Shawnee Love   •  
November 25, 2011

Athletes go on a tear, Coders put on the headphones and don’t come up for air till the project is done, Gamers emerge from their basement shocked to see the sun so high in the sky.  Even small children get into the groove when they are colouring or building lego and there is just no stopping them.

The fact that flow exists all around us and almost everyone I know has experienced flow is amazing. It feels like a taste of the fountain of youth and once you have tasted it you are constantly trying to get back to that place. Perhaps that is why the fact that scientists are recognizing and studying flow is so exciting. Finally, a way to describe what is really happening, and following that, perhaps science will identify a surefire way to get into flow.

Interestingly, many things we do are all about crushing flow- time clocks, schedules, agendas, meetings, start times and end times. Perhaps that is why people addicted to flow can usually be found “in flow” after everyone else has gone home.

For me, I know when I am in flow, because I tune out the world, and when I finally finish or run out of steam, even though tired, I feel a rush of satisfaction.

How about you?  How do you experience flow?

If you want to learn more about Flow, check out Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book called “Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience“. I can’t vouch for it because I haven’t read it yet. I learned about his research from Drive by Dan Pink where although Mihaly’s research was meant to be a supporting cast member, for me it kind of stole the show.  I’d be interested to hear what you think.