The Zone

Have you ever been in the zone? It’s surreal. When you see someone in the Zone it’s a thing of beauty.  Klay Thompson was in the zone last night in Chicago. I realize that the Bulls aren’t that good. However, it’s still the NBA. The game is significantly faster than the college game and the worst players are still really really good and play on a far different level. If you have never experienced it then it’s hard to explain. I have played against NBA players. All you see is the bottom of their shoes.

I know a few scratch golfers. You know the difference between them and the pros. The Zone. To play at a high level, it becomes mental not physical.

Businesspeople can get in the zone.  A coder can write code where the commands just seem to drip out of their fingertips.  Salespeople can be in a zone. Anyone in any part of the business can get there.

The Zone is not a myth. You can train yourself to get into it but it takes practice. When I traded, often you would get into a rhythm and find yourself in the Zone. Entrepreneurs can do this, and they can help train their teams to get there. When it happens, magic happens. Everyone feels warm inside and your business hits on all cylinders. The zone is not a zen-like or magical state. It’s not meditative. It’s active. The zone is a state of being fully absorbed into the present. One of the reasons I do yoga is to keep my mind in shape so I can get in a zone.

Here is some things that can keep you from getting in the zone.

• Fear
• Anger
• Fatigue
• Frustration
• Distraction (lots of open tabs and screens)
• Multitasking
• Perfectionism
• Unrealistic expectations or to low of expectations
• Self-doubt or low confidence
• Lack of focus
• Trying too hard
• Intimidation
• Worry about what others think
• Lack of intensity

How do you combat this?  Practice, practice, practice.  I bet Klay Thompson shot more than 1,000 shots a day.  I bet he still shoots a lot.  I would bet that he has rituals before the game that help his mind get comfortable and ready to go.  These are often confused with superstitions.

• Stay in the present. What helps you stay in the moment?  Do it every day.
• Stop worrying about competitors, and worrying about the outcome of things you cannot control in the present.  Focus on today.
• Let go of what others might think.  It’s a startup. By definition it’s a stupid idea that will be really cool if it works.
• Stop trying to read others’ minds or be intuitive about actions. If they are on your team, talk to them.
• Park distractions.  Sometimes when something is going on in your life it’s hard to do.  Be honest with yourself and your team about why you are distracted.
• Be good enough to work.  Make it better over time.  This is the opposite of trying to be perfect on the first try.
• Enjoy the journey.  Laugh and joke about failure.  Humor can be a great motivator.
• Narrow your focus on one simple objective.  As the Techstars people say, “Be very pointy”.
• Keep it simple.  No need to try and figure out a lot of why’s or how’s.  Just do it.
• Stop judging how well you are doing on every play; get to the next play

If you find yourself failing over and over, stop.  Walk away.  Totally.  Go outside and walk around the block.  Do something physical if you can for a short period of time.  Then, go try again.

There has been a lot written about getting into the zone.  The best way to figure it out for yourself is to just go out and do it.