Flow: The First Great Creative Idea I Discovered
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The first great creative idea I ever discovered was the concept of flow.
You’ve experienced flow. It’s the sensation of immersion you get when you’re in the zone. Time disappears and you’re entirely absorbed in what you’re doing.
The state of flow is where you do all your best work. For some of us, it can happen while playing a sport. Your focus narrows to just the game and you play your best. The same thing happens in creative work. You get lost, the hours fly by, and at the end of it, you’ve done some good writing or good coding or made good art.
When you’re in a state of flow you feel a sense of joy, satisfaction, and mastery over what you’re doing. Flow is not only when you will do your best work, it’s where you will grow and gain mastery of your skills.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined flow like this:
“Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person’s capacity to act.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow is when the challenge of the work is just right: not so easy that it’s boring, not so difficult that it’s discouraging.
Having a name and definition for this wonderful state we’ve all experienced is great… but it’s not that impactful. What’s impactful is this: how do you get into a state of flow?
Here’s how you get into flow.
Challenge and Concentration. Choose tasks that challenge you just enough to stay focused. For example, if you enjoy playing a musical instrument, learn a complex piece that pushes your skills to the next level. You’re aiming for an activity that is just a bit beyond your current abilities.
Set clear goals. If you’re writing a report, set a goal to complete the introduction section within the next thirty minutes. Immediate feedback can be achieved by tracking your progress and setting a timer.
Timeblock. Remove distractions and set aside time to focus. If you’re studying, turn off your phone notifications, close social media tabs, and find a quiet place to work.
Identify triggers. Create cues that will help you achieve flow. For example, before writing, listen to a specific playlist that helps you get into a focused and creative mindset. After a few successful sessions of flow, you’ll come to associate this music with flow and it’ll help you get there.
If you do creative work—or any kind of work that requires advanced skills—you need to design your life to foster a state of flow.