Wikipedia describes Flow as,

the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.

It’s difficult to achieve this state but if you can it is an amazing feeling. I find flow requires comfort, awakeness, music, enjoyment of the task at hand. It can also come of the back of a series of epiphanies that lead into excited state of flow for extended periods of time.

Personally I’ve found myself in that state just by laying in bed and brainstorming to music, also in sporting situations when I have been surfing or sailing. Even working (if you like your job like me) it happens but is usually cut short by an environment that tends to destroy the state.

What breaks flow is distraction or fatigue. People also break flow, particularly those that suck energy from an environment with negative speech, behaviour and presence. I also think age can play a part if you let age dull your self expression, learning, health and creativity.

The state of flow probably isn’t very observable because it’s so internalized but a few classic representations of it by the movie industry are the character Neo in the Matrix, Bud fox at the height of his career in the Wall Street and more recently when Sam Worthington masters the skills of natural law of the Na’vi people in Avatar.

I think it’s worth the effort pushing for the state of flow if you can. It takes effort but it is possible with mental training and setting the right conditions for it to occur.

Photo by alaskaent