Arguably, the most important criteria in the pursuit of flow is to pick intrinsically rewarding tasks that have high consequences (e.g., rock climbing or public speaking), clear feedback, and take place in a rich and varied environment (so not your office cubicle).

Choosing an activity to enter the flow state

These are tasks that tend to have high consequences (e.g., rock climbing or public speaking), clear feedback, and take place in a varied environment.

Tasks that encourage flow

<ol><li>The activity must have a clear set of goals and progress, which adds direction and structure to the task.</li><li>The task must have clear and immediate feedback, which enables the person to adjust while performing the task.</li><li>There must be a good balance between the perceived challenge of the task and the individual's own perceived skills. Lacking skill for a challenge produces anxiety, while being over-skilled leads to relaxation.</li></ol>

To enter the flow state...

When you are experiencing flow, it seems like the task at hand is almost performing itself.
But there's still a sense of personal control over it, and working on it feels very rewarding.

Flow = focusing on the present moment

<ul>
<li>An activity must have a clear set of goals and progress.</li>
<li>A task must have clear and immediate feedback.</li>
<li>There must be a good balance between the perceived challenge of the task and the individual's own perceived skills.</li>
</ul>

To enter the flow state

We experience the "flow state" when a given task becomes effortless and time slips by without our noticing. It's an absorbing, intrinsically rewarding state that we enter when performing certain tasks.When in the flow state we experience mindfulness and actions and awareness merge, so that it seems like the task is almost performing itself. Despite this, there's still a sense of personal control over the task at hand, and performing it feels intrinsically rewarding.

The flow state

Flow only happens when you've got the right level of skill for a task with the right level of challenge. Specifically, Csíkszentmihályi identified three components necessary to enter the flow state: The activity must have a clear set of goals and progress, which adds direction and structure to the task.

Tasks that encourage flow

What's the flow state about?

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

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

Flow State: What It Is and How to Achieve It

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