Don’t we all want immense focus and awareness to complete a given task remarkably? How many times have you been in the ‘zone’, where you started a specific task and got completely immersed in it, only to realize that it’s been hours since you even though of taking a break? The immense happiness we get after finishing such a challenging task is one of the best feelings ever. But this isn’t always the case. So, what is the difference between the feeling I just mentioned above which makes work an enjoyable experience regardless of the stress and challenges you face when compared to not having any focus on the task at hand?

Well, it’s the flow state of mind.

What is the flow state?

The flow state in simple terms is ‘being in the zone’. It is a state we all visit at some time or the other. Some people experience the flow state more often than others. You can’t deny the fact that you have experienced the flow state at least once in your life, even if you weren’t conscious about it at that exact moment.

Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, a positive psychologist, and author of the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, explains flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity.

Take the simple example of running a race. You focus all your attention on the force of your lungs, the power of your muscles and the ground beneath your feet. You are living in the present and you are completely immersed in the activity. You may be tired, but that doesn’t concern you. Time seems to fade when you’re in that moment.

This is exactly what psychologists refer to as flow. In fact, the flow state is even said to be an ecstatic experience where you feel like you almost don’t exist.

Human beings are at their best when they are focusing on something challenging. Once you’re immersed in a challenging task, you’re in the flow state. This is when people are at their happiest.

Csíkszentmihályi describes flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost."

‘You’re using your skills to the utmost’ is what sets the flow state apart from just being engrossed into something and losing track of time. This means that aimlessly scrolling down the explore feed of Instagram at 1am only to realize that it is now 3am wouldn’t necessarily classify as flow. Only when you are completely immersed in a task that is challenging you, do you experience flow.

What factors accompany the flow state?

The flow state is accompanied by ten factors according to Csíkszentmihályi. All these factors aren’t necessary to achieve the flow state, but you will notice that most of them are the emotions and responses that are linked with this mental state. They are as follows:

1. Well-defined goals which are attainable but have a level of challenge attached to them.

This simply means that you have clear goals that are challenging but attainable. If the level of challenge is too low, you can get back to flow by increasing it. If the level of challenge is too high, you can get back to flow by developing new skills that’ll make the given task attainable.

2. Focused attention and strong concentration.

This means you are aware of the task you’re performing. There is a difference in speed reading a book versus reading with highlighting parts that you think are important. Focused attention is very important to achieve the state of flow.

3. The task on hand is intrinsically rewarding.

One of the common factors that accompanies the flow state is an intrinsically rewarding activity. This motivates the individual to give it their best which leads to immersion in the task.

4. Feeling of serenity, the state of being calm and peaceful.

Once you are completely immersed in the activity, you start to lose the feeling of self-consciousness. This state accompanies the flow.

5. Timelessness.

This links to being present. Feeling so focused on the present moment that you lose track of time.

6. Getting immediate feedback.

Immediate feedback can lead to the flow state since it keeps you immersed in the activity without longer break periods.

7. Believing that you can do the task.

Balance between the difficulty of the task and your skill level. Knowing that a task is doable is a major determinant of whether or not you enter the flow state.

8. Knowing that you have control over the situation and the outcome.

If you feel personal control over the situation and outcome, you are more likely to get immersed in the activity and experience flow.

9. Lacking awareness of physical needs.

Ever worked or studied so hard that you didn’t even care to eat food? While this is merely an example, lacking awareness of physical needs is usually a component present in the flow state.

10. Complete focus on the task itself.

Having no distractions is crucial to enter the state of flow. You can’t expect to experience flow if you’re checking your phone every 10 minutes.

What are the applications of the flow state?

The flow state can be experienced in day to day life. Let’s begin with some basic examples of flow:

1. Great writers enter the state of flow once they start typing out a few words on the computer in front of them.

2. Musicians and composers often enter the flow state where they get completely immersed in the task on hand.

3. Great chefs often experience the flow state while performing gourmet meals.

4. Athletes often know what the flow state feels like as they are often ‘in the zone’.

But this doesn’t mean flow is limited to everyday life. Flow is shown to have practical applications as well.

Flow can be used in education in various ways. One concept is the idea of extending an individual slightly beyond their existing skill level. By stretching a person’s existing skills, you can help them experience flow. Csíkszentmihályi also suggests that over-learning a concept or skill on purpose can be helpful if people wish to experience flow.

In the workplace, flow can be experienced when workers are immersed in tasks where they can completely focus on the project in hand.

In sports, just like education, stretching the athlete’s skill to a certain extent that makes the given task doable but challenging is a great way to experience flow. Achieving flow can allow athletes to develop a sense of complete mastery of their performance.

What are the benefits of the flow state?

