Tips for Getting into a State of Flow

Being mindful is the best psychological setting for fostering creativity, productivity, and happiness. However, it is more than just a theory because the advantages of the flow state have been established in literature, psychology, personal development, and mental health, including this article.

A unique and ideal condition for enhancing creativity, productivity, health, and happiness:

In my experience, the flow state is a tangible process with clear inputs, tangible results. Most importantly, the flow state gives us optimal happiness by keeping us focused on a specific task at a specific time.

Although researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term "flow state" in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, this unique and ideal state has always existed in human history. They have been a part of our evolution, and the wonderful inventions created in the flow state demonstrate the compatibility of physical and mental energy.

In essence, the flow state transforms our awareness into an optimally performing mental and physical performance at a particular moment. The most significant advantages of the flow state are the reduction of stress and the regulation of emotions. To get better results and produce more with less effort, people typically want to enter the flow state and give a strong performance to get the desired outcomes.

The state of flow is ideal for work and study because this state is directly related to our cognitive abilities such as focus, attention, transition from one task to another, memory, and problem-solving. Many professionals, including scientists, doctors, musicians, and athletes use the flow state to achieve better results.

My primary motivation for regularly going into flow, aside from work and school, is to enhance my physical and mental well-being. We can experience flow during daily activities such as eating and exercising in addition to work and study because the state of flow helps us achieve our goals by lowering emotional stress. Our energies flow better and are more evenly distributed when emotional stress is reduced.

In my opinion, intuition and logic work together in flow, and while thinking helps solve problems, some complex problems require intuitive ideas. The factor that distinguishes outstanding inventors and scientists is the effective and deliberate use of intuition that often arises during flow so that we read stories about geniuses like Tesla, Einstein, Madame Curie, and many other historical figures who contributed to the body of knowledge and worked largely in a state of flux.

Based on many years of experience getting into flow and observing people who benefit from it, I have learned that neurochemicals and hormones work in a more balanced way in flow. For example, when I work or study in flow, I get more done with less stress because I replace the stress of work with contentment.

Allow me to share 3 tips from my experience:

1. Live in the moment:

The flow state can be attained through mindfulness practices. The fundamental requirement of mindful living is being present in the moment. Forgetting the past and putting off the future is the quickest way to achieve the flow state. Ironically, when we are in the flow state, our perception of time shifts, which forces us to pay attention. We won't always be happy in every moment, depending on the situation and the particular task at hand.

For example, we may have a certain problem, such as pain or discomfort, so we need to focus on the pain and feel it instead of numbing it, which is critical to healing. Also, if we focus on these actions unconditionally, we can go into flow despite the pain and discomfort; therefore, flow can be healing to us, in addition to bringing joy to our lives. 

However, it is much easier to get into flow when we are in a better mood, in which case we cherish the wonderful sensations that help us get into flow quickly. My point is that we should strive to bring our focus and attention to the present moment, whether we are in a good or a bad mood, as the state of flow can neutralize bad feelings and enhance good ones.

2. Focus on one task with full attention:

For several years I suffered from the negative effects of multitasking. It has been described as a way to boost productivity. However, when I was studying cognitive science in the early 1990s, I learned that multitasking was a myth. I had to learn to focus on one task so deeply that there was nothing else important in that moment; however, moving from one task to the next is natural, and improving this cognitive skill is essential to creativity and productivity.

Multitasking is nothing more than switching tasks too quickly, which leads to detrimental effects on our nervous system by putting pressure on it because the human body is not built to deal with stressful situations. It is possible to make switching between tasks faster gradually just like we strengthen our muscles; however, it requires a lot of time and effort.

When we focus on one task at a particular moment, our neurochemicals respond and flow more efficiently. However, the task chosen must be important and serve our purpose, so I always focus on tasks in order of importance. Our primitive brain tends to focus on easy tasks to conserve energy; therefore, we need to use our cognitive minds because the flow state occurs when we activate the cerebral cortex and turn off the amygdala and the limbic system.

3. Set your tasks based on priority: 

People usually don't enjoy the work assigned to them by others, especially the priorities that a manager or supervisor sets at work. Therefore, I highlight the importance of the task that you choose by yourself to enter the flow state. Of course, we need to get tasks from our manager to continue our work; however, we can fool the brain that we are the ones who choose the task.

For instance, a manager might tell me to solve a problem in order to please a client, but they won't explain how to do it because they don't understand how to solve problems. I quickly formulate a plan in my head after being given a task and rank the subtasks according to importance and urgency. Once I've established my priorities, I feel empowered and stop thinking about my boss.

Additionally, every time I accomplish a small goal, my body releases a small amount of dopamine (the happy hormone), which makes me want to tackle the next challenge. Our to-do lists typically have a lot of items on them, some of which are urgent, some of which are important, some of which are not, and some of which may be both. It is up to us to determine which tasks add the most value to our objectives; thus, rather than working through a to-do list, we make a list of priorities.

In conclusion:

The flow state is ideal for achieving the desired results with minimal time and effort to balance our energies and reduce stress while working or studying. I see the flow state as a tool for creativity and productivity because this state has greatly improved the desired results. The flow state can be achieved by improving our cognitive skills, such as focus, attention and working memory, switching from one task to another, and solving problems.

This means that intentionally activating our cognitive system can tame the primitive and emotional parts of the brain, and after we adapt our minds to this state, it becomes easier to feel happy on a daily basis, even in the midst of a crisis.

The essential aspect of the flow state is finding an appropriate balance between tasks that are too challenging and those that are too easy. If the brain perceives a task as too complex, it reinforces a feeling of anxiety. Likewise, if it perceives a task as too easy, it leads to apathy and boredom.

In addition to creativity and productivity, the flow state can also contribute to our physical and mental health leading to a happy and fulfilling life. Because neurotransmitters and hormones function in a more balanced way in the flow state, the body and brain experience less stress. The quickest way to enter the flow state is by taking a conscientious approach to our tasks.

Refraining from multitasking and concentrating on one task can depend on experiencing the flow state. To get immersed in the task, we can trick our brain into choosing the current task. The secret to improving the flow state is to gradually improve our skills by increasing each challenge by one notch because the brain needs time and adaptation to create new neural pathways that emerge as skills to meet certain challenges, and I hope these simple tips will help you experience flow and make it part of your life.