Through the author's experience of producing their best-ever philosophy essay on a single flight, this piece introduces a step-by-step method for breaking preconceptions about time and maximizing work efficiency by leveraging flow states. The most important conclusion is that the time we "think it will take" is nothing more than baseless self-suggestion, and that through flow, we can achieve results in a surprisingly short amount of time.

1. The Philosophy Essay Challenge That Began on a Plane

The author, during their college years, was waiting to board a flight from LA to Ireland, feeling immense stress about a philosophy essay deadline. It was a paper that would normally take a month to prepare, but they had procrastinated until the very last moment. In an era without AI tools like ChatGPT, there was absolutely no way to get help.

That's when the author remembered a story from their long-time business partner, Steven Kotler.

"The first half is fine, but the second half needs to be completely rewritten."

Steven had received this harsh critique from his publisher for his book "A Small Furry Prayer" and was devastated. He went skiing to clear his head, and while coming down the mountain, fell completely into a flow state. With that energy, he rewrote half the book in just 2 weeks. The book later went on to become a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

This story deeply moved the author. "If Steven did a year's worth of work in 2 weeks, why should my essay take more than a month?" With this thought, the author decided for the first time to ignore the self-suggestion that "essays take a long time."

Sitting in the airplane seat, ordering coffee, opening the laptop, and immediately starting to write. By the time they arrived in Ireland, everything was completed in one go — from research to citations, formatting, and references — and the essay was submitted from the phone before even leaving the airport.

The unexpected result was remarkable.

"I expected an average grade at best, but amazingly, I received the highest score."

2. Time Isn't Really "Needed": Time as a Function of Self-Suggestion

After that, the author gained a crucial insight. What we think of as "this will take a few days, a few weeks" is not a prediction but merely self-suggestion.

"It takes 2 years to write a book. Says who? Starting a business takes 10 years. Why?"

These beliefs about time stem from other people's averages or our own perceived limits — completely baseless assumptions (a.k.a. self-suggestion).

Our brains have an internal pacemaker. This timer is regulated by dopamine levels, and when we perceive a task as "long and difficult," dopamine drops, causing time perception to slow down and each moment to feel longer.

Moreover, when dopamine drops, focus, motivation, and goal-directed behavior all decline, and actual work speed slows down too. In this process, cortisol is released, further clouding memory and judgment.

"When work feels difficult, the brain makes it even harder on itself."

To break this vicious cycle (neurological doom loop), one must break free from fixed beliefs about time.

3. Breaking the Time Barrier: "Time Blitz" and Leveraging Flow

The author calls this transformation a "Time Blitz." That is, discarding all fixed beliefs about how long things take, entering a flow state, and maximizing the nonlinear speed of knowledge work.

Modern knowledge work differs from bricklaying or repetitive production of the past — it's driven by experience, creativity, and cognitive quality. Top programmers in Silicon Valley can sometimes write 8 times more code than average developers in the same amount of time.

Another experience from Steven proves this. While organizing books, he thought "this will take 3 months," but his friend Otto said "3 hours is enough." Otto knew how to actively leverage flow through his library experience, and he actually finished all the work in 4 hours.

"When work is perceived as doable, dopamine increases in the brain and focus is maximized. Time feels like it flows much faster."

4. Flow Blocks: Step-by-Step Practice for Time Compression

The author outlines a specific 5-step method for executing flow blocks:

Step 1: Prepare

• Secure at least 30 minutes, ideally 3 hours. You need 15 minutes of adjustment time, and creative breakthroughs don't come until at least 1 hour in.
• Break goals down very clearly. For example, not "write a report" but "open Q3 data Excel, create revenue chart, write summary" — break it into specific actions.
• Balance challenge and ability. If it feels too hard, you'll give up; too easy, and focus drifts. Adjust difficulty based on your condition.
• Eliminate all distractions: "Turn off your phone, put it in another room, open only one tab, notifications OFF, use apps like Freedom or Self Control, tell people around you not to disturb."
• Set a timer: Having a timer increases focus and decision speed.

Step 2: Struggle and Release

• The first 15 minutes will inevitably be uncomfortable with strong resistance. (Stress hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine rise.)
• If you push through this phase, you gradually enter flow, with dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and anandamide being released.
• Low-intensity physical activity can reduce the initial pain. "Aristotle lectured while walking, Beethoven composed during walks, Steve Jobs held walking meetings, treadmill desks..."
• Use caffeine: It helps sustain focus, while also reducing self-critical thinking (default mode).

Step 3: Intensify

• Use music: If desired, upbeat music → energy boost; slow music → meditative immersion. Choose based on the nature of your work.
• Music also reduces self-consciousness, a major barrier to flow.

Step 4: Sustain

• Remember that the first dip in concentration is not "depletion." Your brain is simply measuring "is this worth continuing?" — push through just 5 more minutes and you'll often enter deeper flow.
• If you need a break, do it in a boring way. (Stare at a wall, breathe — absolutely no phone!) Digital devices are "dopamine bombs" that break and reset flow.
• Many people immediately check their phone when focus wavers, and that's the number one killer.
• With consistent practice, your flow endurance strengthens.

  "My writing partner was able to extend sessions from 90 minutes to 11-hour flow sessions."

Step 5: Recover

• After the timer ends, make sure to have a boring break and focus on post-flow recovery. (Sauna, watching the sunset, deep sleep, etc.)
• During flow states, the brain uses advanced neurochemicals, so sufficient recovery is essential.

5. Practical Tips for Optimal Time Compression and Real-World Challenges

Here are the author's practical tips:

• Design your entire workday as a single flow block: Open all files the evening before, write your task list, and in the morning, enter flow immediately. No morning decisions, no meals, no conversation, no multitasking.
• Every task switch costs 23 minutes of focus loss, the author emphasizes.
• Try compressing by 90% the tasks you usually "procrastinate on because they seem like they'll take too long."
• Once you experience this kind of time compression even once, your entire relationship with deadlines and time will fundamentally change.

"If it's not the baseless timeline you've set for yourself, your potential is far greater."

In Closing

Through an unforgettable achievement on a plane, the author proves how baseless our beliefs about time really are — nothing more than self-suggestion — and that by creating flow states ourselves, we can break through time barriers to any extent. The most important thing is destroying fixed beliefs and structuring focus. Not the fear of "how long it will take," but experiencing your true potential. Challenge the self-suggestion that "this takes a long time." Peak immersion and peak results begin the moment you redefine time.