Flow State
what happens when we get in the zone
This week’s drop-in: Flow
“Flow” is the psychology term for what most of us call being “in the zone” or “heads down” on something.
Or, as they say in my favorite scene of The Social Network, “wired in.”
I remember feeling envious of Mark Zuckerberg in this scene. It looked fun to be “wired in.” Just so totally consumed by the task at hand, blissfully unaware of the rageful Eduardo.
What is so enjoyable about being “wired in”? And how can you get wired in?
What to know about flow: When I was reading about flow, many articles talked about flow as if you’re trying to access nirvana and you’re on a quest to achieve enlightenment. I thought this was a little dramatic, but when I think about it, flow does really feel something like nirvana.
Think about the last time your mind stopped chattering and nothing mattered but the task in front of you. You were completely immersed. You probably lost track of time. You felt a sense of accomplishment afterward. It’s about as nirvana-like as it gets.
But that doesn’t mean it’s super easy to get there. You don’t just get into flow by going with the flow. You have to put work into it.
Here are the two key ingredients of flow:
Total concentration: You are in so deep that you forget to pee.
A somewhat challenging task: Something that’s hard, but doable.
These two things are definitely achievable — but it’s gotten harder with today’s distractions. Our phones are robbing us of opportunities to get into flow state. They interfere with both ingredients for flow.
First, technology messes with our concentration. We’ve gotten so used to short-form content — like a 10-second TikTok — that we have shorter attention spans. We get bored too quickly and dive for our screens. Last week I saw a man sitting at a bar looking at Zillow and there was something so depressing about that.
Something happened between college — when I could sustain my attention long enough to get through a difficult, dense scholarly article — and now, when I catch myself picking up my phone in the middle of reading something that isn’t hard at all. My brain will never find flow if it has to shift its attention every few minutes.
Secondly, our phones mess with our ability to find real tasks to work on. When we can passively scroll through content that other people made, we’re not making anything ourselves. Too often, we’re consumers and not creators. And I think humans need to be creators.
Here’s how psychologist and “father of flow” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described it:
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… the best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
Hopefully this has inspired you to find flow more often! Here’s what psychologists say you should do to get yourself “wired in”:
Give your mind something to chew on. Choose a moderately challenging activity, like learning a new craft, reading a robust book, or going on a long hike. My latest thing is pottery and the weaving loom. My house will eventually be full of misshapen mugs and tapestries. Remember: you’re actively engaging, not passively consuming. Just like your teeth, your brain was designed to work through tough things. Give it something to chew on.
Make a no-phone zone. These days I put my phone in another room. Better yet, leave the phone at home and go somewhere to make a bubble for yourself. I wrote my entire master’s thesis from a Starbucks and I don’t think I could have done it any other way.
Play good music. Here’s my Spotify playlist for when I really need to buckle down and get into a focused flow state. Warning: It’s very EDM-y.
Go to the source:
What is a flow state and what are its benefits? (Headspace)
8 Traits of Flow According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Positive Psychology)
Why Does Experiencing ‘Flow’ Feel So Good? (UC Davis)
Hop take: Beverage of the week
I was in Las Vegas this week for a work event and I always make an effort to try local Vegas craft brews, which are hard to find on the casino floor. Luckily at a company happy hour I found the Dawnbreaker, an American lager. It was mild and refreshing, which does the trick in a stuffy, packed convention (and it’s nice to have something less strong when you’re running a marathon of happy hours and dinners).
In other news
Formula 1 moves. Lewis Hamilton just made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari and it’s rocking everyone’s world. Also, the next season of Drive to Survive drops on Netflix this month, so now’s the time to catch up if you’re not already into F1!
Words of wisdom
Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté put into words how I feel about making work more fun:
"Business is difficult. But it could be approached two ways: Seriously, or with the same way you're doing your job, with entertainment aspect, with pleasure, with fun. And we decided to try to make it as fun that we do our creativity."
- Guy Laliberté
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope your workweek was full of flow and fun. See you in the next one.
Cheers,
Alex