#46: In the Zone

I’m so engrossed in my work that I don’t even realize my team went to lunch and came back an hour later. Each time I figure out a piece of the “puzzle,” my it feels like my brain lights up, and then I go onto the next piece, searching out the same feeling again. My eyes stay laser-focused on my screen for at least two hours, until the report is complete and I run out of other tasks, realize how hungry I am or am interrupted by someone. I’d stay in this zone forever if I could figure out how. It’s the best feeling--no substance can compare.

This is one of the moments when I’m “in the zone.” Not only do I feel like I can do absolutely anything, but I actually CAN do absolutely anything that I dedicate my focus to. In these moments, I’m inspired to go for a run, eat healthy, make plans with friends and get all my work done at once. I could enjoy doing nearly anything, because I’m enjoying the focus and sense of accomplishment more than I’m interested in the task at hand.

Alas, the moment is fleeting. Once I return back to “reality,” my motivation for any of these things returns back to normal levels. Of course, I wish the feeling would last forever so that I could be superhuman. If I felt that way all the time, the feeling wouldn’t be special anymore? The worst part about being “in the zone” is that I know it won’t last forever, and I dread the second that it ends.

Well, I take that back. The worst is when I’m forcibly distracted. Like, when I’m working on a report and someone needs something from me immediately or wants to play ping pong or even have a casual conversation. I’m spending so much energy hyper-focusing that I don’t have the ability to switch back and forth between tasks. Once I’m distracted for more than a few minutes, the moment is gone.