Have you ever had the experience that when you are doing something you like, you will be completely immersed in it, forgetting time, hunger, fatigue, or even your own existence? This special mental state is called ‘flow’ by psychologists. It can make you more efficient and creative, while also making you feel happy and satisfied. So, how can you get into flow more easily? This article will introduce you to the concept, conditions and methods of flow, helping you to make work as fun as a game, so that you will become less tired while doing it.
What is flow?
The term flow was first proposed by Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975. When he studied creative people, he found that they had a sense of refreshment while working. In a happy state, they will completely focus on the task at hand, without interference from the outside world, and feel that their skills and challenges have reached a perfect balance, thus generating a kind of spontaneous motivation and fun.
What are the benefits of flow state?
Flow is a positive psychological experience that can bring the following benefits:
- Improve work efficiency and quality because you will be fully focused on completing tasks and not wasting time and energy on irrelevant things.
- Enhance creativity and innovation as you explore new possibilities and discover new solutions in a flow state, without being restricted by existing thinking patterns.
- Increased happiness and satisfaction because you will feel self-actualization, self-worth, self-affirmation, as well as passion and enjoyment for your work in a flow state.
- Reduce stress and anxiety because you will forget about your problems in a flow state, won’t worry about failure or being judged, and just focus on the experience and achievement of the moment.
How to enter flow?
To enter flow, you need to meet the following five conditions:
- You have to love what you do so that you have the interest and motivation to engage in it rather than being forced or bored.
- You must have certain skills and the ability to take control of what you do, so that you can have the confidence and self-confidence to face challenges instead of feeling incompetent or afraid.
- You need to have a moderate challenge that makes you feel stressed but not too much. The difficulty is probably slightly more than 10% of your current ability. This way you will have room for motivation and growth instead of feeling relaxed or frustrated.
- You must have clear goals and know what you want to do, why you want to do it, how to do it, and to what extent you will achieve it, so that you will have a sense of direction and progress instead of feeling confused or aimless.
- You should have timely feedback and rewards to let you know how you are doing, where you are doing well, where you need to improve, and what rewards you have received, so that you will have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction instead of feeling Boredom or emptiness.
Activities that may lead to flow:
- Chess activities: Chess activities are an activity that requires a high degree of intelligence and strategy. It allows people to focus on thinking about each move and the opponent’s reaction. It has clear goals and immediate feedback, and also has certain challenges. Sex and a sense of control. When people are immersed in a chess game, they tend to forget time and external interference and only focus on the game between themselves and their opponents. This is the experience of flow.
- Confrontation competition: Confrontation competition is an activity that requires a high degree of skill and collaboration. It allows people to focus on competing with opponents and cooperating with teammates. It has a clear outcome and timely evaluation, and also has certain risks and excitement. . When people are involved in competitive competition, they often forget about themselves and difficulties and only focus on the process and results of the game. This is also the experience of flow.
- Dance: Dance is an activity that requires a high degree of physical and emotional activity. It allows people to focus on the expression of movements and the rhythm of music. It involves the pursuit of beauty and artistic creation, and also has a certain degree of difficulty and fun. When people are immersed in dance, they tend to forget fatigue and stress and only focus on the interaction between themselves and the stage. This is also an experience of flow.
- Rock climbing: Rock climbing is an activity that requires a high degree of courage and endurance. It allows people to focus on every detail and every attempt. They have the instinct to survive and the desire to explore, as well as a certain degree of danger and a sense of achievement. When people challenge their own limits, they tend to forget their fears and failures and only focus on their confrontation with the rock wall. This is also the experience of flow.
- Programming: Programming is an activity that requires a high degree of logic and innovation. It allows people to focus on writing code and solving problems, realizing functions and improving efficiency, as well as a certain degree of complexity and flexibility. When people write perfect programs, they tend to forget their worries and boredom and only focus on the communication between themselves and the computer. This is also the experience of flow.
- Painting: Painting is an activity that requires a high degree of observation and imagination. It allows people to focus on the conception of pictures and the use of colors, the presentation of images and the conveyance of emotions, as well as certain skills and personality. When people paint their own state of mind, they tend to forget the distractions and constraints and only focus on the communication between themselves and the canvas. This is also the experience of flow.
- Game: Game is an activity that requires a high degree of participation and enjoyment. It allows people to focus on the rules and goals of the game, has challenge settings and reward designs, and also has a certain amount of fun and interaction. When people have fun, they tend to forget reality and dilemmas and focus only on themselves and the fun of the game, which is also the experience of flow.
- Carry out any kind of activity seriously and attentively: In fact, any kind of activity may bring about the experience of flow, as long as it can meet the conditions for flow, that is: the activity has clear goals and immediate feedback, and the activity is The difficulty matches the individual’s ability. Activities can make people focus and have a sense of control. Activities can make people forget about themselves and time. When people perform any kind of activity seriously and focused, they often forget about other things and only focus on themselves and the state of the activity. This is also the experience of flow.
If you are interested, you can try these activities, or find an activity that suits you and see if you can experience the feeling of flow.
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