we studied flow as pat of our games design degree :) i'm kinda disappointed hank never told us what the name of that psychologist was, its a mouthful :P
I experience that sometimes with Minecraft. Most times, though, it’s just a lot of mundane tasks and starting to build things and taking them apart because I don’t like them.
An interesting follow-up might be, "how does flow differ from the hyperfocus that some people with ADHD encounter?" I mean, I have ADHD and commonly find myself feeling like I'm 'in the zone' if I am working on certain kinds of homework assignments, hobbies, or activities that actively stimulate me and that I take a certain level of joy from. The problem comes when trying to get me to refocus my attention to something else, like holding a conversation or taking care of a normal chore that may crop up in the middle. Often times my hyperfocused state comes at the expense of other important things in my life (part of why ADHD is an executive function disorder).
Jep me too!!!! I would find it very interesting to know how it differs or is the same! And if it is possible to regulate the flow/hyper focus in a better way :)
That’s interesting. I was unaware that this happened to people with ADHD. I have Aspergers and am, of course, very focal, able to concentrate as you describe for hours on the same task without breaks and subsequently have difficultly switching tasks. I had thought ADSD was the opposite. In conversations, it does sometimes seem like the two disorders are the most ill matched to the frustration of both parties. It is always good to learn something new!!
@@pencilfriendpaperscribbler6032 yep! ADHD tends to make people hyperfocus in a similar way as ASD (inc. Asperger's). As ADHD exists on a spectrum as well (between hyperactive, inattentive, and combined), it presents differently for different people. For many folks, one way it manifests is in the form of hyperfocus. We ADHDers call it our "super power" as it's basically the only way we can get things done in short periods of time. Whereas an NT person may be able to easily parse and spread out the work for a project or assignment over a long period of time, someone with ADHD is far more likely to save all of the work up to a deadline and then bust through it in one fell swoop. We may start and stop that project over and over for the days and weeks leading up to it with no progress, but when you hyperfocus, things suddenly just "click". The problem comes when you find yourself hyperfocusing on things that aren't entirely necessary or act as a form of procrastination from more important tasks. And don't try to interrupt a hyperfocused person with ADHD. I know I can get grouchy, anxious, and visibly flustered if I'm asked to break my focus for something as simple as being asked to put some dishes away. It would take 2 minutes tops to complete but the productivity loss can be as much as 10 times that as I try to resettle myself.
Damn is this the oposite of procastinators?! I don't truly know is this becomes a bad thing in your daily life, but, as a egotistical thougth: If you're able to just focus and DO something for hours straigth on any task you like, we (humanity) need ya'll to spread your genes so that lazy people like me are begone from this world (In a few centuries) 😁
I’m a web developer and get this regularly at work! I get constant feedback on what I do every time I rerun my code, it’s generally challenging but not undoable, and I enjoy it greatly.
I recently experienced this building my first React app with Material UI. The goals were clear and easy to separate, e.g: implement grid list component, integrate a dialogue component with specific props, etc. Every new adjustment or update to any component provided ongoing feedback. And the React tutorial I was following, coupled with the well-documented Material UI API, made it challenging enough - but not too challenging. Started in the morning and next thing I knew it was getting dark and I'd skipped lunch (which is something I'm loathe to do)
I was about to comment the same thing! I switched careers to bioinformatics halfway through medical school in part because programming during a summer research project was so enjoyable. I always described it as immediate gratification, but flow is an even better description. The day can fall away as long (as you aren't stressing too much over a deadline).
I experience it almost daily when i'm working (i'm an illustrator). It can make drawing anything feel like the most exciting thing ever. Yesterday i was painting some bush and i thought i'm absolutely dominating this bush and it looks hotter than porn. Normally the morning after i'm back to a more level-headed opinion - and to constantly second-guessing and having no faith in myself. Thinking about "what if something goes wrong" and "at the moment i'm not sure how to do this" 100% doesn't help with focusing on and succeeding at a task. It was interesting to hear what goes on in the brain during flow, i haven't read anything about that aspect of the concept before.
22 year old with ADHD here, going into flow is how i hyper focus. Its like a super power for people with ADHD. I work in construction so when i can sheet a roof on a school or do something with just the right amount of repetition that i can get it down, and variety to keep me engaged and interested, I'm almost unstoppable because i can flow, or hyper focus as its sometimes called. Truly blissful where for a person with ADHD who has trouble focusing on mundane tasks.
