Flow – “The What and the Why!!!”

Have you ever been so engrossed in an activity, that you forgot all concept of time and space? Hours passed by, the sun has set, people whizzed past, the wind became chill, but none of that bothered you, because you were so focused on what you had on your table. A dedicated concentration on the task / activity on hand – leading to great productivity and outcomes. It’s a euphoric state of singular and intense attention. A state in which one does not feel tired, uncomfortable, or distracted. A state that leads to your mind being highly energetic and exultant. There is a name for this phenomenon: Flow. You are in a flow state. A state of the utmost concentration.

This concept has been widely studied in the discipline of positive psychology. Positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi describes it as a complete immersion in an activity. It is also often known as being ‘in the zone’ colloquially. A mental state in which a person experiences complete engrossment and immersion. The central point of Flow is value. Don Reinertsen adds: Flow is the ability to produce value continuously.

Flow state and experiences vary among different people. It arises when one is doing something that has an intersection between what they enjoy and what they are skilled at. It is often associated with the creative arts and activities like painting, playing music or dancing. But it can also be noticed in sports, technology, design as well as other activities which wholly engage one’s mind. The one aspect people note most strongly is the enjoyment of being in control while in the Flow state.

The right Flow state is successfully created when people can overcome complicated or tough challenges while leveraging their strengths.

But why is Flow so important? It of course makes activities enjoyable, but there are other benefits of being in this state of mind.

1.??????High Concentration: the ability to focus on the task at hands sans distractions

2.??????Enhanced Productivity: Low distractions and heavy concentration leads to work outputs that are superior in quality

3.??????Positive Mental Setup: Since the task becomes more enjoyable, we begin to also find it more rewarding and fulfilling.

4.??????Happiness and Satisfaction: A state of flow leads to continual happiness and internal satisfaction. People become intrinsically motivated and are focused on self-recognition and rewards

5.??????Skill Mastery: Continuous states of Flow can impact future performance and lead to mastery of skills. It motivates people to newer heights, as they seek more challenges in order to keep experiencing Flow.

So, how does one get into a state of Flow:

1.??????The task at hand needs to Inspire Passion for you

2.??????Tough and Achievable: It cannot be too easy and at the same time cannot seem like it is too difficult. You need to believe you can overcome the challenge at hand and have the skills to do it

3.??????While the effort is on to achieve the outcome, the focus must be on the Journey. The journey must inspire pleasure for the mind.

4.??????Minimize your distractions. Encourage yourself (both your physical and mental states) to Get into the Zone.

5.??????Tune your mind to get to this state. Build a practice around it….it could be making your special tea, a short walk, even a shower. It needs to relax you and be something you love to do. Create a Pattern.

6.??????What’s you best time for a flow? Identify the time of the day that you are the Most Productive.

Flow states are achieved through different triggers for different people. For me, I must want to do this task, produce a certain outcome with a strong sense of purpose. This purpose generally aligns with what I enjoy the most and what is intrinsically rewarding to me as a person. I have found myself in a state of flow when I am alone in a room listening to my type of music after midnight when I am sure there are no distractions. I have also witnessed myself to be in a state of flow with a lot of distracting factors around me but governed by the purpose of what I need to be creating. It could be the middle of the day, sitting in a crowded airport lounge too. But in both such situations, I am left with a great sense of personal accomplishment and pride. It leaves me feeling good about myself and therefore ready for a more complex problem to solve tomorrow.

We all enjoy different triggers, and we need to be able to understand and appreciate the same. I am sure you would have experienced the state of Flow over time in your personal and professional journeys. The key is to understand how to be able to trigger this state more often. Would love to hear more thoughts on the same….

PS - this is Blog 1 of 3 in this series