6 Easy Steps to Save Time, Make More Money, and Be Happier Based on The Science of Flow

Have you ever had a day where you just felt “on”? A day where things just “click,” and you feel like “you’re in the zone”? If you have, you’ve experienced a thing called flow.

Unfortunately, many of us accidentally get into moments of flow and don’t know how to make these moments happen consistently in our lives.

Lucky for you, in this post, I’ll explain exactly how to cultivate moments of flow so you can boost your productivity and happiness and even make more money. 

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What is Flow?

You’ve been in flow if you’ve ever had an optimal experience where time seems to fly, productivity soars, and you just feel good. As renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described, “flow” refers to a state of complete absorption and focus in an activity, where one experiences a sense of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment. It’s that feeling when you are fully engaged in a task, and everything else seems to fade away. Time passes effortlessly, and you are at your peak performance.

To fully understand flow, imagine a professional tennis player stepping onto the court, fully absorbed in the game. They hit each shot with precision, anticipating their opponent’s moves effortlessly. Time flies by as they seamlessly react to the ball’s trajectory. The player’s focus is unwavering, distractions fade away, and their performance reaches its peak. Flow fuels their success and leaves them fulfilled and happy on the court.

Flow isn’t just for athletes, though. We can all use flow to get our chores done faster, be more productive at work, and enjoy tasks that usually seem mundane. 

How to get into flow

Getting into a state of flow requires specific conditions. Luckily, research in positive psychology has helped us understand the conditions that need to be met to produce moments of flow. Here are a few key steps you can take to help you get into flow:

1. Set Clear Goals: Define clear and achievable goals for the task at hand. Having a clear objective provides direction and focus, which can help you enter a flow state.
2. Match Challenge with Skill: Flow is more likely to occur when the challenge level of the activity matches your skill level. If the task is too easy, you may become bored; if it’s too difficult, you may become anxious or overwhelmed. Find the sweet spot where you feel adequately challenged but still confident in your abilities.
3. Concentrated Focus: Eliminate distractions and create an environment conducive to deep focus. Minimize interruptions, turn off notifications, and find a quiet space to engage in the task without multitasking.
4. Deep Engagement: Immerse yourself fully in the activity. Let go of any thoughts about the past or worries about the future. Direct your attention to the present moment and fully engage in what you’re doing.
5. Enjoy the Process: Find intrinsic enjoyment in the process of the task itself. Focus on the satisfaction derived from the activity rather than solely focusing on the outcome or end result.
6. Immediate Feedback: Seek immediate and clear feedback on your progress. Feedback allows you to make real-time adjustments and course corrections, enhancing your sense of control and keeping you engaged.

Examples of getting into flow

Here are some examples of how you can use these steps to get into flow. 

Getting into flow while working on a (hard) project at work

Sometimes work projects can be so large they feel overwhelming, leading us to avoid them. What’s worse is avoiding important projects can create more stress as impending deadlines approach. Here’s how to use flow to tackle big projects, even if they’re overwhelming.

1. Clear Goals: Start by clearly defining the goals and objectives of the project. Break the project down into small manageable tasks that align with the overall project vision and can be completed in the time frame you have to work on it at this current moment.
2. Match Challenge with Skill: If the project feels overwhelming, break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. By focusing on one task at a time, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and increase your chances of entering a flow state. 
3. Concentrated Focus: Minimize distractions as much as possible. Find a quiet workspace where you can focus without interruptions. Put away your phone, close unnecessary tabs on your computer, and communicate your need for uninterrupted time to your colleagues if necessary.
4. Deep Engagement: Direct your attention fully to the project at hand. Set aside dedicated blocks of time where you can concentrate solely on the task without multitasking. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique (working in focused intervals followed by short breaks) to maintain deep focus.
5. Enjoy the process: Find enjoyment and intrinsic satisfaction in the work itself. Cultivate a sense of curiosity, creativity, and engagement. Celebrate small victories and progress made along the way to maintain motivation and a positive mindset.
6. Immediate Feedback: Seek feedback from colleagues or supervisors to gain insights into your progress. Use feedback as a tool to refine your approach and improve your performance. Immediate feedback helps maintain a sense of control and enables adjustments in real time.

