If you feel like you haven’t been doing your best at work, in school, or just being disciplined in general, it’s probably because you don’t know how to create a flow state. We have all been in a spot where we feel exhausted with the amount of procrastination and time wasting we did throughout the day. But it is possible to minimize the series of events that lead to that exhaustion. In this article I want to go deeper into how you can create a flow state so you create the highest quality of life possible. 

What Is a Flow State?

“Flow state” refers to a state where you are completely immersed in a task and you completely forget about time or your sense of self. Whenever people say they were in the zone, locked in, or in the groove, they were experiencing a flow state. You become so absorbed in the joy of your work that nothing else seems to matter. 

“Flow state” was a term created by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi when he was doing research on optimal experiences. He got inspired to research optimal states after he witnessed artists get lost in their work. He discovered that people feel a deep satisfaction with tasks, especially creative ones, when they are in a state of flow. They felt strong, effortlessly in control, and like they were performing at the best of their abilities. 

The Science Behind Flow State

Neuroplasticity and Brain Structure

FMRI neuroimages showed that people who reported they experienced flow states had the cognitive flexibility to tap into an ‘energy-efficient mode’. This optimizes the brain’s functioning power while strengthening neural networks and then censoring others. 

Transient Hypofrontality

Transient hypofrontality is a state where the prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning and decision-making, temporarily reduces its activity. This is associated with the experience of intense focus, less self-awareness, and losing track of time, which are all essential for a flow state. The reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex lets us engage deeply with the tasks we do. Transient hypofrontality is correlated with many different activities, such as creative work, sports, and meditation, where the brain abandons regions that have to do with complex mental processes. 

Brainwave Patterns

In a flow state our brainwaves go from a fast-paced beta wave state to a far slower state in between the alpha and theta wave states. An alpha wave state is associated with improved creativity and focus. Meanwhile, a theta wave state is associated with light sleep, meditation, and deep relaxation. This shift from a beta wave to a state in between an alpha and theta wave state results in more creativity, better problem-solving skills, and higher engagement with the task. All essential factors for cultivating a flow state. 

Dopamine and Reward Systems:

In many studies it was found that areas related to the brain’s dopamine reward system are more active during a flow state. When our reward system is active, we tend to feel more optimistic, hopeful, and positive, energized, and motivated. Not only that, but the dopamine released from our reward system reduces feelings of fatigue or discomfort. Tasks that activate your reward system will fuel actions needed for that activity, which is accompanied by strong task engagement and internal motivation. When you’re in a flow state and your dopamine levels surge, it signals the brain’s reward system, creating a feedback loop that associates positive feelings with flow states. 

Norepinephrine System (LC-NE):

The norepinephrine system in our brain helps regulate decisions about task engagement vs. task disengagement. In order for this system to regulate task engagement properly, you must take on tasks that match your skill level; otherwise, the difficulty would result in burnout. For an optimal flow state, match your expertise and skill level with whatever task you take on. This plays a big role in fostering a flow state. 

How Does a Flow State Benefit You?

Enhanced Productivity

This one speaks for itself; obviously if you’re in a state of intense concentration on a task, you’ll be more productive. In fact, in a 10-year longitudinal study done by Cranston and Keller, it showed that executives in a flow state were 500% more productive than those who weren’t. It’s like you have tunnel vision; you are focused on the task in front of you, and you don’t even think about distractions or problems, which pays off when it comes to your productivity and work quality. 

Increased Creativity

Creativity is important. It plays a big role in problem solving and the work we need to get done. Research from the Flow Genome Project concluded that people from various work fields reported being 700% more creative while they were in a flow state. In another study done in Australia, 40 subjects were given a strenuous brain teaser that required lots of creativity to be solved. At first no one could solve it, but then with an artificial inducement, 25 participants solved it in a record amount of time. 

Improved Learning and Performance:

When you can learn or perform easier and more efficiently, a flow state cultivates naturally. Research done by Advanced Brain Monitoring and DARPA found a 490% increase in people’s skill acquisition rate when flow states were created through neurofeedback.

A systematic meta-analysis found a strong link between learning flow and academic achievement. When students are in a flow state, they have intrinsic motivation and feelings of control, and they maintain concentration, which immerses them in learning and, as a result, positively impacts academic achievement. 

Well-being and Job Satisfaction:

This may be hard to believe, but research has found that flow states occur more at work than during periods of leisure. Flow experience is something that forms internal motivation, which is positively associated with things like job satisfaction. The flow state has been identified as a desirable state that maximizes employee happiness and work quality. When people use their strengths and do what they naturally do best, they tend to be self-motivated, excited, and energized. If you’re someone who wants to do their best at work, a flow state helps you optimize your performance. 

How to Cultivate a Flow State:

Balance Challenge With Skill

When you match the challenge of a task with your skill level, a flow state is inevitable. It’s important to not make your tasks too easy; otherwise, you will be bored. If your task is too difficult, you may be intimidated.

