By Lizzie Card
Picture this: It’s 1992. You are sitting between your dad who is leaning forward, his head propped up on his fists, and a fellow fan whose Coke spills a little on your shoes every time he jumps up to scream “Jordan!”
You have been looking forward to the first game of the NBA Championship Series for months. The Portland Trailblazers are just ahead of the Chicago Bulls. Phil Jackson suddenly calls a timeout. The team huddles closely while the thousands of onlookers hold their breath. One man turns to leave the huddle.
Michael Jordan.
The game starts back up, but something is different. He is different. Before your eyes, number 23, hits one three pointer. Two three pointers. Three three pointers.
You can’t breathe. You check if your dad is still breathing.
Six. He just made six threes.
The cameras close up on the legendary sports start as he gently trots back down the court and shrugs, seemingly surprised at his own ability.
He would describe this historic moment as being “in the zone.”
What is Flow?
Have you ever lost your sense of self while doing something you love? Maybe you were playing your favorite concerto on your grandmother’s baby grand. Or maybe riding through the barrel of a wave at your favorite beach. Or maybe you were in the middle of writing on a topic you were passionate about, the words seeming to tumble gracefully but quickly onto the paper.
This state, often referred to as being “in the zone,” has cultivated not only history's greatest sports moments, as athletes are able to tune out the crowd, the intensity, and even their own thoughts and play better than ever; this human experience has also transfixed artists, composers, scientists, and engineers across continents and through decades as well. Because of its power, flow has captured the attention of psychological researchers. Flow is characterized by a merging of attention, action, and awareness. Paradoxically, people who have experienced flow describe it as a moment when time stands still but also flies by. It is seemingly effortless despite the fact that one is facing an extreme difficulty. Intensity and relaxation. A feeling that you have lost your sense of self, while simultaneously feeling extremely present. High skill and high challenge. This is flow.
Why Flow?
When Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi sought to better understand artists who were so lost in their work that they would completely lose track of time and even ignore basic needs such as food, sleep, and human connection, he could not have fully understood the future psychological and physiological benefits that Flow Theory would have on the world. This “optimal experience” of complete engagement and hyper focus can be extremely meaningful and motivational. It also has the potential to benefit people’s psyche, mental health, and performance.
Psychological Benefits
Stress reduction
Mood improvement
Greater coping abilities
Increased meaning
Increased self-efficacy
Increased general well-being
Increased intrinsic motivation
Increased prosocial behavior
Increased social interaction
Performance Benefits
Increased creativity
Increased task performance
Increased focus
Increased adaptability
Increased workplace achievement
How do I Flow?
“It is how we choose what we do, and how we approach it, that will determine whether the sum of our days adds up to a formless blur, or to something resembling a work of art.”
Unfortunately, because of the way flow is talked about, some believe that it is reserved for the Michael Jordans of the world. This is not true. Flow is for everyone. If you are willing to put in the effort, you can increase the amount of flow experiences you have.
Here is what you will need:
Clear goals
Immediate feedback
High skill
High challenge
And here are some of many tips to help you increase your flow potential:
Preparation is key. Preparation will help you to achieve flow by increasing your self-confidence and reducing self doubt. This might take time, but it’s worth it. Prime your mind. In his book on flow, Csikszentmihalyi explains that self-consciousness can get in the way of flow as it distracts from the activity. By developing a habit of positive self talk, you will be able be encouraging to yourself instead of harsh. Start by noticing the things you think and say about yourself during the day. Start with small corrections.
Two words: short goals. Focusing on short term rather than long-term goals can increase rates of gratification and help you enter into flow quicker as you will be working towards rapid achievement.
Variety is important. You can’t force yourself into flow every second of every day. Too much good is bad. You need to diversify challenge levels so that depending on the day, you can adjust accordingly.
Give yourself time. You need time to complete the activity. You cannot be rushing through it if you want to get “in the zone” because you will be too worried about your schedule to be able to achieve the high levels of focus that flow requires. When you have more time to complete a task overall, you can spend more time on the parts of the task that are difficult rather than feeling stressed about completion. By doing this, you will also reduce the pressure to succeed and more easily relax into the present moment.
It’s not about success. There are hundreds of testimonials as well as empirical evidence for why a results focus rather than a growth focus can hinder flow experiences. Athletes do better when they focus on playing rather than winning. If you are trying to have a flow experience, do your best to maintain a focus on your activity and not the outcomes of your activity.
For more information on flow and the resources used for this blog post, please visit our Flow Module here.
