Finding Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has written a few books on the topic of "Flow".  While I found one of his books to be academic and a difficult read, "Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life" is much more engaging.

Flow is a mental state where a person is fully immersed in an activity, feeling fully involved, a sense of energized focus.  It's a state where time passes by without even noticing it.  I've experienced Flow when  I coach a client, play the piano, or race a sailboat, or write an article or report.

The biggest takeaway from this books is that optimal experience, or Flow, occurs when two variables are high:  Challenge Level and Skill Level.  This chart depicts this through illustrates the quality of experiences as a function of the relationship between challenges and skills:

Over a week period, notice when you feel this different states, and see how true it is for you.  Notice when you feel a state of Flow in your life, and create opportunities to experience this more in your life.  And if you feel you don't experience Flow, consider what you're skilled at that you enjoy doing, and amp it up so that you're challenged.

I'd love to hear your experiences with flow.  Post a comment and share your experience!