{"id":263,"date":"2007-11-28T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2007-11-28T10:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/how-to-achieve-the-creative-state-of-flow\/"},"modified":"2013-08-15T12:17:55","modified_gmt":"2013-08-15T20:17:55","slug":"how-to-achieve-the-creative-state-of-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-achieve-the-creative-state-of-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Achieve the Creative State of Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Have you ever been so engaged in an activity that you lost track of time or even your surroundings? A bomb could of gone off (figuratively) and you wouldn’t have noticed?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s called “flow” \u2013 a state of consciousness where we experience a task so deeply that it truly becomes enjoyable and satisfying. For me this usually happens while I\u2019m reading, writing, or developing software. For you, it could happen during any number of tasks — golfing, cooking, hiking, etc.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the architect of Flow and after decades of researching the characteristics of the \u201coptimal experience\u201d (a fancy word for enjoyment) he wrote Flow: The Psychology of the Optimal Experience<\/a>. A guide that shows us how to add more enjoyment in our lives by increasing the time we spend in Flow.<\/p>\n

The Conditions of Flow<\/h2>\n

Flow can be achieved by anyone with any task, as long as the conditions are right. I usually get into a state of Flow while writing. I listen to music<\/a> through my headphones and after a few minutes I really get into my work I\u2019m oblivious to my surroundings.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I can\u2019t type fast enough. Other times I type so s-l-o-w-l-y and the words don\u2019t come easily. But, either way, I\u2019m in a state of Flow. According to Mihaly there are eight characteristics to an optimal experience:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You\u2019re challenged by the task at hand.<\/strong> This seems to be the \u2018prime directive\u2019 to achieving Flow and can actually prevent you from being in a state of Flow. The difficulty of your task has to be \u201cjust right\u201d. If the task is to easy, you\u2019ll get bored and eventually stop. If the task is to difficult, you\u2019ll get frustrated and eventually stop. Either way, you loose.<\/li>\n
  2. The ability to concentrate is key.<\/strong> If there are to many interruptions or it\u2019s noisy, you won\u2019t be able to concentrate on your task. No concentration, no Flow.<\/li>\n
  3. You have clear goals to achieve.<\/strong> Goals establish a mechanism to measure your progress and provide a sense of achievement. People in Flow achieve their goals.<\/li>\n
  4. You receive immediate feedback.<\/strong> Either your ball landed in the cup or it didn\u2019t. You know immediately if your goal was reached or not.<\/li>\n
  5. Your worries and frustrations of everyday life recede into the background<\/strong>. This perhaps is one of the greatest benefit of Flow. You\u2019re busy concentrating on your task and the rest of your world just \u201cgoes away\u201d for a short while. Even though you\u2019re challenged, you end up relaxed, satisfied and you achieved something meaningful (all this, and it\u2019s legal too).<\/li>\n
  6. Your sense of self disappears (only for a while).<\/strong> When it re-appears, you\u2019re refreshed with an even stronger sense of self.<\/li>\n
  7. You have a level of control over your actions while performing your task.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. You loose track of time and feel great when you\u2019re done with your task.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Paradox of Leisure Time<\/h2>\n

    With all the \u201cmodern conveniences\u201d available today, we have more free time than ever before. But, with all this free time, people rarely reported being in a Flow state.<\/p>\n

    What is the largest single pastime for Americans? Watching TV. It\u2019s a national obsession \u2013 sports, soaps, reality TV, it doesn\u2019t matter, we\u2019ll watch anything. The interesting thing is this \u2013 Flow is rarely achieved while watching TV!<\/p>\n

    I wonder if it has anything to do with your brain being more active while you\u2019re sleeping than when you\u2019re watching TV? Even though we have plenty of free time, our single most leisure activity is producing the poorest quality of enjoyment. If you\u2019re looking to take one small step to improve the quality of your life – then turn off your TV.<\/p>\n

    The State of Flow at Work<\/h2>\n

    Engaging in a challenging activity is a primary condition to achieve Flow and for many of us, this occurs while at work. You\u2019re given a task or you volunteer for a project that\u2019s just beyond your current skill level. Deep down you know you can do it and maybe it\u2019s a stretch. But it\u2019s the challenge that intrigues you and ultimately expands your knowledge.<\/p>\n

    This is how one grows \u2013 expanding your skills by continuously challenging oneself<\/a> and moving to that \u201cnext level\u201d. It\u2019s at work where the opportunity to grow occurs most frequently. There is nothing wrong with this. My point is that we need to find activities outside of work where we can achieve Flow.<\/p>\n

    Your Personal Plan for Flow<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Find a challenging activity.<\/strong> This could be anything. Reading, suduko, learning a language, cooking, or even playing a video game. Whatever you decide to do, just do it.<\/li>\n
    2. Commit to yourself.<\/strong> Remember, you\u2019re doing this for one person and one person only. Yourself. This is your chance to finally get on the road to happiness and accomplishment.<\/li>\n
    3. Set a series of realistic goals.<\/strong> By setting goals you automatically know the level of skills needed to accomplish those goals and you provide yourself a framework for achieving a sense of accomplishment. Just as a video game has levels that you try to achieve, so should your activity. Define the levels, work to achieve them and realize your goals.<\/li>\n
    4. Turn off the T.V.<\/strong> \u201cEverything in moderation\u201d is what my father used to tell me \u2013 so it goes for TV. Some is good, a lot is bad. Give yourself a chance to get into a Flow state by turning off the TV.<\/li>\n
    5. Remove any interruptions.<\/strong> It nearly impossible to be engrossed in an activity when you\u2019re bombarded with interruptions. I tell my kids \u201cPlease don\u2019t interrupt me unless you\u2019re bleeding or a dinosaur is crashing through our house\u201d. They usually giggle and give me the time I need.<\/li>\n
    6. Track your progress.<\/strong> Create a simple way to track your daily progress. Place a mark on a calendar, write a short entry in a journal or scratch a line in your bedroom wall.<\/li>\n
    7. Enjoy your experience.<\/strong> Achieving flow takes determination. But remember to enjoy your experience along the way. As they say \u201cit\u2019s the journey that\u2019s important\u201d.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Have you achieved a state of Flow today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      That\u2019s called “flow” \u2013 a state of consciousness where we experience a task so deeply that it truly becomes enjoyable and satisfying. Learn how to experience the flow state more often. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":12700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[21],"tags":[2641,2151,2640],"yoast_head":"\nState of Flow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""flow" \u2013 a state of consciousness where we experience a task so deeply that it truly becomes enjoyable and satisfying. For me this usually happens while I\u2019m reading, writing, or developing software. 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