Is an optimal state of consciousness where we feel and perform our best. It happens when we are completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.

The Flow State

Problem Solving

Time Management

<ol><li>Having clear goals about what you want to achieve</li><li>Concentration and focus</li><li>Participating in an intrinsically rewarding activity</li><li>Losing feelings of self-consciousness</li><li>Losing track of time passing</li><li>Being able to immediately judge your own progress; instant feedback on your performance</li><li>Knowing that your skills align with the goals of the task</li><li>Feeling control over the situation and the outcome</li><li>Lack of awareness of physical needs</li><li>Complete focus on the activity itself</li></ol>

Factors that often accompany the flow state

“Flow also happens when a person’s skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenges. If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills.”

Those who experience the flow state report higher levels of productivity, creativity, and happiness for up to 3 days after it. Pushing ourselves just outside our comfort zone, stretching to accomplish a set goal and working toward that goal with focus, determination, and little distraction expands our minds and teaches us creative and innovative-skills that increase the quality of our work and life.

Benefits of the Flow state

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Imagine the moment before running a race. Deep breaths behind the starting line keep your pounding heart at bay, and every second seems to be an eternity; yet, as soon as the starting gun sounds and your feet hit the track, every thought slides from your mind. You are focused and sure, challenging yourself to achieve something you know is right within your reach. Before you know it, time has flown past, the race is over, and though your chest is heaving, you barely notice that you are tired. 
According to positive psychologist Mih&#225;ly Cs&#237;kszentmih&#225;lyi, what you experience in that moment is known as flow state, defined as an "optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best." Cs&#237;kszentmih&#225;lyi, who popularized the term in his 1990 book, the mental state of flow involves "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost." The ten factors that can accompany this state of flow are:
1.	Having clear goals about what you want to achieve 2.	Concentration and focus 3.	Participating in an intrinsically rewarding activity 4.	Losing feelings of self-consciousness 5.	Timelessness; losing track of time passing 6.	Being able to immediately judge your own progress; instant feedback on your performance 7.	Knowing that your skills align with the goals of the task 8.	Feeling control over the situation and the outcome 9.	Lack of awareness of physical needs 10.	Complete focus on the activity itself
Now, not all of these factors need to be present in order to achieve flow state, but they are the emotions and responses most often associated with this mental state.
So what can you do to increase your chances of achieving flow? In his book Finding Flow, Cs&#237;kszentmih&#225;lyi explains that individuals can seek out activities that meet some of the factors of flow, like playing chess, playing a logic game or puzzle like Sudoku, participating in sports, engaging in a meaningful project at work or at school, drawing, or writing. 
"Flow also happens when a person's skills are fully involved in overcoming a challenge that is just about manageable, so it acts as a magnet for learning new skills and increasing challenges," Cs&#237;kszentmih&#225;lyi explains. "If challenges are too low, one gets back to flow by increasing them. If challenges are too great, one can return to the flow state by learning new skills."
The importance of actively seeking out the flow state cannot be overstated. Research done by Harvard professor Teresa Amabile shows that people who have experienced this state of mind report higher levels of productivity, creativity, and happiness for up to three days after experiencing flow state. Pushing ourselves just outside our comfort zone, stretching to accomplish a set goal and working toward that goal with focus, determination, and little distraction expands our minds and teaches us to be creative and innovative-skills that increase the quality of both the work you do and the life you live. 
For thousands of years mankind has looked up to the stars and formed intricate patterns, figures of hunters and heroes, out of the meaningless scatter of starshine; for we humans seek meaning wherever we can find it. Living a life of meaning and of depth requires us to step outside of our comfort zones, to challenge our own ideas and create innovative ways to optimize our time on this earth. The mental state of flow catapults our minds out of the mindless humdrum of everyday life and closer to a meaningful existence.
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Imagine the moment before running a race. Deep breaths behind the starting line keep your pounding heart at bay, and every second seems to be an eternity; yet, as soon as the starting gun sounds and your feet hit the track, every thought slides from your mind.

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Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It

The Flow State

Factors that often accompany the flow state

MIHALY CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI

Benefits of the Flow state

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Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It

The Flow State

Factors that often accompany the flow state

MIHALY CSÍKSZENTMIHÁLYI

Benefits of the Flow state

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Finding Flow: 5 Steps to Get in the Zone and Be More Productive

Why you're not finding Flow at work (and what to do about it)

What's the flow state about?

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career