In the Zone

How does one get into and consistently remain *in the zone*, where you are centered and calm, most creative and productive, where things work best for you? By first *showing up* and then creating life on the spot, all you desire to achieve becomes possible.

It is maintained by knowing that distractions to your concentration will always be there, inner and outer noise, phones and doorbells ringing, and spontaneous calls to action that arise; and knowing that these are not really a problem. The problem is only if I choose to believe the illusion that this creative zone is a product of fortunate outer circumstances alone, and that the slightest distraction has the power to remove me from this state of wellness and focus. So long as your well being and productivity is at the mercy of inner and outer conditions, you might as well drop all hopes of any real long term accomplishments or creative aspirations.

By remembering to simply show up, over and over again if necessary, I am once again back in the zone. The key is to not clutter up my own inner zone of mental and physical well being, by taking long breaks, eating or drinking to excess, watching too much television or indulging in frivolous online entertainment. The less obstacles to creative well being I create for myself, inside and out, the more easily I remain centered and energy is freed up for authenticity of insight and expression.

Becoming inwardly present for the present moment task at hand involves the initial step of *eliminating all obstacles*, all internal/external clutter, mental noise, and general excess or toxicity. At the same time you are *collecting yourself*, your personal presence (physical body, appearance) and necessary work items, so you are immediately ready to get to work! With a ready presence and the tools you need to get going, you can now set your intentions and concentrate effectively to spontaneously create an inner/outer atmosphere (a good vibe) that works best for you. Keeping this alive you take small action steps, one at a time, working without distraction and at your best... Inwardly ready at any moment to instantly drop the task at hand (momentarily, or until a later time) and pick up it again right where you left off (just as instantly) if need be.

JDZ

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Added Notes on "The Working Process" and "Workflow Management":

Along the path forward you build a structure and organize your surroundings, your papers, possessions, overall workload, in a way that is most meaningful, efficient and effective for implementation. You make a point to always review, evaluate and continuously update your structure, your daily and master task lists regularly, so that the full preparation needed for initiating future actions are complete.

Those calendar actions deferred for a later date are what make up the structure or system of organized responsible implementation. Most directly these are produced and result from actions taken here and now, while in the zone. All such actions lead either to further sequential actions (projects, creative tasks), or they indicate an end in themselves (routines, miscellaneous tasks) either to be repeated again the next day or are simply completed and not thought of again.