Shadowing Practice: How to Enter Flow State on Command (using Neuroscience) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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When you understand the neuroscience of flow state, you will be able to activate it on demand.
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And by the end of this video, you are going to be a flow state super focused maniac.
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I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was younger and focus was something that I always used to struggle with.
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But when I understood the neurochemical cocktail behind flow and deep work, the cocktail that unlocks the state in your brain where you are focused,
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creative, and intuitive, it became this formula
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that i now use on repeat you have a peak performance mode in your brain
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and i'm going to show you how you can turn it on and
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if you're new here hi i'm emily also known as em on the brain
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i am a neuroscientist by training
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i've got two degrees in neuroscience as well as many years of research experience in the lab
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i am now a coach to people in over 55 countries all over the world
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i help them rewire their brain level up and live their best life
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and that is exactly what I am here to help you do too.
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So what is flow state exactly?
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Flow state is complete absorption in what you are doing.
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And there are actually four psychological characteristics that are associated with flow.
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The first is having a challenge skill balance.
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Okay.
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So whatever it is that you are doing, it can't be boring because that isn't engaging,
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but it also can't be so hard that you're pulling your hair out
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and you're super frustrated because that actually creates anxiety
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and I'm going to tell you a little bit about the neurochemical cocktail in a second and why this matters so much.
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The second psychological characteristic of flow is having a very clear goal and feedback.
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So you need to know exactly what it is that you are aiming for.
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You can't just be sitting down and be like, oh, I don't know what exactly I'm going to be doing.
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No, you need to have a very clear goal, a very clear outcome that your brain knows it is needing to work toward.
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The third psychological characteristic of flow is loss of self -consciousness.
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So this is where you kind of step outside of the ego
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and you become immersed in what you're doing
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and you know athletes performers people who have maybe even you
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if you've been in flow before it sort of feels like you step out of your own way
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and this energy is just flowing through you
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and this is actually super helpful because self -consciousness
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and our ego often gets in the way of creation whereas
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when we lose this kind of sense of self and
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when we're fully immersed in what we're doing we really do unlock flow.
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Psychological characteristic number four for flow state is time distortion.
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So this is where you're just locked in for hours, but those hours feel like minutes.
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And the really great thing about flow state is that action starts to feel effortless.
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Like it feels fun and you are just so immersed in it.
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You're not having to fight or force.
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And this is the exact psychological state that I liked to find myself in when I was studying, when I was in school,
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or when I was working in the research lab or when I'm creating or coaching now.
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But what's really interesting is what has to change in your brain for you to feel this way.
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And this is where it starts to get actionable because when you understand what's happening in the brain, you can design a schedule,
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you can design a sort of protocol that allows you to get into flow at any time.
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And that is exactly what I'm going to share with you in a second.
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But first, let's talk about what happens in your brain when you enter into flow state.
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The first is that certain areas of your brain actually get quieter.
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So certain areas in the prefrontal cortex and the default mode network have actually been shown to become quieter.
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Now, why is this important?
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Well, the default mode network has been found to be active when we are mind wandering, daydreaming, imagining, right?
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And that's not something that we want to be doing when we are in flow.
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When we want to be in flow, we want our task positive network to be on we want
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to be locked in we want to be fully immersed not mind wandering
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and daydreaming that's actually goes against what we need for flow
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because i'll explain this more in a second
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but we actually need to be focused on one clear thing not a bunch of different things
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if our attention is being pulled in many different directions
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we are kind of destroying our ability to get into flow
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and these areas in the prefrontal cortex that have been shown to get quieter are involved in self -referential processing,
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like self -awareness and being aware of yourself, which we just talked about in order to get into flow state,
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we kind of need to lose this sense of self.
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And so if we are monitoring ourself and you're sitting here doing your work and your immediate thought is, oh, and that's not good enough,
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or that's not going to work.
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That's not going to be good.
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If you are monitoring yourself like that, that takes you out of flow so the part of you
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that is watching yourself do the thing gets quieter
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which allows you to actually do the thing
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and now I actually have a fun hack for sort of activating
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this on demand I like to do this even
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when I'm creating content and I feel like I'm just getting in my own way like I'm just
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monitoring myself too much I actually got this from one of my students
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that I coached that she gave to me and it was really cool when she shared it with me but anyway wave.
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What she said to do was she actually likes to pull herself up.
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She imagines sucking her ego out and like plopping them in the chair next to her.
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And this is something that I like to do now.
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It's a little practice that I like to do and I feel like I'm monitoring myself.
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I will literally imagine plucking my ego out and plopping her in the chair right next to me.
