Flow state

Have you ever noticed those moments when time seems to pause, when you're so absorbed in what you're doing that the world around you fades away? You feel focused, energised and enjoy what you're doing. This mental state is known as flow, and sometimes referred to as being "in the zone".

Flow state was coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced, chick-sent-me-high), who was curious about why people found certain activities so intrinsically rewarding that they would pursue them despite no external reward. His research aimed to understand the characteristics and conditions that fostered this deep sense of absorption, focus, and enjoyment.

Flow emerges when we're deeply connected to what we're doing. Why does flow matter? High performance in a variety of life areas, such as sport, creative pursuits, and work, is often attributed to entering into a flow state. It might surface while you're tending to your garden, lost in the rhythm of your running steps, writing a book, learning a new skill, or absorbed when painting. There is a total focus on the activity at hand that supports both performance and wellbeing.

This articles covers the conditions that support and undermine entering into flow.

Cultivating flow state

Flow isn't something we can force, but rather a state that emerges when the right conditions are in place.

Appropriate levels of challenge and skill

When we balance the level of challenge with our skill level, we are more likely to enter into flow. When something is too easy we can become bored, and when something is too difficult, we can feel frustrated or anxious.

If the activity gets simpler over time, you can introduce new elements or increase the complexity of a task to support flow. Rather than trying to force flow, consider how you might create the conditions where it naturally emerges.

Notice how different activities in your life might create a flow state. Perhaps it's in the quiet focus of reading, the rhythm of playing music, or the creative flow of working on a meaningful project.

Remove distractions

Entering into a flow state requires us to be totally immersed in what we are doing, and this means removing distractions from our environment. Loud noises or notifications from digital devices can interrupt flow state. Even when notifications are silenced, knowing your phone is within reach creates a low-level pull on your attention. Part of your mind remains aware of the device. This divided attention can undermine the total immersion that flow state requires.

Can you take steps to create a distraction-free environment to foster flow? Consider placing your phone in another room, not just turning it face down. 

Self-consciousness

Letting go of self-consciousness is one key factor that supports a flow state. Self-consciousness can mean that we constantly monitor whether we're "good enough" rather than simply engaging with the task. Consider the tennis player who becomes self-conscious about their backhand serve, and allows unhelpful thoughts to enter into consciousness and therefore loses focus. Instead, consider an athlete who enters flow and effortlessly focuses on the feel of their muscles, the trajectory of the ball, and the sensation of movement.

The impact goes deeper than individual interruptions. Regular device checking reinforces a relationship with discomfort where we immediately seek relief through distraction rather than staying present with challenging moments. Flow often emerges right at the edge of our comfort zone, in that space where we're fully engaged but not overwhelmed. If we've trained ourselves to avoid that feeling, we don't stay present long enough for flow to develop.

Building a mindset that supports flow

When we embrace the idea that skills develop through practice and effort, we free ourselves from the pressure of needing to be perfect. Each moment becomes an opportunity to learn a new skill and grow from feedback rather than a test to pass or fail.

This perspective has a focus on the process rather than the outcome, and instead of asking "am I doing this well enough?" you may start noticing "what am I learning?"

When you focus on effort, mistakes transform from threats into feedback and learning opportunities. That tennis player with the struggling backhand can shift from thinking "I'm not good at this" to "I'm developing this skill". 

Reduce self-consciousness through process focus

Feeling like people's eyes are on us can prevent entering into a flow state. If this happens, try adjusting how you view the goal of the task. For example, let's say you're playing sport- rather than focusing on how others might view you and the goal being to perform well, shift perspective and focus on the process instead. For instance, you might shift your attention to a sensation, or to physical skill or technique you've been practising. Allow yourself to enjoy the experience and get lost in the moment.

This process focus connects directly to an effort-based mindset. When you're absorbed in the technique you're practising or the sensation of movement, you're not evaluating your ability. You're simply engaging with the experience itself. This is where flow lives- not in judgment of outcomes, but in full presence with the unfolding moment.

Take care of yourself

Our physical and mental state can impact our ability to enter flow. If you're stressed, hungry or tired, our capacity for deep concentration diminishes. Taking care of yourself and sleeping, eating, moving and managing stress levels supports a flow state.

Finding your way back

Flow is always available to us, but we've developed habits that make it harder to access. By understanding how self-interruption works- whether it comes from a lack of challenge, self-consciousness, fixed mindset thinking, or digital distraction- we can begin to create the conditions where flow naturally emerges. 

Cultivating flow matters because it connects us to what makes us feel most alive. In flow, we're not just performing better- we're experiencing a deeper sense of meaning and satisfaction. Flow reminds us what it feels like to be fully present, to lose ourselves in something that matters to us. It's in flow that we often do our most creative work, find the greatest joy, and feel most authentically ourselves. When we create space for flow in our lives, we're not just improving our performance, but a deeper engagement with life.

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