in Your Life.

  • Take inventory of the activities in your life where you lose yourself.
  • Change your Mindset if you feel you are not enjoying it (Happy While Busy).
  • Take time for Yourself to engage in these activities (Say No Sometimes).
  • Remove Interruptions to stay fully engaged (Silence Your Thoughts).
  • Schedule the activity to fit into the rest of your life.
  • Ignore Judgements of what others think.
  • Balance the activity with your duties.

My Old Obsession

I recently re-discovered one of my “Zones”, which happens when I write software.  I discovered coding back in 1984, pursued a career in Computer Engineering, but have not written any software in about 10 years.  I recently picked it up again to build some optimizations in my Real Estate Business, and eureka!

I got hooked again.  I obsessively wrote software for about 2 weeks, and built a Minimal Viable Product.  Most importantly is that I felt completely engrossed, I enjoyed it, and it built something of value to my businesses.  I worked late at night and first thing in the morning, quickly dispatching of my duties in between coding marathons.

I found it somewhat challenging to balance my more mundane duties in my career, my family, my house, but I managed.  🙂

Work or Play?

Is it work or play depending on whether you will make money or not?  Does one even think about money while in the Zone?  Does it even matter?  If being in the Zone produces something that is desired or useful to someone else, then most likely the money will come.

The Zone can happen at work or at play.  It does not really matter.  What matters is finding it, and weaving it into a life well-lived.

Living with Zone

My friend suggested I seek “The Zone” several times a week.  I liked that advice, since it encourages you to seek it out, recognize it, and incorporate it into your life in a balanced way.  If more people lived this way, more present, and more conscious of their time spent in the Zone, I believe the world would be a better place.

Happy Zone Hunting!