Sweat, Flock, flow, repeat: Ride your way to peak productivity

By Eleanor Hope-Jones

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Jun 22, 2023

Welcome to a new era of productivity and fitness powered by your new friends at SoulCycle and FLOWN. SoulCycle has partnered with FLOWN, to offer an innovative way for professionals to get more done in less time, throughout the day.

Here are our nuggets of wisdom on how you can combine rides and focus sessions to transform your approach to work and have more free time than before.

If you’ve ever exercised as part of a group you’ll probably be familiar with the addictive rush of adrenaline that comes with training alongside others. But did you know that this kind of body doubling can also help your mind with more cerebral tasks?

Body doubling is the practice of working in the presence of others to anchor attention and make it easier to focus. It relies on mirror neurons — a class of brain cells that enable us to copy those around us.

A 2006 German study found this kind of social pressure improves human performance by 16-32%! It just so happens that combining this effect in how you exercise and how you work has powerfully transformative effects.

Experience the body-doubling effect

FLOWN integrates body doubling by encouraging members to keep cameras on and work in the virtual presence of others. The results can be life-changing.

Want to learn more about FLOWN’s magic formula for focus?

Did you know that immediately after movement your body releases dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin into your nervous system? These hormones affect attention and focus, increasing your motivation, brainpower and energy.

So after cycling up a storm FLOWN’s suite of tools can help you capitalize on the benefits. As well as body doubling, FLOWN’s sessions also help you focus by:

Implementing clear intentions

A bite-sized achievable goal that your share at the beginning of your session sets you off to a great start. The British Journal of Health Psychology shared that when people had a specific plan for when, where and how they would exercise they were 91% more likely to follow through. This same practice has been found to be just as effective with other tasks.

Scheduling a specific FLOWN focus session and linking it to a certain piece of work you want to achieve means you’re far more likely to just do it.

“FLOWN has completely changed how I work…A few hours of meaningful deep work helps me feel like I’m really achieving something. I'm more productive now than I have been for a long time – maybe ever.”

- Hari Berrow, a PHD student and scriptwriter

Creating a sense of accountability

A 2010 study found that the probability of completing a goal increased to 65% when it was shared with someone. When this was also done as part of a specific accountability appointment, the likelihood of success increased further to 95%.

During a FLOWN focus session, your friendly Flock are on the other side of the camera, teammates who’ll hold you accountable to your goals.

Harnessing the power of mono-tasking

Monotasking simply means doing one thing at a time, which can be quite the struggle in our world of notifications, multitasking and endless meetings. The University of California found it can take more than 23 minutes to fully regain focus following a distraction. This is due to what’s known as 'attention residue' – whereby the brain struggles to move on from the interruption fully.

A FLOWN Flock blocks out time in your calendar and appears as a meeting, giving you a reason to turn off notifications and focus on getting work done.

Getting your steps in

If you've ever been a SoulCycler you’ll probably be more than familiar with the transformational power of exercise, but getting those steps in every day can be a struggle. FLOWN features like Awe walks, a guided live meditative walk you can take part in on your phone, can help make walking the most enjoyable part of your week.

Sold? Now let's make FLOWN a part of your daily routine.

The possibilities of how you use SoulCycle and FLOWN together to optimize your time and energy are truly endless. But here are some of our ideas…

The highflying entrepreneur ✈️

Create the environment for genius to thrive. Use SoulCycle to get those endorphins flowing and follow it up with a FLOWN Flock to capture those moments of genius that only come when you’re dripping with sweat.

If you’re someone who struggles with the more monotonous tasks that come with starting a business, then assign yourself a weekly Flock to help deal with the monotony and follow it with a SoulCycle ride that gives you a concrete deadline to get things done by!

The parental juggler 🤹

You’re looking to make more of the limited time you have and be as productive as possible. Use FLOWN and SoulCycle to release yourself from the pressure of doing everything everywhere all at once.

Prioritize monotasking by booking your SoulCycle and FLOWN sessions when little ones are at school, and trust yourself to do your best on a task with the finite time you have.

The rising star 🌟

You’re looking for ways to improve the quality and productivity of your work, whilst still keeping healthy work-life boundaries. Then look no further.

Book yourself into a late-afternoon Flock and finish your weekdays with a SoulCycle ride. Before hitting your shower and getting ready for some after-work networking drinks.

The corporate captain 🚀

You spend so much time problem-solving there’s little left for your own work. FLOWN and SoulCycle can help you become more proactive and less reactive.

Consider assigning a weekly Flock that’s blocked out for that revolutionary project you’re desperate to get off the ground. Then schedule a SoulCycle session to consider where you want to take it next whilst pedaling away.

The ace academic 🤓

You’re looking to boost productivity and ace your grades, but you have mountains of deep work that need to be done. So why not try a Flock-cycle sandwich?

Draft your latest essay or presentation, then jump on the bike to reinvigorate yourself. When you come back to your work you’ll have a fresh outlook and renewed energy for editing it into a masterpiece.

If you’re new to deep work there may be a bit of resistance to making it a daily habit. It might mean re-optimizing your routine so you have a few hours free to focus. Here are our top tips for getting started:

Decide how much deep work you want to complete. The average person’s ability to focus deeply is only between 90 minutes to 4 hours per day. Don’t overload yourself!
Split your day into four-hour sections and consider when you have your energy peaks and troughs. Lots of people struggle with deep work in their post-lunchtime slump but find it the perfect time to take a walk. Others like doing their deep work later at night when the rest of the world is sleeping. What works for you?
Habit stack! In his book Atomic Habits, productivity expert James Clear recommends linking habits to improve motivation. This might look like always jumping on a deep dive as soon as you’ve gotten back from the school run or immediately after your favorite SoulCycle session.
Plan your transitions from exercise to work so your brain knows what to expect. This might look like always having a protein bar or banana on hand so you can refuel your body and brain before tackling your next challenge.
Reflect, optimize and repeat! Experimenting with how exercise and focus work together is a personal process. Over time learning the quirks of what makes your body and brain feel at its best will be a game-changer.

Try your first focus session today

FLOWN runs hours of deep work sessions every weekday from morning to night. Flocks are digital co-working spaces, designed to free you from distraction, plan out your peak productive hours in detail and get more done.