Getting into flow while doing the (Boring) dishes

I personally don’t like doing the dishes, but they need to get done. However, I’ve found that if I set myself up for flow, the dishes get done faster, and I enjoy the experience more. Here’s how to do it:

1. Clear Goals: Set a clear goal for the dishwashing session. It could be completing the task efficiently, ensuring cleanliness, or finding satisfaction in the process itself.
2. Match Challenge with Skill: Doing the dishes is pretty easy and mindless. To make it more fun, sometimes I’ll make it a game to see how fast I can get it done, which makes it a bit more challenging. 
3. Concentrated Focus: Resist the temptation to multitask or let your mind wander. Whenever you notice your thoughts drifting, gently bring your attention back to the task at hand and the sensory experiences involved in dishwashing.
4. Deep Engagement: Bring your full attention to the task at hand. Focus on the sensory experience of washing the dishes—the feel of the water, the sound of the running water, and the textures of the dishes. Be present in the moment without letting your mind wander.
5. Enjoy the process: Create a pleasant environment to make the dishwashing experience optimal. For example, you can play some of your favorite music or a podcast to enhance your mood.
6. Immediate Feedback: Take a (mental or real) picture before you do the dishes and then one after, and appreciate the transformation you helped create in your kitchen. 

Benefits of Flow

Now that you know how to get into flow, you can probably guess what the benefits are. But I’ll explain them nonetheless.

Increased Productivity

Research shows that when individuals are in a flow state, their productivity and efficiency skyrocket. According to a 10-year study conducted by McKinsey, top executives reported being five times more productive in flow. 

Increased Growth

For better or worse, things that bring us flow today may not bring us flow tomorrow. This is because we grow, and tasks that were once challenging become easy. According to Nakamura and Csikszentmihalyi (2002), “As people master challenges in an activity … to continue experiencing Flow, they must identify and engage progressively more complex challenges.” The good news is that as people challenge themselves to experience more flow, they’ll continue to evolve and uplevel their skills. 

Increased Happiness

In the book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience“, Csikszentmihalyi states, “How we feel about ourselves, the joy we get from living, ultimately depend directly on how the mind filters and interprets everyday experiences. Whether we are happy depends on inner harmony, not on the controls we are able to exert over the great forces of the universe.” In other words, if we can cultivate moments of flow and find enjoyment in our everyday moments, we’ll be able to experience more joy and ultimately be happier. 

More Money

I’ve read tons of biographies about successful people like Andrew Carnegie and Steve Jobs, and one thing I’ve noticed is that all of them show signs of deep focus and deep levels of flow. By avoiding multitasking and having a clear vision, they have more mental energy to work on big projects that most people would say they “don’t have time for.” Successful people are also avid readers and constantly learn, challenge themselves, and repeat the process. They raise the bar on themselves and continue to push forward to experience more and more flow. Ultimately, with time and increased focus, they can learn and accomplish vastly more than the average person and reap the financial benefits of increased output. 

The Bottom Line

When you’re in flow, you are so engrossed in the task that you lose track of all the other stressors and worries in your life. This can be a huge mental break if your mind constantly races and worries. 

Additionally, by being in flow and eliminating multitasking, you’ll save a lot of time, and you’re more likely to be doing your best work and making fewer mistakes, thus saving you time in the future.

So next time you’re working on a project, try to get yourself into flow by doing this.

To Recap

1. Before you start, set a clear goal (ex. “I will work on a marketing plan for my business”)
2. Match the challenge with your skill:
   1. Make the task doable in the amount of time you have available (ex. “I will finish a rough draft of my marketing plan”)
   2. Challenge yourself a bit to avoid boredom (ex. “Before I start, I will do 10 minutes of research on writing great marketing plans”)
3. Turn off notifications and put your phone away to limit distractions (ex. “I won’t stop to look at my phone or check emails for one hour while I work on my marketing plan”)
4. Deeply engage and focus on a single task.
5. Make sure your environment sets you up for peak performance.
6. Make sure you have a good way of knowing whether or not you achieved your goal (ex. “If I complete a rough draft, I’m successful”)

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