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Like you can sit right there, allow the divine life force energy to flow through me
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and you can sit right there and then
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when I'm ready for you to come back
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but this is really just a sort of fun visualization hack
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that i have found to be useful so use that
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and try it out see if it works for you
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but aside from these brain areas shifting in activity we also see a shift in neurochemistry
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and this is where it gets really interesting
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and really applicable first we see an increase in dopamine
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this is exciting i feel motivated this is fun let's keep going
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we also see an increase in norepinephrine norepinephrine is involved in alertness and wakefulness, right?
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Which is important for focus.
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If you want to be immersed and locked in, you want that norepinephrine buzzing in your brain.
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We also see an increase in endogenous opioids or endorphins.
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This is where that feeling of like, this feels good.
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And these also are responsible for sort of like the pleasure pain access
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and can help create those feelings of effortlessness that are associated with flow.
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We also see an increase in anandamide or endocannabinoid signaling.
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Now, this is really cool.
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Endocannabinoids are appropriately named actually after cannabinoids.
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So cannabis binds to cannabinoid receptors all throughout our nervous system and our brain and our body.
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They're everywhere.
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And we actually have something called endocannabinoids that bind to these receptors as well.
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Anandamide is one of them.
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And so these are associated with sort of like creativity and lateral thinking that if you've ever smoked the plant,
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you may have had experience with that.
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And so we have endogenous chemicals in our brain and body that help us to do that too.
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And in flow, we see an increase of signaling with these molecules.
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So that is the background.
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That's the science.
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But now let's talk about how you can trigger this neurochemical cocktail to activate flow,
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to activate deep work and feeling fully immersed in what you're doing at any time.
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And I have actually given this exact formula to my students that I coach.
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And I had, I remember one of my students came back like a week later after sharing this formula
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and he had this competition at work and he shared with me
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that he won the entire competition at work because he used this formula.
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I use this formula.
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I live by it.
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It works every single time.
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So make sure you have a pen and paper, take notes because you're going to want to use this formula to get into flow state.
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Step one is to find your edge.
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Remember we need a challenge to skill balance.
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So you don't want to be doing something that's going to be super difficult.
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It's going to stress you out, but you also don't want it to be boring.
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And so how can you activate this?
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How can you do this when the tasks are boring?
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You're like, but I work this job and these mundane things and I am bored.
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Well, how can you make it a little more challenging or a little more exciting?
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How can you stretch yourself to make it a little more challenging?
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Maybe you can put a time restriction on yourself.
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Maybe you can say, I'm gonna get this amount done in this amount of time, and it's sort of a stretch for you,
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and you're not exactly sure if you're gonna be able to do it.
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That is one way that you can sort of make a mundane,
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everyday, boring task more challenging so that you can actually activate the neurochemicals for flow.
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But again, if it's too easy, you're bored.
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You don't get dopamine from that, and you're not going to have a boost in norepinephrine.
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If it's too hard, you're gonna be stressed, and then the balance of these neurochemicals are gonna be thrown off,
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and you might feel more anxious or stressed, then enjoy and immerse in what you're doing.
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So this balance is really important.
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Flow lives right at the edge of your abilities.
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Step two is to give your brain one clear target.
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Multitasking destroys your ability to get into flow.
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If you are trying to get into flow state and you are also trying to multitask,
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you are doing two different things and it's not going to work.
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And that is why flow state maybe isn't something
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that you're going to try to get into all of the time
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but maybe you want to curate your schedule and update your calendar
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and be like this is going to be a time block
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where I am going to purposefully get into deep work
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and activate flow that's personally what I like to do
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but you cannot multitask you cannot have your attention being pulled in all different directions
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because you need to be fully immersed in one thing you need focused attention on one thing
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and remember the psychological characteristics of flow you need a clear goal and feedback.
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So before you get into work, ask yourself, what exactly am I doing?
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Like what is the goal?
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The next question that you can ask yourself is what does done look like?
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Is it at a certain amount of time?
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You know, when a certain amount of work gets done, that is up to you.
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But what does done look like?
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Having that definition of done is really, really important again for that feedback that your brain is going to get.
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It is really easy to get into flow when you're playing a game.
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Athletes report getting into flow a lot of the time as well.
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Why?
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They have a very, very clear goal.
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Their attention, hopefully, is focused on the game and the game alone.
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And when it's not, that hurts their performance, right?
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But they have a very clear goal and they have feedback.
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And the feedback is whatever sport they play.
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In a lot of sports, it's the score, right?
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So they're getting constant feedback about what is happening
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and the brain loves that
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and it helps to kind of be like okay this is the goal
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and this is the feedback so have your clear definition of what success
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or done looks like and then finally
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because the brain loves feedback how are you going to know
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that you are making progress what does progress look like right having a definition of done is really important
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but also having a definition of like what is making progress
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look like a lot of the time the answers to these questions are very simple.
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We just don't take the 30 seconds to answer them.
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So choose one task.
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Put your phone away.
