and live a happier, more productive life!
Wulastukw/Saint John River by Victoria Moon Joyce (Fredericton, NB)
What is Flow?
Flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” This is how researcher, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi describes this mental state. (His name is pronounced “Me hi Chick sent me hi” in case you’re wondering…) He also calls it a state of ecstasy, meaning stepping into an alternate reality or entering a mental state where you feel you are not doing your ordinary every day routines, and has spent much of his life studying artists, athletes, gamers and others who experience this regularly.
He was fascinated by people who could spend hours doing an activity they love, losing track of time and even bodily needs like hunger as they focus completely on what they are doing. He named this mental state “flow” because so many described the experience as effortlessly floating down a river, or as a sense of fluidity between the body and the mind.
Flow gives a general sense of well-being and a lasting sense of happiness and fulfillment, a pleasure that comes with being in the moment and doing something that you are passionate about. It’s a positive experience, known to produce intense feelings of enjoyment, lowered anxiety, raised self-esteem and improved mood. Getting into a state of flow regularly sounds like the ideal way to be happy and productive. It’s a state of optimal experience, and has been referred to as an active, moving form of meditation.
Here are 8 characteristics of flow:
Complete concentration on the task
Clear goals, value and reward of the task, and immediate feedback
Transformation of time (speeding up or slowing down)
A reward that is intrinsic (i.e. the reward is “inside” you)
Effortlessness and ease in performing the task
A balance between the challenge and your skills, with just enough challenge to keep you focused
Actions and awareness are merged, a loss of self-consciousness
A feeling of control over the task, and performance is improved
Anyone can get into a state of flow, but it is easier for some personality types. Those who are curious, persistent, have low levels of self-centeredness, and like to perform activities for intrinsic reasons only (for the personal satisfaction they get from it) tend to slip into flow more easily. Csikszentmihalyi describes such people as “autotelic” (from the Greek: autos=self, telos=goal or end), those who seek the experience itself as the goal rather than some future benefit.
How do you get into a “state of flow”?
You need to:
Know what to do and how to do it (i.e. have a goal and plan of action).
Care about the task at hand.
See or get feedback on how well you are doing, including when doing it well.
Have an activity that stretches your skills at a manageable level (so you don’t become distracted or bored) but not so difficult that you become anxious, stressed and frustrated. There needs to be a balance between the challenge and your skills.
Have freedom from distractions so you can focus totally on the activity, although once in flow, it becomes easier to resist distractions.
Focus on the process of the activity rather than on the outcome.
Humans can process about 110 bits of information per second. When what you’re doing totally consumes your focus, there’s no brain processing ability left to even be aware of your “self”. Conversation requires 60 bits of information per second so, in most cases (unless the conversation is part of the activity, for example in team sports), it’s impossible to get into flow while distracted by talking. Flow is possible in a team setting, however, and is reported to be even more enjoyable than being in a flow state by oneself, whether at work or in sports.
Getting into flow at work and school
Another characteristic of flow is improved performance and productivity. This makes flow a desirable state to achieve in the workplace. Matching challenges and skills, giving training regularly to increase these skills, and gradually increasing challenges to maintain focus and avoid boredom is a recipe for engaged and satisfied employees who produce the highest quality work in the shortest time. Workers need to also understand where and how their individual task fits into the overall purpose of the workplace, and to receive immediate feedback, both when they do a good job and when they need to improve.
Artists, musicians, writers, dancers, and gamers benefit from flow and this can make the activity even more pleasurable and rewarding. Spiritual practices like yoga can make it easier to learn how to get into flow as they include a meditation component. Some people even have a routine they do to clear their mind and set themselves up for flow.
In online education (and social media too, for that matter…), a goal is to keep the person’s attention as much as possible for as long as possible. An ideal goal for any learning environment is to match challenges and skills, always feeding just enough information to continually stretch current skills at a manageable level to maximize learning, without overloading and causing anxiety or frustration. The Montessori school system is noted for successfully using this individualized approach with young children.
My experience…
I think I’m fascinated by all this because I’ve experienced flow many times. When playing classical guitar, I find myself essentially listening to myself play rather than thinking about what I’m doing and, if my concentration wanders even a bit, I’m lost and have to start the song over. I’ve always felt this was just a little weird and could never understand quite what was happening until I read about flow.
A happier life
Experts tell us that, once basic needs are satisfied, material things like a bigger house or a new car bring only fleeting enjoyment and not long-term happiness. But learning how to get into flow and making the effort to get into this mental state regularly sounds like an ideal way to create a happier and more productive life.
How about you?
Have you ever been so absorbed in an activity that you lost track of time altogether? Do you have a routine that prepares you slip easily into flow when starting an activity?
End note:
The photo above is of a painting by New Brunswick artist, Victoria Moon Joyce, entitled "Wulastukw/Saint John River". I enjoy the serenity of hints of sunlight on the flowing water of the Saint John River (near where we lived for several years) every day... I am so fortunate to have it hanging in my living room. Enjoy more of Moon Joyce's art on the Gallery 78 website.
References:
3 Hours of Creative ‘Flow’ Every Day Is All You Need to Change Your Life – Medium.com
‘Flow’ Can Help You Achieve Goals – Very Well Mind
What is a flow state and what are its benefits? – Headspace
Flow, the secret to happiness – TED Talk
Flow – Wikipedia
Victoria Moon Joyce -- Gallery 78
