<ol><li>Set an overall goal, and as many subgoals as are realistically feasible.</li><li>To find ways of measuring progress in terms of the goals choosen.</li><li>To keep concentrating on what one is doing and to keep making finer and finer distinctions in the challenges involved in the activity.</li><li>To develop the skills necessary to interact with the opportunities available.</li><li>To keep raising the stakes if the activity becomes boring.</li></ol>

Essential Steps To Experience Flow

These questions were answered with the Experience Sampling Method (ESM)<ul><li>When people are pursuing leisure activities that were expensive such as power boating, driving or watching television - they are significantly less happy.</li><li>People are happiest when they are talking to one another, when they gardened, knitted or are involved in a hobby.</li></ul>

Happiness Index: Material Resources Vs Investment In Oneself?

<ol><li>Yama: one must achieve restraint from acts and thoughts that might harm others.</li><li>Niyama: obedience, follow routines in cleanliness, study and obedience to God. Help channel attention into predictable patterns and hence make attention easier to control.</li><li>Asana: ways of sitting and holding postures for long periods without succumbing to strain or fatigue.</li><li>Pranayama: breath control, aims to relax the body and stabilizes the rhythm of breathing.</li><li>Pratyahara: Withdrawal, learning to withdraw attention from outward objects by directing the input of the senses.</li></ol>

Achieving Flow: 8 Different Stages Of Yoga

6. Dharana : holding on, is the ability to concentrate for long periods on a single stimulus and thus is the mirror image of the earlier stage of pratyahara.7. Dhyana: one learns to forget the self in uninterrupted concentration that no longer needs the external stimuli of the preceding phase.8. Samadhi : self collectedness, when the meditator and the object of meditation become as one.

THE BESTSELLING CLASSIC ON 'FLOW' – THE KEY TO UNLOCKING MEANING, CREATIVITY, PEAK PERFORMANCE, AND TRUE HAPPINESS Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of "optimal experience" have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi ("the leading researcher into ‘flow states’" —Newsweek) demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness, unlock our potential, and greatly improve the quality of our lives. "Explores a happy state of mind called flow, the feeling of complete engagement in a creative or playful activity." —Time

Self Awareness

Flow

We think of the flow state as a magical place that writers can get to. Writers need to be open to a flow state, but we must never think it is natural or sustainable. A writer's purpose is to write, not to surrender to the fear of creating the mediocre. A writer's goal is to write the very best story he or she can.

Producing highly creative work requires one to abandon this mystic pursuit and all its upshots along with it

Verlyn Klinkenberg's several short sentences about writing are almost a decade old. The book expounded on ethics of writing that are as relevant today as they were when it was first published in 2012.&nbsp;Writing in the way Verlyn recommended, though elegant, is a slow process. And a slow process stands against everything writing in a flow state stood for.If you think that writing — the act of composition — should flow, what are you likely to feel? Obstructed, defeated, inadequate, blocked, perhaps even stupid.&nbsp;

Writing does not need a flow state

The act of describing a face has the effect of impairing your otherwise effortless ability to subsequently recognize that face. Our unconscious does a better job at recognizing the face of a stranger when we don’t think too much of it than when we do. In the same way, we have a better chance of steering into a state of flow when we don’t burden our minds with trying to force it.

Overthinking leads to jinxing

The art of writing, as in any creative process, is not a fight to win the love of the audience. It is a struggle to keep trying, whether the experience is good or bad, knowing you won’t remain in the same state forever.&nbsp;Don’t worry about finding a flow state; instead, explore your unexplored continents through your pen.

Don't worry about finding flow

I am not relying on my experience and worldview to entice you into joining me on the wonderful adventure that is flow-state-free. Instead, let's see what other experts have to say about ...

Stashed ideas

Why Writers Should Avoid Striving for Flow State

To enter flow, you need appropriated self-control, environmental conditions, skills, task and rewards. Besides that, you must know what you’re doing, be able to see whether or not you’re doing it well, and be pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone.The last point is especially important, it's mastery combined with challenge that brings flow. Too much challenge and we get overcome with anxiety. Not enough, and our brain loses focus and looks for other stimuli.

Requirements To Enter Flow

Problem Solving

Time Management

&quot;In the flow-like state, we exercise control over the contents of our consciousness rather than allowing ourselves to be passively determined by external forces.&quot;

Quote

To get into a state of flow more often, we need to be able to increase our level of control over our consciousness:<ul><li>Find standards to determine whether any action you’re going to take is desirable towards getting into a state of flow.</li><li>Self-control and flow depend on immediate feedback; find ways to constantly monitor your performance and adjust as you continue.</li><li>Be wary of your mental energy. Define your work schedule to account for the variations in mental strength throughout the day.</li></ul>

Self control to trigger a state of Flow

Routine is good for productivity but doesn’t help you enter in the flow state. Instead, find an environment that challenges you on a daily basis and pushes you a bit outside of your comfort zone.Ideally those are environments and activities where your actions have real consequences to you, challenge you out of your comfort zone and require more of your attention or you to react quickly to changes.&nbsp;

Find a novel and exciting space

"Steve Jobs artificially created the environmental conditions that massively upped the amount of novelty, unpredictability, and complexity in the environment because people across departments and disciplines started running into each other and having conversations. As a result, flow, innovation, and creativity went up.”