1. You’re living in the present moment.

2. You’re immersed in what you’re doing which gives you a euphoric feeling.

3. You develop more inner clarity.

4. You develop inner motivation. Being in the flow starts feeling like a reward in itself.

5. It leads to improved performance in areas such as teaching, learning, athletics and artistic creativity.

6. It leads to further learning and skill development. As you need substantial mastery of a certain skill, it’ll motivate you to seek new challenges and information in order to maintain your ability to enter the flow state of mind.

How to enter the flow state?

Here are 5 ways to help increase your chances of entering the flow state:

1. Try to work at your Biological Peak Time

As you might have understood by now, entering a flow state requires complete focus. You can’t plan on experiencing this state if you are tired and lack the energy to perform the task on hand. Trying to pay attention while you’re tired will feel more like a battle and will lead to the opposite of a flow state. It’ll leave you distracted and demotivated to finish the activity.

While most people throw out a general suggestion, I don’t feel that’s the right way to go about it. I feel that every person functions differently and can maximize their energy output at different times. All I can say is that you should try to put in a conscious effort to understand and perform your tasks at the time you perform the best.

2. Eliminate all external distractions

This is obvious, isn’t it? It has even been proven in research. Every time you lose focus and get distracted, you’ll be taken out of the flow state. It’ll take you approximately 10-15 minutes of complete focus and immersion to enter this state again. In fact, because of attention residue, it might even take you 25 minutes to get back full attention on the task at hand. This occurs because some of your attention remains with the task that distracted you in the first place.

The best solution to this is to put your phone on silent and work in a quiet place. The calmer your environment is, the lesser the chances of external distractions.

3. Try to eliminate internal distractions

Trying to clear your mind is a crucial step if you wish to experience flow. Excess stress, anger sorrow or any such feelings are capable to throw you off. They do not allow you to focus as hard as you can and thus stop you from entering the flow state.

Journaling is a great way to clear your mind and control your thoughts better. Try creating a gratitude journal and writing down every night what you felt grateful for on that specific day.

4. Create mental cues

This is actually the simplest of them all. Try to create a specific pattern of things and places for specific tasks. Once you start doing the same things again and again, it’ll make it easier for you to enter flow. Over time, you’ll be able to tell your brain that it’s time to enter flow. This simply creates a type of neuro-association that links a particular thing with a particular action.

For example, when you study, follow a pattern of actions such as keeping your phone away, keeping a water bottle with you and sitting at your desk at a specific time. Once you enter flow, your brain will associate these actions as the cue to get focused and enter flow the next time. The more you do it, the stronger the cue will get. This way, you make it easier for yourself to enter flow over time.

5. Consume caffeine strategically

Chris Bailey, author of the book Hyperfocus, believes that consuming caffeine strategically can give you a significant focus and productivity boost. I kept this point last as I know coffee isn’t for everyone. But if you do drink coffee, try consuming it strategically to reap the benefits. Consuming up to 200mg of caffeine, i.e., around 2 cups, has been proven to help you focus more intensely, have a better short-term memory and work for longer. All these can help you enter the flow state.

Consuming more than this amount will make the positive effects diminish and you risk experiencing increased anxiety and decreased focus if you consume over twice the recommended amount.

The best way to go about it is to drink a cup or two of coffee right before you work. Keep in mind that this isn’t viable if you work at night as it will disrupt your sleep patterns.

Conclusion

Now that you know about flow, your next step is to try to experience it the next time you work. It isn’t something you can force, but all you can do is try to optimize the situation you are in that’ll increase your chances of entering the flow state. The more time you spend in the flow state, the better. The work you do in the flow state will be of great quality and will leave you feeling happy when completed. When you start enjoying what you’re doing, you will stop seeing it as a burden and will instead embrace it. Ask almost any successful person for their best advice and they will all tell you that achieving success comes down to doing what you love and giving it your best performance. And that is exactly what the flow state of mind is all about.

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References

• Live Bold and Bloom. (2019). How To Activate A Flow State To Skyrocket Productivity And Bliss. [online] Available at: https://liveboldandbloom.com/01/mindfulness/flow-state [Accessed 20 Oct. 2019].

• Kennedy, A. (2017). Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It. [online] Huffpost.com. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/flow-state-what-it-is-and_b_9607084 [Accessed 20 Oct. 2019].

• Cherry, K. (2019). Achieve the 'Flow' Mindset to Get the Job Done. [online] Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-flow-2794768 [Accessed 20 Oct. 2019].

• Roomer, J. (2019). How To Reach Flow State (Using 10 Flow State ‘Triggers’). [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/personal-growth-lab/how-to-reach-flow-state-using-10-flow-state-triggers-473aa28dc3e5 [Accessed 20 Oct. 2019].