{"id":383,"date":"2022-09-27T16:33:35","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T21:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manlife.com\/articles\/?p=383"},"modified":"2022-09-27T16:33:35","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T21:33:35","slug":"on-flow-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manlife.com\/articles\/index.php\/2022\/09\/27\/on-flow-states\/","title":{"rendered":"On Flow States"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For those who have gotten to experience a flow state, it’s one of the cooler things that a human being can do. In these states, you’ll find yourself focused beyond anything you thought was possible, and anything but the task at hand seems to melt away. I’m one of the folks who has experienced a flow state, and I often use them deliberately when I need to get a lot of work done or to teach a class. Today, I want to talk about these states with you, and perhaps give you some guidance about inducing them so that you can experience them for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What’s a flow state? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You’ve probably heard of a flow state before, often called “being in the zone.” It’s a state of mind where you’re super-focused on a single thing, but you do not feel stressed. Instead, you feel totally in control. In this state, your perception of time slows down to a crawl, and you can pick out details and nuances better than you otherwise could, and make conscious decisions about them.

A lot of different kinds of people experience flow states. Often, you’ll hear about them from top-performing athletes and musicians. Pilots, especially those who fly acrobatics or fighter aircraft, or race-car drivers make good use of them. I’ve also spoken with more than one soldier who experienced flow states in particularly high-stake situations.

In these states, you can perform at your absolute best: because your perception of time slows to a crawl and you’re super focused, it’s possible to make conscious decisions on the fly, which can lead to great results. But, these states are sometimes hard to reach, and they’re almost always exhausting. But, with a little bit of work, I think it’s possible to get into these states more regularly and get a lot of use out of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Why Get Into a Flow state?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In simple terms, flow states are great because they allow you to perform at the true edge of your abilities. On the more day-to-day end of things, they’re great for getting a lot of work done in a short amount of time.

For some of the folks I’ve mentioned in the previous section, the ability to make conscious, informed decisions in an instant can be a life-or-death matter, and for those people, flow-states are an indispensable tool to accomplish the mission at hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In my own life, I use flow states most commonly when I teach: on a good day, I can give an hour and a half lecture on a given topic and take student questions while I do it. I do this with no notes other than the ones I skim before class. It’s just me, a marker, a whiteboard, and my wits. Being able to think and reply quickly is one of the things that makes me an engaging lecturer.

It can also be handy when writing: on an excellent day, it’s possible for me to write 1,000 words in under ten minutes, and have written something worth reading and thinking about (at least, I hope so, you should tell me in the comments). <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Inducing Flow States<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s no one way to get into a flow state, and it varies a lot from person to person. So here, I’ll simply tell you the things that seem to matter in getting me into a flow state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First and foremost, I have to be at least more or less comfortable. I’ve noticed that if I’m sick with something as mild as a common cold, I cannot get into a flow state even if I teach, which is when it usually happens for me. Insomnia also makes flow states a lot harder to achieve as well.

From there, and this is a common one among many people: master the material. If you still have to think about which control does what, your subconscious cannot take over the easy parts of flying a plane to get you into a flow state, for example.

Finally, a little pressure helps. For me, the knowledge that there is a classroom full of people who have also read the material and want to argue about it prepares me to engage at a high level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Benefits of Flow States<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are three major benefits of flow states, depending on the circumstances.

First, you can get excellent outcomes. A flow state might well be the thing that wins the championship game in any sport, gives the world an excellent musical performance or, in my case, has the chance at inspiring a young mind.

Second, they can be great time-savers. If I can get into a flow state while reading or writing, then I can do in an hour what would take me half a day under normal circumstances. I don’t like to count on myself to do that, but the days when that does happen are some of the best days I have as an academic.

Lastly, I have a feeling that flow states are where real innovation takes place. A lot of folks chalk up moments of inspiration to some outside source, but, in my study of high-performing academics, a lot of it seems to come from being in a flow state.

Overall, these states are highly individual and hard to get into. If, however, you can learn how to trigger them yourself and use them on a regular basis, I think you can get a lot of excellent things done if you harness flow states.

With all of this said, a word of caution: you can’t force a flow state. I first had one when I was about fifteen in the context of performing with a small group of musicians. I did not know what they were, let alone how to get myself into a flow state, for about another five years after. And, after each one, I am more or less mentally spent for the day and am noticeably less sharp for a few hours thereafter, so they’re not without costs, either. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For those who have gotten to experience a flow state, it’s one of the cooler things that a human being can do. In these states, you’ll find yourself focused beyond anything you thought was possible, and anything but the task at hand seems to melt away. I’m one of the folks who has experienced a … <\/p>\n

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