The Magic of Flow

If you have heard elite sports people being interviewed, you may have heard them describe a “flow state”. However, flow can also occur in other places, not just sport. Flow can happen when you in the garden, painting or talking to a friend on the phone.

So, What is Flow?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines flow as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, p.4).

The Point at Which You Hit the State of Flow

In his book, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi uses the following diagram to illustrate the “flow state” or what some call “the sweet spot”. As you can see, to be in a state of flow a person needs to have a high challenge and a high skill level. The horizontal axis measures how challenging the activity is, and the vertical axis measures the individual’s level of skill at that particular task.

As you can see in the diagram above – there is an interplay between how challenging an activity is and the skill level of an activity and how that can make you feel. They include –

• Apathy (low challenge, low skills),
• Boredom (low challenge, medium skills),
• Relaxation (low challenge, high skills),
• Being in control (medium challenge, high skills),
• Worry (medium challenge, low skills),
• Anxiety (high challenge, low skills),
• Arousal (high challenge, medium skills),
• The “flow state” (high challenge and high skills).

How Does it Feel to Be in Flow?

Although flow is an individual thing, there are some common elements that are people describe when they are in flow. They include –

1. Completely involved in what you are doing – focused, concentrated,
2. A sense of ecstasy – of being outside everyday reality,
3. Greater inner clarity – knowing what needs to be done and how well we are doing,
4. Knowing that the activity is doable – that our skills are adequate to the task,
5. A sense of serenity – no worries about oneself and a feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of the ego,
6. Timelessness – thoroughly focused on the present, hours seem to pass by in minutes, and
7. Intrinsic motivation – whatever produces flow becomes its own reward.

What Takes You Out of Flow?

There are many situations and experiences that can take you out of flow. Situations and experiences from fear to guilt, procrastination to overwhelm and shame and self-doubt. The common theme underneath each of these aspects is letting outside circumstances dictate feelings, thoughts and behaviours (which are all interwoven).

Yes, sometimes life can feel like an emotional roller-coaster ride. However, this does not mean we are at the mercy of these emotions and have no control over situations or how we respond. Every time we make a decision, choice or take action, we can be alined or mis-aligned. Some people are aware and aligned with their choices and some are mis-aligned and can feel a sense of disconnection.

Another way of looking at this is –

Between stimulus and response, we have the freedom to choose:

Sometimes (because of past experiences in people’s lives), they may not realise there is a choice. This is why it is important to develop self-awareness and presence. Those with a growth mindset may realise there is a choice more than those wuth a fixed mindset. As leaders develop awareness, little by little, they can start to come off auto-pilot, realise there are choices and start to create a new way of being and experience the magic of flow.