Your skills and knowledge should be stretched just enough so that you stay interested and not so much that you feel overwhelmed or discouraged. For example, if you’ve been playing the piano for a year, you might not want to jump into an unmodified Mozart piece. You will probably end up feeling anxious. 

In 1987 Massimini, Csíkszentmihályi, and Carli published the eight-channel model of flow. It shows a matrix with 8 different states, each presenting different levels of challenge and skill. The model helps you visualize the optimal point flow, where the challenge matches someone’s skill level. The graph indicates that flow is more likely to occur when an activity has a higher than average challenge and the individual has higher than average skill. 

Clear Goals and Immediate Feedback

When you have clear goals, you know exactly why and what you are working towards. On the other hand, when you get instant feedback, you see exactly how well you are doing. As a result, you get a sense of control by understanding what needs to get done and how well you are performing. As you receive immediate feedback from the work you do, you get a feedback loop, which helps to keep you motivated and engaged. Immediate feedback reduces since your brain does not have to wonder how you are improving. 

Be Intensely Concentrated and Focused

Being intensely focused and concentrated is essential for cultivating a flow state because your attentional resources should have no space to be misallocated. When you give your undivided attention to a task you are particularly passionate about and totally immersed in, you will often find yourself subconsciously creating the conditions needed for a flow state. 

The brain’s central executive network (CEN) plays a pertinent part in this flow state-related focus. Our CEN is a collection of brain areas that support high-order thinking, namely attention, memory, and self-consciousness. STF, from Posner’s (1987) tripartite attentional model, shows that a flow state develops from the synchronization of focused attention networks. 

Improve Your Skills and Expertise

Flow is more likely to be experienced by people who have developed a considerable amount of skill at the activity they want to pursue. As you continually do a task, you build expertise, and in order to keep cultivating a flow state, you need to keep improving. Engaging in enjoyable tasks that induce a flow state speeds up learning and achievement. 

A study done on creative flow as optimized processing showed that extensive experience and the ability to let go create a flow state. Musicians that had lots of experience and expertise experienced more flow; in contrast, musicians who had less expertise showed flow-related instrumental playing. There is a quote from the jazz legend Charlie Parker that aligns perfectly with what I’m trying to say: “You’ve got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then … when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.” 

Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness improves your awareness and focus. When you are mindful, you are fully present, and all distractions and worries are just thoughts that flow through your mind. This is very helpful for training your mind to stay in a flow state with whatever activity you take on. Mindfulness and flow states are similar; during both states of consciousness, you experience feelings of freedom, physical and mental relaxation, and a loss of self-awareness. 

Based on 17 studies involving 10,012 individuals, greater mindfulness was associated with higher levels of flow. Consistent mindfulness practices help athletes achieve their optimal levels of athletic performance by decreasing anxiety levels and ruminative thinking while enhancing the experience of flow. 

Have a Growth Mindset

Adopting a growth mindset that views challenges and setbacks as opportunities to improve and learn allows you to leave your comfort zone, expand your knowledge, and develop expertise, which creates opportunity for more frequent flow experiences. A growth mindset is not just good for resting in a flow state, but also just in general. Those with a growth mindset are more likely to do well in times of adversity and improve themselves, whereas those with a fixed mindset stay away from challenges and never reach their full potential. 

Teachers with a growth mindset experience higher levels of flow and feel less burnout. A researcher (Abuhamdeh, 2000) found that people with an intrinsically motivating quality have a preference for tasks that help them grow. It is in situations that are challenging and require lots of skill that people are more likely to experience flow. 

Tips to Maintain a Flow State in Daily Life

A flow state is a great tool to keep yourself focused and in the moment. But in our daily lives we often get caught up in things that don’t directly contribute to flow state. A lot of the time we engage with things that drive us farther from a flow state. So here are some simple ways to maintain a flow state in your day-to-day life:

• Eliminate distractions
• Establish routines and schedules 
• Practice time blocking
• Take strategic breaks
• Pick tasks you actually enjoy
• No one thing at a time
• Make your environment comfortable
• Take micro-breaks
• Don’t be a perfectionist
• Notice what naturally puts you in flow
• Stay present

A flow state is an exceptional tool for enhancing your productivity and discipline. As I mentioned above, a flow state is really beneficial when it comes to your creativity, productivity, well-being, performance, and much more.

It is important to eliminate distractions and create a welcoming environment so you feel like your external environment is optimized for cultivating a flow state. A flow state doesn’t have to just be exclusively for work or school; it can be used during regular everyday activities. It’s sort of like mindfulness and just staying present. They all go hand in hand. 

I hope that you guys found something valuable in this article. I want my readers to feel like they are living intentionally, and I believe a flow state could help you use your time wisely. Please check out my other articles and subscribe to my newsletter!