Achieving Flow State
- Linda Andersen
- Mar 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 7
Are you having trouble staying focused in a distraction-filled world?
You're not alone. It's a serious problem, but this article will give you some strategies to overcome this!
Here’s a question for you:
Have you ever been in the zone?
You know, that elusive place where you lose track of time, and creativity flows effortlessly. You're not struggling at all and things are just stacking up perfectly.
You're doing something you really enjoy that requires a skill you've practiced and know well.
This is called Flow State.
It's when you're good at what you're doing and you're pushing yourself toward the optimum experience, but not pushing so hard that it becomes unachievable.
It's the elusive, creative mindset that can improve your life!
Flow state happens where there is a
Balance between skill and challenge.
skill > challenge = boredom
challenge > skill = anxiety
Hungarian psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (pronounced Me-hi Chick-sent-me-hi) first coined the term Flow when he began his investigations in the mid 1970s of how people felt when they were most enjoying themselves. His research of interviewing more than 8000 people all over the world revealed that there were many commonalities in the way they felt, for example:
Being in a state of complete engagement;
Being unaware of the passage of time;
A feeling that existence is temporarily suspended;
Getting feedback from your motivation because flow becomes its own reward.
The word "flow", or "flowing" was used so often by his interviewees that he referred to the phenomenon as "flow experience", or later "optimal experience". People were enjoying themselves on a much higher level than normal. From his research, he arrived at his belief that achieving Flow was "the secret to happiness".
Most of us have experienced this in some way. It's complete escapism for your brain. As a rock climber, I can tell you than when I'm on the wall, nothing exists except the next handhold, and it's a beautiful state of being. Some of my friends who do quilting would probably say that nothing exists except the next line of stitching. That's Flow. We're not thinking about our jobs, or the chores that need to be done at home, or how we're going to post this on Facebook.
Benefits of Flow State:
Csíkszentmihályi believed that being in Flow provided for the "optimal experience". This could be something as simple as watching a sunrise and being fully and completely immersed in that moment. Or it could be when you're deep into an art project or a work assignment and the hours fly by like minutes.
Here are some great reasons to discover the enjoyment of Flow:
✅️ Maximize enjoyment of what you're doing.
✅ Create a more fulfilling life.
✅ Experience deep creativity.
✅ Achieve a quieter mind.
✅ Discover a state of mind where calmness rules so your brain uses less energy and allows you to get out of the cycle of spinning and ruminating.
✅ Find total absorption in an activity, which will dissolve anxiety.
✅ Experience pure escapism.
In this state, your brain is being used at maximum processing capacity for one task, meaning that you aren't processing any other information such as stress or worry, and anxiety disappears.
Here are some tips on how to enter this elusive brain state:
💡Tip #1 - Eliminate Distractions
Before getting started, and for best success, get rid of anything that's going to compete for your focus.
Turn off your cell or leave it behind. If you're at your laptop, turn off all notification alerts and close any other distracting tabs that might tempt a peek.
Have a snack and some water handy so you don't have to break the flow once you're in it.
💡Tip #2 - Doing The Work Is Worth It
Achieving flow state often happens spontaneously when you're doing something you love. But putting yourself into flow state purposefully requires focus, which will take practice (see Further Exploration section below). It also requires some pretty serious intrinsic motivation. You won't achieve Flow if you don't enjoy what you're doing (and enjoying what you're doing is also the key to happiness, right?).
If you're finding it difficult to get into a flow state, it could be that your skill is not in balance with the challenge, and that's when you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone to get there. There is no comfort in growth and no growth in comfort. With skill comes arousal, control, relaxation, and finally Flow.
When you first start thinking about doing your sport or task, you may feel anxious, or even agitated. You're trying to get focused but you're just not getting there. That's because the stress response gets turned on first (and easily), but you need to push through that phase.
Think of it this way...you wouldn't start a workout without first warming up your muscles, right? Well, your brain needs a warmup too. It can take a few minutes or maybe even a half hour, but your brain will find the rhythm so stick with it.
💡Tip #3 - Start By Visualizing
A good place to start is by visualizing what you what you want to accomplish. It can feel weird visualizing something at first, but it's a powerful technique. A little mental preparation can have a big payoff.
Athletes do this before a competition, game or training session. Try to see the outcome and imagine how it will feel or look once you're done. Your body is going to feel amazing after the workout. The musical piece you're practicing will sound stunningly beautiful in its entirety. Your finished art project will feel immensely satisfying.
For inspiration, try to look deeper. Photographers may see nothing when looking at the forest, but when they focus on one tree, it becomes bigger in its detail than the entire forest.
💡Tip #4 - Take It Slowly
If you've done some visualizing and still aren't feeling it, try to focus for five minutes. Often, you'll get another 5 minutes, then a few more, and before you know it, you're in the zone.
If you can't get past a few minutes, it's OK to walk away. But remember – the more times you walk away from trying to get into flow state, the more you risk getting anxious about it because it's not getting done. That's when you really need to concentrate.
There are some things you just can't push, like creativity. So don't beat yourself up if this technique doesn't work all the time. Be patient.
💡Tip #5 Build On Your Successes
To get into flow state, it can be helpful to notice what it's like when you've actually achieved it previously. Think about the energy you felt. Was it exhilarating? Or did you feel a sense of luxurious calm?
Try experimenting with smelling different scents while you're in the zone. If you find one you like, continue to use it while in flow state. Your sense of smell is directly linked to parts of your brain involved memory and learning, and sniffing the scent may eventually trigger you into flow state. It's like listening to an old song that takes you back to your childhood, which can generate a certain mood or inspiration that may be helpful.
Use a Flow Tool. If you are a runner and you regularly achieve Flow while running, have your running shoes with you when you need to create flow in another activity – it can be a great cue. If you find Flow while doing a puzzle, use a puzzle piece as a cue to create your flow state elsewhere.
For Further Exploration:
A professional ballet dancer-turned-behavioral psychologist after a career-ending accident sought to regain that blissful feeling of being completely absorbed and focused. Without dance, she lost the ability to attain flow state, which made her curious about how flow is achieved. Check out this 47-minute podcast hosted by Wanda Wallace (leadership coach and host of the podcast "Out of the Comfort Zone") with guest Julia Christensen (author of the book "Pathway to Flow").
References
What happens to your brain during flow state:
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