What makes the flow state so special? Neuroscience hasn’t completely figured it out yet. What happens to your brain in flow state? It makes sense - after all, you can’t experience attentional focus without giving your entire attention to something. In order to get in the right state of mind, you have to give all of your attention to the task at hand. Perhaps most importantly (and frustratingly) you can’t multitask your way into flow. In this mental state, you may forget to eat or stay in an uncomfortable position a bit too long. You have a loss of self-consciousness from being fully engaged in the activity. When you’re in the zone, you might temporarily forget that you’re thirsty, tired, or need to use the restroom. Csíkszentmihályi called this an “autotelic experience.” 9. The results are secondary to the task itself. For example, if you enjoy swimming, you can be in flow whether you’re competing, exercising, or just splashing in the pool. To get into flow, the activity itself has to be rewarding for its own sake, independent of the outcome. This particular characteristic lasts beyond the experience itself, since being in a state of flow balances cortisol and stress levels. You feel less self-conscious and even less anxious. You’re absorbed in the task, but not stressed out or worried by it. This transformation of time comes from being completely absorbed in the present moment. It can speed up or slow down - but either way, you’re a little surprised when you check the clock. This triggers a sort of altered consciousness around time. When you’re in flow, you feel lost in the activity. As a spectator, it’s difficult to have the mental absorption and sense of engagement that characterizes a flow state. You’ll have a hard time getting into flow if you feel like the activity or situation is out of your control. You win a game, finish a level, or earn a star - which keeps you playing because you feel like you’re doing well. Ever spend hours playing one of those puzzle games on your computer or phone? They’re engrossing because they give immediate feedback. There is a give-and-take of energy in the activity.
But in order to direct your attention, you have to have something to direct your attention to. It doesn’t have to be grandiose - you could be playing a video game or coloring a picture. To trigger flow, the activity has to have some point to it. Too challenging, and you won’t be able to get into it. Too easy, and it won’t be absorbing enough. The activity has to be the right amount of difficult. Someone would have to work to get your attention or to interrupt you from the task at hand. In flow, whatever you’re working on has your complete attention. But the more factors are present, the more likely you are to experience flow. It could happen while you’re reading, writing, painting, running, or gardening.Īlthough there’s no one activity guaranteed to create flow, there are some common characteristics of flow state that people experience. There’s no one experience that leads to flow.
In flow, you feel as if you could keep doing whatever you’re doing forever.
You generally lose sense of time, self-consciousness, and anything that doesn’t have to do with the task at hand. The flow state is the experience of being so absorbed by an engaging, enjoyable task that your attention is competely held by it.