How To Achieve A Flow State of Mind & Why It’s Important

When I first read about achieving a flow state of mind I was very intrigued. I found out about flow state on a psychology blog (for which the name escapes me) and I began doing more research. The idea of flow state interested me because it perfectly described how I felt when I was writing or drawing. I always knew that there was something special about the satisfaction I got from doing these things and so to finally give that feeling a name was a revelation.

The term flow state was first coined by the phycologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a really interesting Hungarian-American. He’s pioneered a lot of the scientific work surrounding happiness and what makes a life worth living. The reason why I enjoy what Mihaly has to say is that a lot of what he talks about resonates with the way I feel. He believes that happiness comes from doing things we find meaningful that stretch our ability just enough that we find them challenging. He doesn’t think that happiness comes from relaxing or from moments that are passive.

For example, even if we joke that lazing around on a beach for weeks on end would be great, it would get boring after a while and seem meaningless whereas engaging in a task we find rewarding would keep us focused and satisfied.

What is a flow state of mind?

So, what exactly is a flow state of mind? A flow state of mind is achieved when we do a task that we enjoy which is just outside our comfort zone enough that we find it challenging enough to see it through to the end. It cannot be too difficult or unappealing that we lose interest easily. You might also describe a flow state of mind as being ‘in the zone’. Whatever we’re doing, it has to be meaningful to us personally.

We’ve all had that feeling before where we’re doing a job or a sport and you find that time evaporates and your sole focus is on the task at hand. There’s nothing to worry about, be scared of or upset about. Only the task you’re doing at that moment exists and it’s a beautiful feeling. You’ve heard people saying “time just went really fast because you were enjoying yourself!” Of course, time itself is constant but this is the sensation that a flow state of mind gives you. One minute you’re starting to do something and before you know if an hour has passed.

The reason that it can sometimes feel like time has moved faster is because you find yourself fully engaged in the task at hand. You might get this feeling from doing anything that you enjoy doing. It could be beating a running time, gardening, drawing, writing, cooking etc. You can even achieve a flow state of mind from doing activities that are brand new when you don’t even know how good you’ll be at them.

Flow state of mind example

I remember when I was a child and we went to Holland and spent a week at a Center Parks. One of the activities was archery. I’ll never forget it because it was the first time I had picked up a bow. On one particular day, there was a competition and I thought it would be fun to give it a shot. I remember the feeling of taking my turn to fire my arrows at the board and holding my breathe as time faded away. Little did I know but I was pretty good at it. My natural ability lined up with what seemed like a fun challenge and everything clicked into place.

I ended up winning that competition and I couldn’t quite believe it. It was a brand new sport for me but I had entered a flow state where the thought of wanting to be the best and my ability with the bow came together and it was very satisfying feeling whilst at the same time it didn’t feel as if I’d tried too hard.

Another example of flow is when I’m writing. Writing has been a passion of mind for years now and when I’m ‘in the zone’ I completely lose track of time.

Why is flow state of mind important?

I believe flow state of mind is one of the most important things to strive for on a consistent basis. The concept of flow is very much the same as this blog; having projects and doing the things that keep you engaged enough to keep you moving forward. I find that an idle mind is an anxious one and potentially a depressed one at times. If you’re what they call a ‘thinker’, you’ll know that having too much time on your hands can be a bad thing. Like a bicep muscle, you need progressive overload to grow and in the same way, your mind has to be stimulated and engaged to be sharp and kick away negative thoughts.

A flow state of mind gives you the ability to focus on one task at a time which is vital in a world that is pulling your attention in different directions. It’s easy to find yourself switching the TV over constantly to find a better show to watch whilst at the same time opening Facebook on your phone mindlessly. These are things I’m guilty of and when I’m doing them, I don’t even know why I am. I suspect it’s because I’m trying to replace something meaningful to do with mindless activities that never actually scratch the itch.

Achieving a flow state of mind comes down to doing meaningful things that give you a buzz. However, it’s important that they’re challenging enough to keep you engaged.

How to achieve flow state of mind

Most of our time is spent (unless you love your work) doing boring tasks that need doing over and over again. It’s going to be pretty hard to achieve a flow state of mind doing something that you can’t bring yourself to do. Where flow makes time seem faster, boring jobs make time drag.

