Have you ever noticed the way your mindset changes on your most productive days? Instead of struggling to focus and fend off distractions, you’re locked in, accomplishing the task at hand with ease. Hours slip by barely noticed—and before you know it, your big task is complete.
There’s actually a name for that seemingly-magical phenomenon: the flow state. The flow state happens when you’re totally immersed in a task, to the point where distractions have no effect. Your work feels easy, as you “flow” seamlessly from one step to the next.
However, the flow state is elusive. There’s no pill or mantra that will magically put you in this ultra-productive frame of mind. So how can you put flow to work for you? Here’s what you need to know to tap your flow state more often.
Who Discovered the Flow State?
While the flow state has probably been around for as long as human brains have, it was officially “discovered” and named by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist, focused his career on positive psychology, or the study of how people can discover purpose, meaning, and fulfillment in life. He’s best known for his findings on the flow state, which stemmed from a shocking discovery: People are often happier at work than they are during time off.
This discovery came from Csikszentmihalyi’s study in which participants self-reported their emotional states at random parts of the day. The study participants carried pagers (this was in the late ‘80s, mind you) that went off periodically. Each time the pager went off, they’d record both what they were doing and how they felt at that moment.
What Csikszentmihalyi found was that while people thought they were happier during time off, their self-reporting showed something different. His participants were actually happier at work—even though they didn’t know it.
Csikszentmihalyi explained this phenomenon with the flow state. When we’re in flow, we’re engaged and challenged in just the right amounts. The flow state feels amazing—which is why we’re actually happier while doing work that interests and challenges us than while at rest.
Why You Should Flow Instead of Work
Of course, we don’t hit the flow state every time we work. Mundane, boring tasks and tasks that are too hard or too easy won’t give us flow. However, the more time we can spend in the flow state, the happier and more productive we’ll be—so it’s worthwhile to seek it out.
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Source : To Get More Done, Get Familiar with Your “Flow State”
