1: Perhaps we’ve been there.
A “peak experience.” Sometimes called “Being in the Zone” or a “Runner’s High.” That feeling of “being unconscious.”
The scientists call it “flow,” or being in a “flow state.”
It’s the mental state when we are fully immersed. Energetically focused. Total concentration. Complete absorption. Time seems to melt away.
Being in flow is one of the secrets to peak performance. So, if we want to elevate our game, we must understand how to access flow.
2: Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi pioneered research on the flow state in the 1970s. Fifty years later, we know a great deal about flow and what causes it. In fact, scientists have now identified twenty-two “flow triggers.”
“There are probably more, Steven Kotler writes in The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer, “but this is as far as the research has taken us.”
What do these flow triggers do? They drive our attention into the present moment. Because flow follows focus.
“These triggers are our toolbox,” Steven writes. “If we want more flow in our lives, then build our life upon these triggers.”
3: Today, we will look at “Internal Flow Triggers.”
Starting with autonomy.
“When in pursuit of a high-flow lifestyle, this is one of the better places to start,” Steven notes. “When we’re in charge of both our mind (freedom of thought) and our destiny (freedom of choice), our whole being gets involved.”
How much autonomy is required to trigger flow?
“Devoting 15 to 20 percent of your time is more than enough,” Steven notes. “The minimum requirements are the autonomy needed to do four things: get enough sleep at night; get regular exercise; be able to work during periods of maximum alertness; and be able to chase flow when desired.”
Flow trigger #2? Curiosity-Passion-Purpose.
“A triad of intrinsic motivators that help provide focus for free,” writes Steven. “When all three motivators are perfectly stacked–especially once purpose is included–their power increases considerably. . . [Because] purpose shifts our lens, putting attention outside ourselves, on the task at hand. Once we’re focused on something outside ourselves, it’s a lot easier to get out of the our heads and into the zone.”
Flow Trigger #3 is complete concentration.
Flow “only shows up when all of our attention is locked on the present moment, firmly targeted at the task at hand. . . This means no distractions. No multitasking. Email and cell phones off, streaming video is not streaming, and social media is walled away.”
How much focused time do we need?
“The research shows that 90 to 120 minutes of uninterrupted concentration is the ideal time period to maximize focus and, by extension, flow,” Steven observes. “And if the task at hand requires significant creativity, then Tim Ferris’s suggests ‘four hour blocks’ are often necessary.”
Which requires us to inform our environment.
We must “tell our bosses, coworkers, spouses, and children exactly what we’re doing and why,” Steven advises. “Once the increases in performance and productivity that flow produces start showing up on a regular basis, we’ll get far more done in far less time and have more of ourselves to give to our bosses, coworkers, spouses, and children.”
More tomorrow!
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Reflection: How often am I in a “flow state”? Which of the internal triggers detailed above will I use to get into flow?
Action: Plan out my day to activate the flow triggers above.
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