How do you get into the “flow” state, where time seems to both stand still and rush by. A state of focus that allows you to do deep work and be productive beyond your normal capabilities?
First, you need to know what it feels like, and get more practice in creating that bubble for yourself, and in my experience, learning to draw is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
You don’t have to get great at drawing to benefit from it. The practice itself is the point. The journey matters more than the destination, at least in this instance.
Attempting to draw something is really about observation, and learning to look at things in a new way. As you focus on what you are drawing, you’ll often find the outside world blur, and suddenly it’s been 2 hours. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it is the most reliable way I have come across.
I recommend Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain for this. Follow the exercises and the author’s recommendations, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your brain and hand begin to communicate.
This is a self-portrait I did before going through the book:
And this is one I did after completing the book:
It’s certainly not perfect, but it is a much better representation of reality. I stopped drawing symbols of what I thought I was seeing, and attempted to draw what I actually observed.
And while you learn to do that, you also get practice on how to focus.