Flow is dependent on finding that sweet spot between your skills and the challenge at hand. Having some mastery and knowing how to use it is necessary to reach flow state.You can achieve this by not just going through the motions of an activity, but having a specific, analyzable and measurable goal for every practice session and optimizing things to challenge and increase your mastery every new session.

Practice deliberately to bring on more Flow

"If a subject excites us, if it stirs our deepest curiosity, or if we have to learn because the stakes are high, we pay much more attention."

Imbuing your task with a clear sense of purpose greatly facilitates flow. You can do that by creating a personal mission statement and tying your values and skills to how you can make a real change in the world.Create your mission statement, find what are your passions, values and skills, as well as the value you create, who are you creating for and the expected outcome.&nbsp;

Connect to a clear purpose

Having work and tasks that we feel real have meaning behind and enjoy doing for the sake of doing is ideal to achieve flow. Money. Awards. Praise. These can be byproducts of the flow work you do, but they cannot be the core motivation behind what you’re doing.If you can find that kind of task, not only will you find yourself slipping into flow more often, but you’ll naturally shift towards doing work that is truly meaningful to you.

Don’t look for extrinsic motivation

Flow is the mental state where we are so immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment&nbsp;in the process of the activity that we lose sense of space and time.The moment you recognize being in flow, its blissful sensation begins to dissolve and the world, complete with its distractions, comes rushing back into our heads.

The Flow State

Ever had a moment-perhaps while writing, designing, or working through a complex problem-where you're so focused on a task that the world around you disappears and you're perfectly focused? It feels like you're on autopilot. Nothing can go wrong. Work comes naturally with no friction...

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

<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&#39;s own perceived skills.</li>
</ul>

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

When you are experiencing flow, it seems like the task at hand is almost performing itself.
But there&#39;s still a sense of personal control over it, and working on it feels very rewarding.

Flow = focusing on the present moment

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

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

<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...

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.

What's the flow state about?

Flow is characterized by complete concentration in the activity at hand, resulting in a loss in one’s sense of space and time. It’s a state of both high challenge and high skill—a place where we’re capable of stretching ourselves to overcome difficulty. Anyone is capable of inducing such a state of deep productivity and creativity.

<ol><li>Intense concentration on the task at hand.</li><li>A merging of action and awareness - “being and doing become one”.</li><li>A loss of reflective self-consciousness.</li><li>A sense of personal control over the situation.</li><li>A distortion of the perception of time.</li><li>Autotelic experience: the activity itself is intrinsically rewarding, rather than the expected outcome.</li></ol>

The Six Parts of A Flow State

<ul><li>It’s not easy.&nbsp;Flow is not just a state where we love the work so much it just pours out. Flow is a state where hard work meets joy and meaning.&nbsp;</li><li>It’s not for beginners.&nbsp;The act of learning how to do something won’t always allow us to get into the flow.&nbsp;Getting into the zone in a specific discipline is something that needs to be learned and practiced.</li></ul>

What Flow Is Not

It's almost impossible to get into the flow state if you're doing something you don't like. Look for experiences that are inherently enjoyable, meaningful, or satisfying. Even in our dream job, we might have to do repetitive or unpleasant work. But, if you generally find it difficult to find flow in your work throughout the day, question whether your tasks are challenging or complex enough.

Be Focused On The Right Tasks  

It’s only after you reach a state of competence that you’ll be able to achieve a flow state.&nbsp;How do we get good at getting into this optimal zone?<ul><li>Learn how others do it</li><li>Try it yourself</li><li>Analyze your performance</li><li>Try again, based on what you’ve learned</li><li>Repeat</li></ul>

Practice Makes A Perfect Flow State 

Distraction is the enemy of flow.&nbsp;If you can, sit somewhere quiet. If you’re in an office, try using noise-canceling headphones.Music or ambient sounds can be really helpful; preferably calm, repetitive, atmospheric sounds so your brain doesn’t focus on melody or words.

Find The Right Environment

Your ability to achieve a lasting flow state hinges upon your energy and health.The four types of rest necessary for creative flow are:<ul><li>Mental rest - Meditation, reading fiction and things unrelated to your work.</li><li>Social rest -&nbsp;Using social connectedness to relax.</li><li>Spiritual rest&nbsp;-&nbsp; Going to a place of worship, or just taking time to think about the big questions in life.</li><li>Physical rest -&nbsp;Getting horizontal or&nbsp;taking a bath. Exercising can count as rest if you normally sit down all day.</li></ul>

Your Creative Health

The chirp of a bird outside your window breaks you from your trance. You've been working for hours, but it felt like minutes. Your conscious mind was totally embraced in the task at hand, in a liminal space where nothing else mattered. You look up from your desk and think: "Where was I?"