Before we go into how to achieve a flow state of mind, it’s important to note that most of the time you’ll achieve a flow state of mind without meaning to. When you’re in a flow state of mind you’re so engaged that you’re not conscious that you’re in a flow state of mind. However, there are certain things that can help you achieve a flow state of mind;

Step 1: know what to do

The first thing you’ll need to achieve flow is to know what to do. You have to pick a task to complete. There also has to be clear parameters around that task. Every task or sport has a certain set of rules that need to be followed to achieve success. If you don’t know the bounds of the task at hand then you may find it too difficult or get frustrated with it and give up.

For example, if you played a video game that didn’t give you any indication of where to it gave you random tips to survive which didn’t make sense then you’d probably throw it in the bin. There’s no fun in having to guess what to do so the task you take on has to have a clear path to completion.

Step 2: have a clear objective

If that same video game doesn’t give you any objectives then you’ll be running around in circles and likely be getting very angry. You must have a clear objective when you’re trying to achieve flow state of mind. For example, when I was shooting arrows in my competition, the objective was clear; get as many arrows near the centre of the board as possible.

If you’re gardening, for example, you might have the objective that day to dig up a bush. This is a very clear end point for you to work towards. By the end of the day, you know you want that part of your garden to be flat and the bush chucked away.

Step 3: make it a challenge

To achieve a flow state of mind you have to make sure that what you’re doing is challenging enough that it gives you a bit of excitement. At the same time, you don’t want it to be too challenging that you end up giving up through sheer frustration. What you do to achieve flow should be just out side of your ability level so that you have something to work towards. If it’s too easy then you’ll find it too boring because you know you could easily do it anyway. So, there has to be a sense the challenge is realistic and achievable.

For example, you might play a game of chess with someone who is slightly better than you. You know that they are only just better at playing chess than you so there’s every chance you could beat them. Because of this, it makes playing them more appealing because you know that beating them will put you on their level and you know you’ll progress. You’ll likely be more engaged and achieve a flow state than if you were playing a beginner chess player that you could easily wipe the floor with.

Step 4: kill distractions

The whole point of reaching a flow state of mind is to relieve yourself of distractions. For example, it’s going to be impossible to reach a flow state of mind if you have your phone pinging every five seconds or the TV on loud in the background. For me, the biggest hurdle to reaching a flow state of mind is procrastination. If I have my phone next to me when I’m writing, I find it hard to not check it every few minutes. If I do have it next to me I end up checking the apps on my phone for no reason at all. I then start to wonder if I should finish my writing later on, instead of right then and there.

Distractions are a killer and unfortunately, there’s so many of them these days. However, hopefully, the task you do is something that pulls your attention more than the distractions around you. When I’m trying to get into a flow of writing, I try and put my phone in another room or at least on the other side of the room. At the same time, I’ll turn the TV off or I’ll put on some calm music to anchor my focus. Sometimes I find it useful to write along to the beat of a song.

Step 5: enjoy yourself

I call flow state the antidote to anxiety because it’s when I feel the least anxious. Whilst I’m idle I get anxious because I feel like I could be doing something. I then start to spiral downwards with my thoughts of what I could be doing and I get agitated. I’ve always felt my best when I’ve been fully engaged in what I’m doing. I don’t put this down to just being distracted although that’s part of it. I put it down more to exercising my mind. For years I’ve found the benefits of having creative projects and it’s the reason why I started this blog.

To achieve a flow state of mind, you have to be enjoying yourself and feel good about the journey. The times when I feel the best are when I’m going through the process of a project. For example, a couple of years ago, some friends and I entered a charity boat race. We had no idea how to build a raft but we had a lot of fun reading up and eventually building one. Whilst crossing the finish line felt like an big achievement, it was the whole process that gave me the biggest sense of satisfaction.

Reaching a flow state of mind: conclusion

Reaching a flow state of mind will usually happen without you trying but you can use the above tips to induce it more easily. I believe that engaging in meaningful and challenging tasks is more satisfying than relaxing or taking a nap. Having a creative project exercises the mind and gives you a sense of forward momentum. Engaging in tasks you enjoy and that challenge you at the same time is the antidote to anxiety, in my opinion.

Do you have any opinions on reaching a flow state of mind? Leave it in the comments!