We all love to be in the flow state. You know – that magical moment when you are so in the groove that the work you’re doing seems almost effortless. You no longer look for interruptions to rescue you from the drudgery of your task – instead, you avoid interruptions like the plague.
The flow state can even make you feel almost superhuman. But it can be so elusive. Why is this? And how can we get in flow state more often?
What is so elusive about flow state?
There are many barriers to entering flow state, and in this world of instant access 24/7 and nonstop social and media offerings, there is much to compete with our attention. In short, it is tough to tune out interruptions.
We also tend to overthink and overanalyze. We aim for perfection rather than just beginning a task. This causes us to lose the natural connection to our minds and our awareness.
The elusiveness of flow also serves a survival purpose. The majority of the time, we need our minds to be MORE cautious, LESS “free flow.” If we lived in a perpetual state of flow, we might not be able to make the right decisions or to tune in when needed.
For example, if you have dinner cooking on the stove, this isn’t the time to find your flow (unless it’s your cooking flow). Flow is best reserved for times when peak performance is required for ONE specific task at a time – and when it’s ok to tune out all other distractions.
What’s the science behind flow state?
I like to understand the science behind human behavior. If this doesn’t interest you, skip down to the section below for tips on how to achieve flow state more often. OK, all my science-y people, let’s go. First, a non-scientific definition I really like from an online webinar I recently attended, paraphrased:
Flow describes those moments of rapt attention and total absorption, an optimal state where we feel and perform our best. Action and awareness merge, time flies, and self vanishes. Creativity, productivity, and performance all go through the roof.
Wow, that’s pretty magical, right?
But what is going on inside our bodies and brains during flow? Here comes the science part. You ready? Simply put, the flow state results from a radical alteration in normal brain function. The slower and energy-expensive system of conscious processing for higher cognitive functions is swapped out for the far faster and more efficient processing of the subconscious system that is responsible for heightened attention and awareness. The technical term for this is transient hypofrontality.
In short, any brain structure that would get in the way of rapid-fire decision-making, such as the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for self-monitoring, is literally deactivated.
Goodbye inner critic, goodbye voices of doubt, goodbye perfectionistic tendencies. Hello liberation, creativity, and productive risk-taking – all essential elements for getting the job done. This, my friends, is flow.
Researchers have also established a link between performance-enhancing neurochemicals in our brains (such as endorphins and serotonin) and the flow state. While research continues on this topic and further discoveries are sure to be made, anyone who has experienced flow can attest to its power and its “magic” – which, in turns out, has a strong scientific base.
How do we achieve flow state more often?
So if flow is such a powerful state, how can we achieve it more often?
Silence and stillness of our minds is the key to achieving flow.
We must learn to eliminate distractions, including social media, external noise, or visual clutter. Much of this comes down to a conscious decision to disengage from what’s going on out there, and to simply begin the task.
If you’re having a hard time getting started, change your surroundings or your physical and mental state. Get out in nature. Stretch. Drink some water. Put on some calming or invigorating music. Put your phone in another room. Then just start and see where your subconscious takes you. More often than not, you’ll find that you have all the resources within you to complete the task at hand.
Achieving flow state becomes more natural once you start filling your mind with what you love or things that inspire you. You’ll find that your efforts become less of a challenge and more second nature. You will also gain confidence from your accumulated experiences in mastering tasks during flow state.
So whatever it takes, find a way to become mindful, and to stay firmly rooted in the here and now. Flow is all about this task, this experience. You can worry about the rest another time.
How can we ensure our work environment encourages flow state?
When COVID hit, many people were thrust into working from home with very little notice. Getting into a state of flow at work can be difficult, and the distractions of a home office can make it seem impossible. However, with some creativity and planning ahead, you can make any environment more conducive to flow. The key is to slow down the conscious processing of thoughts – to get out of your head, and out of your own way, so to speak. How can we do this? Here are just a few suggestions.
Make a deliberate change in your body posture or movement. If you are sitting, stand up and walk around your office. If you can, do some stretching. Consider closing your eyes for a minute and visualizing a peaceful or otherwise motivating scene. The point is to break the heavy focus and/or overthinking cycle, and to free your mind so it can go into auto-pilot.
Change your environment. If possible, take a walk outside, or at least around the building. Move to a different room, preferably one with natural light. Grab your laptop and head to a local café. Move to a small area of the house or office where distractions are less prevalent. Use your creativity to find that place of relative solitude.
Wear headphones. If noise is an issue, wear either noise-canceling headphones or regular headphones with music. I find that soft instrumental music (or silence) helps me focus when I need to write or otherwise engage the brain. More upbeat music with lyrics helps me stay productive when I’m working on a project that requires physical movement, such as when I’m doing housework on the weekends. Experiment with different types of music – or even silence – and find what works best for you. White noise machines are also an excellent resource – just make sure they don’t put you to sleep!
A few other tips – You can also set a timer to focus on your task for a certain amount of time. But if you have a fairly large task to bang out, I suggest you stick with it for at least an hour before rewarding yourself with a break. Once the timer goes off, you may have a tough time getting back into flow state – though it does become easier with practice. You’ll be amazed what you can crank out in one hour in the flow state.
Also, do not hesitate to set your Instant Messaging status to “Do Not Disturb” or to let your coworkers – or family members – know that you are focused on a project and will be available at a certain time later in the day. And on that note, set aside certain times to check e-mails. You generally don’t need to respond to e-mails the moment they arrive in your inbox. They sure can be flow state-busters.
Go with the Flow
Perhaps the most basic but useful tip of all regarding the flow state is to just get started. Resist the urge to edit or to perfect as you go. Just go. Begin. Write a sentence. Organize one shelf of your closet. Write the subject line of the client e-mail. Sketch a very rough design. There will be time for editing and tweaking later on, when your critical prefrontal cortex is engaged again and all too ready to offer its critiques.
For now, go with the flow and see where it leads. I think you’ll be pleased with the results.
Author’s note – using the tips above, I wrote this blog in record time. It may not be perfect, but it’s done.
I live by the motto “better done than perfect!” 🙂 xo
Yes! Done beats perfect every time!
WOW! Super interesting stuff! I had never heard of the state of “transient hypofrontality” and now I’m really intrigued by that concept. I also very much like to know the science behind the facts. I fee like it makes more sense and I can incorporate it better into my life if I understand the “why” behind the “what”. So I’m curious, when you say that there are proven connections between flow state and the performance-enhancing neurochemicals, what is that correlation? Is it that a higher level of flow is associated with an increase in those neurochemicals? I am also intrigued by the fact that in order to achieve a higher flow state, we actually have to “mute” the prefrontal cortex . Makes total sense but at first I would have assumed the opposite. But I suppose if we turn down the logical, critical analytical self, then we can turn up the creative, free-flowing, open state of consciousness that allows us to create in an uninhibited manner. Brilliant! I’m going to apply this concept directly to my clients starting today, thanks for teaching me something new!!!!!
Thanks for your thoughtful reply Julie! So yes, ultimately flow begins in the brain and there are so many systems at work. Steven Kotler describes it really well in The Rise of Superman, and essentially says that there is a “quintet” of star performers that set flow state apart – dopamine, norepinephrine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin. He calls these five chemicals flow’s “mighty cocktail,” but it’s the chain of events working together that leads to flow. He says, “Alone, each packs a punch, together a wallop.” Pretty cool! I’m so glad the info is useful to you!!