How do I do my best work?

One of those questions that is as intriguing as it is hard.

Because it is deeply context dependent.

It depends on how you are feeling, on where you are feeling.

And on what you are trying to do.

It asks: what was my best work before?

What conditions enabled it? What made it what it was?

That feeling of agency, whether it was on your own, or a part of a team, that you played your part.

It is usually work that makes you realise what you are capable of, lets you see what you can really do.

My god it’s lovely.

That’s the what, but what about the how?

I think it comes from two types of work, which aren’t always mutually exclusive, but often are.

One is when you are in the flow.

When you feel in your power, when you feel this is what you were born to do. You click into another gear, it’s almost like something is working through you. 

You lose track of time, you emerge later, not entirely sure where you have been.

We all know what that feels like, it’s wonderful.

Then there is the other kind:

You are pushing against the flow.

It’s hard, you are exploring, you are experimenting, trying to think your way round, to think your way through. 

It is a land of hunches, of challenge, attrition and psychological resilience.

Time is a constant companion, you are deeply aware of the seconds as they pass, it is a place of ‘Can I stop?’, or ‘Why is this important again?’.

It is often accompanied by moments of revelation, when something clicks into place. But also lots of dead ends and ‘Why did I try this again?’.

It is the opposite of the other, but the result is equally joyful, when they finally come. Because they will often take you further.

How do I do my best work? 

For me it is usually a mixture of the two.

Pushing against the flow prepares the new ground, gives me the confidence to leap.

In the flow is when I do, when I can.

You?