Life in the flow: within and beyond the possible

If you've ever missed lunch because of an interesting discussion, or have gotten so caught up in an ongoing project that everything else is far away, then you know what flow is. Time no longer exists, individuality dissolves, consciousness and activity merge into one. Researchers define this as the state in which we feel our best and perform at our peak, but how do we bring about this at will?

In a state of flow, any solution easily, smoothly and seamlessly leads to another. Problems are resolved quickly, they are simply washed away by the flow of the final work.

Without the state of flow, without this increased concentration, there would be no personal progress. This state is the basis for moving forward.

Danny Way skateboarding legend

Stream and athletes

150 years of research has backed up Danny Waya's claim. For example, a decade-long McKinsey study found that officials were five times more successful in a state of flow.

In US military research, snipers in a state of flux learned 2-5 times more efficiently and faster than normal snipers. Creativity in this state increases sevenfold. The list goes on.

It sounds tempting, but there is a problem: while flow is one of the most desirable states on earth, it is also the most elusive. Researchers spend decades looking for ways to replicate the flow experience.

For only one group of people, this state is not an accident. They are athletes. In fact, they have learned so well to use the flow that over the past 25 years, the boundaries of human ability in sports have expanded significantly.

Surfers catch a 100-meter wave, snowboarders do incredible tricks, and climbers climb steep slopes without any belay - in general, they do what, it would seem, no man is capable of.

Never before have people been able to reach such heights, and then the question arises: why is this possible now?

The answer is simple. In all other types of activity, the state of the flow is fleeting and elusive, but in extreme sports it is a necessity.

This condition is the only thing that helps athletes survive in the mountains, on giant waves and in turbulent rivers. When you push the boundaries of human capabilities, the choice is not rich: get into the flow or die.

If athletes can use this state for their achievements, then so can all other people. And here are the methods on how to do it.

How to hack thread state

The flow state has its own triggers, that is, the reasons for its occurrence. There are 12 reasons altogether, and they all fit into four categories:

psychological;
environmental factors;
social;
creative.

We'll cover all of them below, but first there are two important things to say.

At first, the state of flow arises after concentration, this is a state of complete immersion … So for all 12 triggers, there are ways to heighten attention.

Secondly, athletes fall into the flow state so well because they have built their lives around it … Their life is connected with all 12 reasons.

Prerequisites from the environment

These prerequisites, which can also be called “external triggers,” are environmental factors that force a person to dive deeper into the business.

Trigger # 1. Great value

When danger appears in our environment, we do not need to force ourselves to focus on something: a high level of risk does it for us. Since the main task of the body is to survive, the activity of the brain is aimed at scanning the surrounding space, identifying danger and concentrating on it.

In fact, the danger does not have to threaten your health, it can also be an intellectual risk, social, creative or emotional. For example, a shy person just needs to cross the room and say hello to a pretty girl to create a danger situation.

Trigger # 2. Saturated Environment

A busy environment includes novelty, unpredictability, and complexity.

There is a moment of danger and new possibilities in novelty. So, for example, our ancestors, smelling an unfamiliar smell, did not know what it means: "we must run" or "can be eaten." In any case, all attention was riveted on him. This is how we relate to something unknown - it is easier to focus on new products.

Unpredictability means that we do not know what will happen next, and are extremely careful not to miss it.

A lot of information arriving at the same time also requires maximum concentration from us.

Extreme athletes are always exposed to this trigger, because nature is full of dangers, it is always new and unpredictable.

Trigger number 3. Physical fitness

50% of our nerve endings are located on the hands, feet and face. We have five basic senses. We can also determine the position of the body in space and maintain balance using the vestibular apparatus.

Extreme sports provide deep immersion in work, and not only with the help of consciousness. For example, when an athlete is rafting on a rough river, not only his mind, but also the vestibular apparatus, which works at an accelerated pace, is involved in this process. As if the body itself is focusing attention on what is happening, and not just the brain.

Psychological triggers

Psychological or internal triggers are conditions in our inner state that trigger a state of flow. There are psychological strategies for staying focused on the present moment.

Trigger # 4. Clear goals

A clear goal tells us what to look for. When goals are clear, we are not distracted by lengthy reflections on whether to do something or not. Thus, concentration increases, motivation increases and extraneous information is filtered out.

Trigger # 5. Immediate Results

Clear goals give us an idea of where to go, and immediate results tell us how to do it better.

If we know how to improve something right now, the mind is not looking for possible improvements and we can stay in a state of flux.

For example, surgeons improve their professional skills very quickly, even right after graduation. Why? They always have immediate results: a mess of the desktop and someone dies. This is the immediate result.

Trigger # 6. Skill Challenge

To concentrate on a task, it is very important to have the right balance between the difficulty of the task and our ability to complete it.

If the task is too difficult, the person gets scared, if it's too easy, he gets bored.

The fine line between these two states is called the "flow channel". It's a task that's hard enough to consume our full attention, but not hard enough to break and panic.

Social triggers

There is a social version of flow known as group flow. It can be seen in football competitions, when each player in the team is at the right time in the right place, as if it were not a game, but a well-choreographed number.

Sports aside, group flow is common in startups where the entire team is moving together towards a common goal.

So how do you invoke this multicast state? For him, psychological triggers are also important, such as a clear goal, results and the required degree of complexity of tasks.

Equally important is equal participation and the element of risk (mental, physical, anyone). We have already discussed all these foundations of the state above, and here are five more social triggers that need to be explained.

Trigger # 7. Introduce

This means that a group of people in a stream speak the same language, have similar professional skills, and their interaction is often based on understanding without words. Then no one has to be distracted from their work to explain.

Trigger # 8. Mixed ego

It is a kind of humility, when every member of the team is important and needed and no one is in the spotlight, and everyone is equally involved in the process.

Trigger # 9. Sense of Control and Competence

A sense of control (freedom to do what you think is necessary) must be combined with competence (to do well what you do). This is an opportunity to make your choice and have enough experience and skills to do it efficiently.

Trigger # 10. Focused Listening

This happens when you are completely immersed in the present. These are unplanned dialogues about the essence of the matter, which clarify the situation and are perceived by the participants as something as serious as possible.

Trigger # 11. "Always say yes"

Interaction should be based more on unity than on argument. The goal of this is integrity, community and innovation that comes from the ideas and actions of each participant.

Creative triggers

If you take a deeper look at creativity, it turns out that it consists of recognition (the ability of the brain to connect new ideas together) and risk (the responsibility and courage it takes to present your ideas to the world). Together, these components trigger a reaction, and the brain sinks deep into a state of flux.

Trigger number 12. Creativity

Anyone who wants more flow in life must think creatively. Instead of accepting the problem in the usual way, you need to approach it from the other side. Get off the beaten track and use your imagination.

Research shows that new environments and new experiences often trigger new ideas as a person has more ability to recognize new patterns and match them. And that's exactly what athletes do.

Professional climber, skier, photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin explains:

Try some of the flow state fundamentals, or several at once, and you will see how your activity changes. It is very difficult to stay in it constantly, but it is quite possible to call it more often.