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- The Drop In: Chasing Flow
🧠 Edition 003 — Chasing Flow
Welcome to The Drop In: Your Flow-State OS for Peak Performance
Chasing Flow - F1 Style
I recently watched the new F1 movie, and there’s a standout scene where Sunny Hayes (played by Brad Pitt) describes what it feels like to be in flow while racing.
He’s not chasing a trophy—he’s chasing a feeling: that rare moment when everything clicks. The car, the track, his body—completely in sync. It’s not about driving anymore. It’s about flying.
That’s flow. And that’s what he’s really after.
It’s one of the clearest cinematic representations of flow I’ve seen in a while. But what really stuck with me wasn’t just the description of flow—it was the trigger.
It starts the moment he steps onto the track.
For elite athletes, flow often begins before the first move is made. Just entering the right environment—the arena, the court, the pitch—flips the switch. Their body knows where it is. Their brain starts to tune in. The context tells the mind: “It’s time.”
The Environment is a Trigger
We often think of flow as something internal—mental state, focus, emotion. But your external environment plays just as critical a role. It sends cues to your nervous system. It can either invite flow in—or block it entirely.
In sports, environments are engineered for performance.
In work, we rarely think this way.
But we should.
How to Engineer Flow-Triggering Environments for Deep Work
This isn’t just about having a tidy desk or noise-canceling headphones (though those help). It’s about creating an intentional container for high performance. Here’s how:
Physical cues — A dedicated space for deep work helps your brain recognize, "this is where we do high-focus things." Even just consistently working from the same chair can build a subtle habit loop.
Digital boundaries — Your digital environment is your environment. Reduce tabs. Close Slack. Kill notifications. Set rituals that signal: “Now we drop in.”
Energy alignment — Flow-friendly spaces also consider light, sound, movement. Natural light, silence (or ambient flow music), and a posture-friendly setup all matter more than we admit.
Time containers — Block 90-minute windows. Protect them like a race team protects a pit lane. Flow hates interruption.
Mental presence — Just like athletes step onto the field with intent, you can step into your work with a mantra, a breath, a ritual. One minute to center yourself goes a long way.
Your Flow Challenge This Week:
Redesign your environment to send a clear signal to your mind:
“This is where flow happens.”
Could be a new playlist, a visual trigger (like a candle or photo), or a time ritual (flow at 9AM, every day). Small shifts → big returns.
– Michael
Founder, The Drop In & Author of ‘Human Traits — a novel exploring humanity’s relationship with AI’