The theory of ‘flow’ is a psychological concept proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975. It describes a psychological state of complete focus and immersion in one’s activities, during which people experience a profound sense of pleasure.

People in a state of flow exhibit the following characteristics:

• Complete mental concentration:

Everything around them seems to be blocked out by some force; their mind is exceptionally calm, and their attention is fully focused. Many athletes and artists report having experienced this state, during which their sporting or artistic performance is significantly enhanced.

• Focus on the task at hand:

Due to this intense concentration, people focus solely on the present task; thoughts of the future or the past vanish, and the mind is free of distractions. For those who usually have a particularly active inner monologue, the voice in their head suddenly falls silent.

• A strong sense of control:

There is a feeling of being superhuman, as if one can control everything. Even those who might normally suffer from low self-esteem feel exceptionally capable at this moment, believing they can accomplish anything.

• Changes in the perception of time:

Time becomes distorted in these moments; an hour may have passed in reality, yet you might feel as though only three minutes have gone by. When you are fully engrossed in an activity, time seems to speed up in your subjective experience; conversely, three minutes may have passed in reality, yet your subjective experience feels as though half an hour has elapsed.

This phenomenon often occurs during fleeting experiences, such as when a ballet dancer is performing or an athlete is competing, and they feel as though everything around them has slowed down.

• Intense sense of pleasure:

This is actually quite easy to understand. The experience of flow is very similar to that of meditation: when your attention is fully focused on the task at hand and distracting thoughts are eliminated, you naturally feel a great sense of pleasure.

• Unity of Mind and Action:

Physical coordination improves; the body follows the mind’s intentions, reaction times become faster, and everything around you appears to slow down in your subjective experience. This is why athletes perform at a higher level when in a state of flow.

So, what methods are there for actively inducing a state of flow?

• Set a reasonable goal:

Here, I’d like to recommend a very useful method for setting goals: the SMART goal model. It helps us set achievable goals in a more reasoned way.

S stands for Specific.

It is vital to define your goal clearly; if it is too broad, you are likely to lose sight of it. If your goal is simply to ‘travel round the world’, you might give up because you don’t know where to start. However, if you first set a goal such as ‘I’m going to Thailand this summer’, your goal shifts from a very broad concept to a concrete plan, and you’ll have a much clearer idea of where to begin.

M: Measurable.

For example, if you go mountain climbing but do not know the height of the mountain, you may feel lost after climbing for a while and be tempted to give up. However, if you know exactly where you are and how far you are from the summit, you have a measurable benchmark for the entire climb. You can clearly see how far you are from achieving your goal, which gives you a greater sense of control and makes it easier to persevere until the end.

Another example: if you want to lose weight, set your goal as ‘I want to lose 2.5 kg’.

A Achievable.

Let’s take weight loss as an example again. You should draw up a sensible weight-loss plan based on your own circumstances, rather than blindly setting a target such as ‘I’m going to lose 10kg in a month’. For instance, if you currently weigh 60kg and want to get down to 55kg, and you usually exercise twice a week, you could set a plan to lose 1kg over the course of a month.

R Realistic and Relevant.

The difficulty of a goal should be moderate; set it at a level that requires a little extra effort to achieve—in other words, within reach if you stand on tiptoes. If you set a goal that is completely out of reach, you will soon become disheartened and give up. If someone who has never climbed a mountain told you, ‘I’m going to climb Mount Everest’, you would certainly think they were being unrealistic.

T Time-bound.

A reasonable goal also needs a timeframe. If you want to get fit, you could set a goal of exercising three times a week, or specify how long it will take to achieve this goal.

• Goals should be commensurate with your abilities:

Goals that exceed your current capabilities are difficult to achieve; attempting them will lead to significant frustration, making it easier for you to give up. We should set goals based on our own abilities; of course, as you put in the effort, your abilities will improve, at which point you should adjust your goals to reflect your current capabilities.

• Create timely feedback:

Whilst working towards your goals, set yourself some small, positive rewards. Just as in video games, where you receive rewards or equipment after achieving a mini-goal, receiving this positive feedback satisfies your dopamine levels, making you more willing to keep going. I’ll be making a separate video to explain dopamine in more detail.

• Eliminate all distractions, including mental distractions:

There are actually quite a lot of distractions in modern life. Whilst the advent of electronic devices has made communication between people more convenient, it has also shortened our attention spans. 

When we’re working, constant messages on our mobile phones are bound to disrupt our work. Nowadays, mobile phones all have silent and ‘Do Not Disturb’ modes. You can switch on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode whilst you’re working on a task, allowing you to focus fully and work efficiently on the task at hand before setting aside time later to deal with your messages.

• Finding your most productive times:

Everyone’s most productive times are different. Early risers tend to be more alert and productive in the morning, whilst night owls are at their best in the afternoon or evening. By drawing on your own habits and experience, you can identify your most productive times and schedule important tasks for those periods, which will significantly boost your efficiency.

If you force yourself to tackle important tasks when you’re tired, a task that would normally take an hour might end up taking two hours to complete, and the quality of your work will suffer. Surely that’s not worth the effort?