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Go on.
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Do not disturb.
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Get all of the distractions out of sight because you cannot get fully immersed in something that you are constantly leaving.
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And then the third condition for flow is to increase engagement.
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Remember, you need wakefulness.
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You need alertness.
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You need that norepinephrine flowing through you.
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You can't just be tired and lethargic.
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You need to be wide awake for flow.
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This is why it is sort of reported with athletes and the runner's high, right?
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Because you are wide awake, you are alert, your body is engaged.
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And you can do this through novelty, through physical embodiment, like in exercise or with risk.
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And I personally have discovered that risk can be a great way to boost alertness and get into flow, especially with creative acts.
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So when I feel like I am, for example, in the past, um, with creating like short form content,
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when I feel like what I am about to say is maybe a little risky, maybe I am on the edge a little bit,
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I get into flow and I enjoy creating that content so much more because it is sort of on the edge.
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Right.
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And that might be because it is sort of like this challenge to skill balance that I mentioned in number one,
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but also because it requires physical engagement.
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It requires your brain to be alert because your brain's like, oh, I'm taking a risk here.
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I need to be aware of what's going on.
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But essentially, you want to make the task that you are doing stimulating enough that your brain actually cares.
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Because if it's not stimulating, it's boring.
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And if it's boring, you're not getting into flow state.
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And novelty, physical embodiment, and risk really are the three categories that you can use to make the task more engaging.
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So with novelty, how can you switch it up?
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How can you make it feel new? if it's something
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that you have to do a lot how can you make
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it feel new maybe you can do it in a new environment maybe
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you can listen to a different type of music
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I know personally for me as somebody with ADHD switching up even how you sit can make a difference
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when I was in the
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trenches the last like couple of months writing my book before
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I completed it I would be sitting with like my legs
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up like this like I was sitting in the craziest ways
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but it really takes just little things like
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that to make it more physically demanding to make
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it feel new to switch it up to kind of like confuse the brain a little bit right
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and that helps you to get out of your mind to remove
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that sense of self right but also to make this like embodiment condition work for you
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so how can you make it new and then the second piece right embodiment how can you make it physically engaging.
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If it's an active task, if it is like a physical activity, way easier to get into flow for that.
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But if it's not, it is tried and true process for me.
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Exercising first thing in the morning is a game changer for getting into flow
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and for actually being able to get into deep work throughout the day.
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Waking up your body, waking up your brain
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and making yourself feel like more alert
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that is one of the neurochemical conditions for flow exercise boost dopamine
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and it boosts norepinephrine so that helps you to again have more of those neurochemicals
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that are involved in the cocktail for flow available to you now
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if you're not going to exercise maybe
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this looks like doing like a yoga flow like a little round of yoga flow like in your office
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you can do this it takes five minutes it's something
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that i used to do back when i was in my phd
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and i like didn't have time to work out in the morning
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i would have to be in lab to run an experiment at like 7 a .m
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i would do like three morning sun salutations quickly like
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plowing with it right like
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that wakes you up you could literally do jumping jacks
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you can have a five minute dance party you can do breath work there are
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so many options here that the point is
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that you have to wake your body up and be physically stimulated
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and then the last condition of course is risk like i mentioned now you do not have to go skydiving
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or do something crazy to Thank you.
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take risks, but you can, you know, post something bold.
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That can be a risk.
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Or to, again, make that one clear goal that you are going to be focused on,
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make it something that you're not really sure you're going to be able to accomplish.
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That can be a risk.
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But there are ways that you can kind of make what you're doing a little risky, and that is cognitively demanding to activate flow.
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Those are the three conditions that are required for activating flow state.
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Now, let me give you a protocol that puts it all into order.
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Step by steps, you can do it on demand whenever you want.
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This is my ultimate flow on command protocol.
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Follow each of these steps before you need to get into deep focus or just do it in the morning.
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I personally like to do it in the morning and watch how your brain responds to you.
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Step one, activate, move your body, do some breath work, do some jumping jacks, wake yourself up.
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All right.
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Step two, aim.
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What is your one specific target and remove all distractions.
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Get rid of them.
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Put your phone and do not disturb.
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Tell everybody around you not to bother you.
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Tell yourself there is nothing more important.
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Everything else can wait.
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This is what we are focusing on right now.
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Number three, stretch.
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Make it slightly challenging.
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Make it slightly demanding.
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Maybe a little risky.
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Switch it up maybe make
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it feel new new music new environment new way of sitting
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number four disappear give yourself enough time to actually get into
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flow state don't expect yourself to be able to drop in in like 10 minutes
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or 20 minutes like don't expect
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that of yourself give yourself enough time to get into it
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and actually setting a time limit can be very helpful for
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that one clear goal so disappear allow yourself the opportunity to become fully immersed
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and then number five recover come down eat go for a walk have some social activity
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but most importantly reinforce how good that felt
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and really wire into your brain what it took for you to get there i was in like the ultimate flow state.
