Shownotes
- Flow is a state of being. We modulate an activity until we get into a flow state.
- Flow for most of us is easier to achieve than we realize.
- Interstitial journaling (as explained in Episode 6) will help you to catch your patterns and then make adjustments before you get into a task.
- Again, I’m very thankful to Tony Stubblebine from Coach.me who introduced me to how to modulate for flow.
Elements of a Flow Experience
- We’re confronting a task we have a chance of actually completing
- There’s a concentration and focus on what we’re doing
- The task has clear goals
- The task provides immediate feedback
- There’s a sense of involvement where awareness of everyday worries drops away
- There’s a sense of control or even mastery
- Self-consciousness disappears (yet a stronger positive sense of self emerges after the task)
- The sense of time is altered; hours seem to pass by in minutes, or seconds feel stretched out into minutes or hours.
Levers for Flow
- Clear goal. Set a goal for yourself. The goal could be pragmatic or it could simply be created for the purpose of turning your activity into a goal.
- Challenge. It should be challenging enough to be engaging, but not so challenging as to be frustrating.
- Skill. If you can’t bring the challenge level down, then you’re going to have to bring your skill level up.
Emotional States When Working
- There are 8 emotional states, that we can be in: Apathy, Boredom, Relaxation, Control, Flow, Arousal, Worry, Anxiety
If the challenge is lower than your skill level, you might feel Apathy, Boredom or Relaxation.
-> then modulate the goal and the challenge. Make the goal bigger, or make a challenge out of a mundane task.
If the challenge is just about right for your skill level you’ll feel Control, Flow or Arousal.
-> You found the right level of challenge for your skill level, keep going.
When the challenge is bigger than the skill level you might feel Anxiety or Worry.
-> One of the things you need to be in flow is a clear goal that you know you can accomplish.
A lot of times, a hard activity prevents flow because the goal you have in mind is too far outside of your comfort zone.
So if you’re anxious and frustrated, ask yourself: Can I change the goal, can I pick an earlier milestone?
- Read more about how to create group flow: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_mel_brooks_can_teach_us_about_group_flow