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Flow
Flow is being ‘In the Zone.’ It’s super focus, and some people even describe it as a moment where they go into their own world. When you frequently experience flow, you are more satisfied with life.
What is flow?
Flow is a state of super concentration. It’s that experience of getting swept up in the moment - your attention is focused, you are completely absorbed by what you are doing, hours pass as minutes, and everything around you melts away.
Everyone is capable of feeling this state of effortless concentration and enjoyment, and just about any activity can produce flow.
Feeling 'In the Zone'
Imagine you’re playing a game of tennis.
You are standing in front of the other player; your hand gripping the racquet, it’s like the racquet is part of your body. Your attention is fixed on your opponent. The sun is hot and you’re tired, sore and thirsty but you don’t even notice. You are completely focused on the other player, watching their every movement to predict the next action. As your opponent returns the ball you spring off your back foot and race towards the ball. You seem to know exactly what to do. As you hit the ball all your concentration and focus is being used to get the perfect shot.
That is flow.
Tennis may not be your thing. But this feeling of being completely wrapped up in what you are doing is flow, and something anyone can experience.
You know you are feeling flow when...
- Your focus on the task at hand is razor sharp
- What you're doing is hard, but you've got the skills to manage the challenge
- You are in control and you seem to know exactly what to do at each moment
- You stop noticing what is going on around you
- You are doing the activity for its own sake, not necessarily to get anything out of it.
What are the benefits?
For most people, simply finding themselves ‘In the Zone’ is reward enough. But psychologists now know that finding flow also has a number of benefits.
It feels good: Being in flow gives you a natural high that comes from being completely absorbed and succeeding at what you are doing. It doesn’t matter what the task is, if you are in flow it is enjoyable (whether in music, sport, creating art, writing, gaming whatever).
It keeps you motivated: Because flow is so enjoyable, you want to keep doing the activity that gets you ‘in the zone’. This means you don’t have to force yourself (or be forced by anyone else) to do the task; you already have a motivation to keep getting back into whatever it is you enjoy.
It increases your skills: As you get better at the activity, you find new challenges and ways of testing yourself to stay in the zone. This means that when you slip into flow you are constantly improving and extending your skills.
Feeling good about life: Flow lets you be totally ‘in the moment’, to fully enjoy what you are doing (rather than being bored out of your mind), and makes you function at the top of your abilities so you feel more confident. It is not surprising that people describe their experiences of flow as their best experiences in life and the times that truly make their lives great.
Check out 'Where's the proof?' for some of the scientific studies that back us up.
Where's the proof?
Mihaily Csikszentmihalyi (Chick-sent-me-hi) is the psychologist who coined the term ‘flow’. He was fascinated by creative people, especially painters, who became so lost in their work that they would forget about food, water and even sleep. Based on interviews with these artists, he found that this state of euphoric, super focus was similar for everyone (even though their flow activities were different).
Evidence: flow helps increase your skills
In one study in the US, psychologists looked at the progress of teenagers over 4 years in their chosen talent. They found that those who experienced flow more often were the ones who continued to push on with their skills and still be committed to it 4 years later.
This suggests that experiencing flow helps not only to improve your skills, but motivates you to keep using your talent. 2
It’s not just the incredible artists who experience flow. Surveys of thousands of people show that 20% say they get pulled into flow several times a day and 40% get into the zone ‘sometimes’ 1. So even though flow was originally investigated using experts and people at the top of their field, research now shows that most people experience flow.
Unfortunately, around 25% of people say they ‘rarely’ experience flow and 15% have never experienced it. If you are one of those ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ people (aka don’t get much flow in your life), make sure to check out ‘How do you build it’ to see how you can get more ‘in the zone’.
How do you build it?
Check out In the Zone for a more in depth description of flow and some amazing interviews with people who make their living in a state of flow (surfers, artists, MCs and dancers). Sure these guys are experts at what they do, but everyone can experience flow.
FLOW: different activities for everyone
Exactly which activities pull you into flow depends on your own skills, likes and dislikes and it really is different for everyone. Some of the common ones are: listening to or making music, playing sport, reading, games (online, gaming, board games, chess), surfing, singing, cooking, dancing, acting, drawing, martial arts, painting, building things... You can experience flow in just about any activity.
Psychologists have found that there are 3 key ingredients to help you find flow: a balance between your skills and the challenge, having clear aims or rules in the task and feedback on how you are going, as you are going.
Firstly, flow happens when there is a balance between your skills and the difficulty of the task. When there is both high challenge and high skills to manage that challenge, then you land in the piece of the pie that is flow. This graph explains a bit more:
If the activity is too hard you will be anxious and stressed. If the task is too easy you will be bored or give up. For example, if you’ve never snowboarded before and you immediately start at the top of the mountain, you will be freaking out (and probably rolling down the hill) rather than being in the zone. On the other hand, if you’re a world class snowboarder who takes the beginners run, you’ll be bored out of your mind and will not get in the zone. So if the challenge is too low, aim for something harder - if the challenge is too high, learn some new skills to tackle that challenge.
Secondly, if the task you are doing has clear aims, goals or rules it’s easier to find flow. You are more likely to be able to focus your energy and get fully absorbed if you know what you are aiming for.
Finally, it helps if you know how you are going during the task. Getting feedback as you are going means you can change your actions if you need to.
Note: TV DOESN’T COUNT! Sure you may lose track of time or forget what’s going on around you, but it’s not flow. There is little skill involved in watching TV and it is not a challenge. A study actually found that the more time a person spent watching TV, the less time they experienced flow.
Flow in action
Watch the video below to find out how a few people like Joel Salom, percussive juggler and comedian, experience flow.
And check out this interview with Mon, the drummer for Kill City Creeps who talks about how exhilirating it is to get swept up in drumming, and how time flies when she's performing.