Happy Sunday once again,
My weekend started off brilliantly, as I purchased eight new books! Now the impending anxiety of having to overcome this giant stack of dry pulp and ink is sinking in. Hopefully I can put together some entries on the interesting ideas that come out of this new set of reads. This week is on flow state, a traditionally generic productivity buzz word. I hope you suspend the eye-rolling and hesitation to engage with this topic. You just might like it.
Flow State
Flow state is a condition with which our perception of time is altered. The past and future is no longer considered. All that exists is what is right in from of you. To access this condition of heightened cognitive function, whether it is through reading your favourite book, cooking your favourite meal, concentrating on a single topic of study, or even through activities like skiing and surfing, is to allow yourself to be completely immersed in it.
The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
In a professional context, it is crucial to have first decided on a few key mission-related tasks of crucial importance.
Side note: Only a few tasks are ever worth doing in a day. Being busy does not mean being effective, don’t mix it up.
From this clarity of direction, we can leverage the inherent focus and concentration of finding flow to actually move the needle forward. For personal purposes, we can utilise this heightened state to increase satisfaction and intentionality with one’s time. Being so immersed in the inner workings of whatever activity you hold highest is to forgoe any stress over the past and anxiety over the future. For this reason, we should actively seek to substitute expediency and immediate pleasure for activities with which we access a state of flow.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit — Aristotle
Engaging in flow creates a sense of pride, and accomplishment you can leverage for future sessions of the activity. As a result, your ability and competence will compound and develop exponentially. Furthermore, the benefits of flow states extend to regulating emotions as well. By becoming so concentrated on overcoming a particular challenge or finishing a piece of work, you indirectly reduce the time you spend on things that are creating anxiety and doubt. The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter includes the insecurities about yourself and uncertainties of the future.
Strategies for Finding Flow
Choose a Difficult Task
A key component of accessing this state to engage in an activity that is sufficiently challenging. Take pleasure in stepping outside of comfort. If we challenge ourselves in a systematic way we further increase our competence without being too overqualified — which leads to complacency and boredom — or too underqualified — which leads to frustration and injury, both of which are inhibitors of finding flow. Meet with a task in the middle: one that challenges you, but not so much that you are discouraged.
Have a Clear Objective
Planning and executing without a clear objective is like heading out to sea with a map and no destination. How do you know you’re going the right way, if you don’t know what the right way is? How do you know when you have arrived? Before setting out on a new project, venture or even a session of deep work, establish clear objectives to ensure your effort is productively used.
Choose compass over maps.
Concentrate on a Single Task
Constant switching between tasks consumes a lot of cognitive resources. Often when we switch to a different tasks, a residue of our attention is left on the task prior, and we fail to give 100% to the concerns in front of us. Focus on a single task, and focus on doing it well.
Intrinsic Motivation
It is significantly easier to become fully immersed and intensely concentrated in activities which are intrinsically fulfilling. It is for this reason that we should intentionally outline and take part in the areas of our life that we are intrinsically motivated to engage with and improve. Deep flow state tasks without the intrinsic buff, which are also challenging — as all flow state activity should be — can be tough to engage with, and leaves you feeling empty inside.
Block Time/Eliminate Distractions
Identify the times in your day where you mind is most creative and willing to concentrate. If you can, make a deliberate and intentional note to yourself, to block out this time specifically for difficult and important or fulfiilling tasks. Focus on creating an environment with which you can concentrate on the activity during the time block eliminating distractions like your phone, pop-ups and ads, and the threat of people interrupting your session.
Harness this simple, yet powerful approach to immersion, to push the boundaries of your capabilities, and leverage it’s capacity to achieve intense levels of distinction, and satisfaction in life.
In my attempts to be be fully transparent, I will start to include references and sources of inspirations for each entry. They will be ordered based on most to least helpful. I hope you believe there was no cunning or deception in not including them in previous entries, I just forgot. I will do better.
References
Mitsuhashi, Y. (2018). Ikigai
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Bonaiuto, M., Mao, Y., Roberts, S., Psalti, A., Ariccio, S., Ganucci Cancellieri, U., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2016). Optimal experience and personal growth: Flow and the consolidation of place identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.
Nash, J. Ph.D. (2019). 6 Flow Activities & Training: How to Achieve a Flow State https://positivepsychology.com/flow-activities/#what-is-a-flow-state-of-mind