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I got so much done and it felt so good.
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And the only reason I stopped was actually because I had to leave for an appointment.
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So I had to stop and it was a little irritating because I was like, I'm so in flow.
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I don't want to stop.
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Um, but I stopped.
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And then I remember just being in the car on the way to my appointment and just thinking to myself,
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like, I feel so good right now.
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I feel so proud of myself.
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I feel so like activated and just happy right now.
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And I took a moment i took out my voice memos
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and i just talked to myself for like 10 minutes and i
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because i really wanted to wire it into my brain like how good this feels they've actually shown in studies
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that single pointed focus is inherently rewarding to our brains so
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if you can get yourself into this state where you are actually fully immersed in what you're doing
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and focused on just one thing for a solid amount of time
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that is going to be rewarding to your brain like it is inherently rewarding.
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And it sucks that society and our phones, like it's training our brains away from being able to focus on one thing.
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And that's actually removing the thing that is inherently rewarding to us.
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Like it's removing the thing that makes the brain feel good, which is focusing on one thing at a time.
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Like that actually makes our brains feel good.
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So anyway, I sat down and I just like talked to myself for a few minutes,
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just about how good it felt and how rewarding and fulfilled.
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Like I felt so fulfilled in that moment after doing that.
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And again, I just followed the exact steps that I gave to you.
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I did my morning routine that I've done a video about before.
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You can let me know in the comments if you want another video, kind of breaking that down in more detail.
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But I did my morning routine, which involves activating my body and centering myself through meditation
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and dumping all of the contents out of my brain so
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that I'm not distracted by thoughts because thoughts can be distracting when you're trying to get into flow state.
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And I have a whole process for kind of removing the thoughts before I get into it
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and anyway I got into like just the best flow ever
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and I have kind of figured out how to organize my schedule
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and my calendar to be able to activate flow on demand
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and create days that are like purposefully for getting into flow
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and doing deep work and it is so rewarding
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so I highly recommend you try out this protocol and I can't wait to hear how it goes for you.
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I am also going to be teaching a live free masterclass on the neuroscience of manifestation,
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sharing my entire protocol for reprogramming your subconscious mind and all of the different components,
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all the different parts of your brain and nervous system that are involved in a subconscious mind.
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I'm going to be doing that very soon.
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So check out the link in the description to RSVP and save your seat for that class.
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You don't want to miss it.
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I am also going to be going on tour very soon.
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There's going to be a link in the description to RSVP for your city.
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This also gets you on the list to be the first to know when I drop the tickets,
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which you'll definitely want to be on that list.
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So check out that link to RCP for your city.
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And I'm sending you so much love.
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I believe in you.
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I'm rooting for you.
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Get out there and do this protocol because I'm telling you, it will feel so good.
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You'll feel so proud of yourself and you'll just, you'll be craving it.
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Like you will be craving deep work when you use this protocol.
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All right.
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I'm sending you so much love and I'll see you in the next one.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Enter Flow State on Command”. This video has 337 sentences and 4055 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:22. The speaker talks fast, about 199 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| activate verb | /ˈæktɪˌveɪt/ | To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| protocol noun | /ˈpɹoʊtəˌkɑl/ | An amendment to an official treaty. |
| formula noun | /ˈfɔː.mjʊ.lə/ | Any mathematical rule expressed symbolically. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| psychological adjective | /ˌsaɪ.kəˈlɑː.d͡ʒɪ.kl̩/ | Of or pertaining to psychology. |
| characteristic noun | /ˌkæɹ(ə)ktəˈɹɪstɪk/ | A distinguishing feature of a person or thing, a part of mental or physical behavior. |
| cocktail noun | /ˈkɑk.teɪl/ | A mixed alcoholic beverage. |
| boost verb | /buːst/ | To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up. |
| monitor noun | /ˈmɑ.nɪ.tɚ/ | Someone who watches over something; a person in charge of something or someone. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| stretch verb | /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ | To lengthen by pulling. |
| alert adjective | /əˈlɝt/ | Attentive; awake; on guard. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You're not having to fight or force.
- How can you do this when the tasks are boring?
- How can you stretch yourself to make it a little more challenging?
- You can't just be tired and lethargic.
- How can you make it feel new?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've been · have actually been shown · has been found |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was diagnosed · are associated · been shown |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who have · good, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 81 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, lethargic /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: consciousness /ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: psychological /ˌsaɪ.kəˈlɑː.d͡ʒɪ.kl̩/, characteristic /ˌkæɹ(ə)ktəˈɹɪstɪk/, inherently /ɪnˈhɛɹəntli/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like activate, feedback, bore.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.