Work smarter not harder with this “deep work” online community

Inspired by ideas in Cal Newport’s book Deep Work, Alicia Navarro founded FLOWN in 2020. Though deep work and flow may still be relatively unknown concepts to some, Alicia is hoping FLOWN will help to enable deep work to be for the next decade what mindfulness has been for the last. The company has received £3.7million in funding to date, and is planning to double in size within the next 12 months. 

There is no denying that modern living comes with a significant amount of distractions. From persistent email and social media notifications, to an overload of obligations in both our personal and professional lives, it can feel incredibly overwhelming.

With such high levels of distraction, achieving focused and meaningful work may seem an impossible task. Not only is our productivity reduced in this scattered state, but we also end the day feeling deflated and, in turn, discontented in ourselves. It’s a vicious cycle – but it’s one that FLOWN is hoping to help you break.

Interview with Alicia Navarro, CEO Founder

“We make it look simple, but in the background there’s an enormous amount of training, work, preparation and production that goes into making an experience feel like a ritual.

We want to ritualise not trivialise. This is a fine balance that takes training to achieve.”

Alicia Navarro, CEO Founder

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There are currently around 1 billion knowledge workers in the world, 80% of whom expect to continue working remotely at least part of the week post-covid. With 52% of workers experiencing burnout, and 46% reporting increased feelings of loneliness, the effects of the new way of working are clearly being felt. While flexible working comes with many advantages, feeling lonelier and more overwhelmed are being reported time and again as major cons. But what if we can have our cake and eat it?

FLOWN founder Alicia believes deep work and flow states, which encourage our ability to be ultra-focused, are the key to success. She describes FLOWN as “a deep work toolkit helping knowledge workers achieve deep work and flow states every day, through tools that help them focus when they work, and recharge their focus when they don’t”. In essence, FLOWN is striving to change the way we work as a whole.

Alicia found that, after experiencing deep work firsthand, not only did the results speak for themselves but that she was also astounded at the ensuing sense of elation. That’s why FLOWN’s focus is not only on increased productivity, but also the sense of happiness you’re left with when you achieve.

Members – or “flownies” – are offered a collection of live and on-demand content experiences, led by compelling characters, that aid them in achieving daily deep work and flow states. Think Peloton, but for your work brain. One of FLOWN’s offerings proving to be most effective is its deep live working sessions. “Flocks” take off with a morning session, setting goals and targets for the day, followed by a few hours’ solid deep work on a silent Zoom.

Flocks work on the scientific basis that we are more likely to achieve and produce when observed by others, when we feel a sense of community, and when we have clearly stated our goals. For those wondering “couldn’t I just do that myself without the help of FLOWN?” - consider the equivalent of meditation and using Headspace.