I usually get in the zone later at night. It’s really annoying when my parents tell me to go to bed because I’m working and it interrupts me. Can’t wait till I can stay up as late as I want lol
"Can’t wait till I can stay up as late as I want" - As soon as you start working a full-time job that consumes almost all of your energy you'll be dreaming of catching more dreams (i.e. sleep).
Man, this video hits so many good points. As a concert pianist, I practice piano 6 hours every day. I notice that I have the best and most productive practice sessions when I'm definitively working toward a goal instead of practicing old repertoire or whatnot. For instance, this past week I've pulled up my recording equipment and just recorded and criticized every last detail of what I'm working on, trying to match the crystalline quality of professional recordings. Twice this week I've practiced for 2+ hours straight and didn't even realize how my hunger was now stomach-churning until I left the piano.
"Flow" is something we, with AD(H)D Brains, experience a lot when we get into "hyperfocus". It's a thing we fall very easily in and that let us completely depleted, even if we can't stop. Also, it tends to happens with shiny new experiences, or those pesky should-really-do-that-boring-thing-instead-of-this distractions we get so oft entangled with, instead of being able to choose it. Bevor we know it, we find ourselves surfing the flow in full. Cheers!
"Flow" is what I've dubbed as the "Auto Zone", where everything just seems to come to me. Where there's no fear or anxiety of failure. This often happens to me accidentally when I'm commiting to stimulating challenges like competitive Gameing. Alot of times I'm not even the most skilled player, but I'll pull off some stunt that I wasnt capable of until the "Auto Zone" kicks in manifesting potential. What's weird though is that I'm not even fully conscious of it when it happens as it happens, and the momment I get to much praise for it I'm pulled out of it. I assume that with practice I'll be able to sustain this state of mind better. It truly is a fascinating thing though because it's not even me realy, it's like a higher self that paradoxically is & isn't what I consider myself. It's kinda scary.
I was in the zone last night, played difficult (to me) tracks on Beat Saber for 3 hours straight, without even stopping for water. Beat Saber definitely has a clear goal and ongoing feedback.
So basically play Civilization - ongoing feedback, lot of thinking and a clear goal of world domination. No wonder that one more turn lasts several hours.
Anyone else get flow from cleaning? Because I legit do. There is nothing like scrubbing the gunk off a wall or table top, watching it slowly but inexorably come clean from your own willed effort. Maybe that's just me, but there are few things as consistently rewarding or absorbing to me as a good thorough cleaning. When I hit flow, I can end up cleaning a whole room or floor when all I meant to do was clear off a desk. I've had it happen with writing and coloring too, but most consistently, cleaning. It's magical when I do it right. I dunno, just wanted to throw that out there.
Edwina Cooper Edwina, that’s astonishing! That never happens to me, sadly. There is just the constant inner monologue, “I am going to die of boredom and it’s ruining my fingernails.” It would be so much better and more efficient if I had your response.
@@pencilfriendpaperscribbler6032 I get that, I get that. Heck, for most people I'm sure it's a very repetitive and boring task. I'm not gonna pretend like it isn't. But I don't know, the idea that I'm fixing something, I'm making something better, and that I can see it happening in front of me, that's something. There is an instant gratification with cleaning, but you do have to want to do it, I would say, and not think about it as a chore that you Have to do.
Edwina Cooper I think it’s terrific to take pleasure in simple things. I’ve tried to cultivate that attitude myself, but after 50 came and went I’ve accepted that it’s just not going to happen where cleaning is concerned ! :)
It's hard getting in the zone when your depression makes everything you do not as engaging as you know it should be, leading one to grow bored of the task quickly and not spend enough time to properly get in to said zone. But when I get in the zone, it's absolutely riveting. It's like the spark to a fire.
It's not hard, you just have to know the rules. ly, cs, sz are just single consonants in Hungarian. ly is how you start "you", cs is how you start "chalk" and sz is how you start "single".
@@doubleru Yeah that's pretty close. The vowel in "chick" and "high" should be long, and short in "sent" and "me". Also there's an "i" at the and which sounds like an "e" in english. like in "me". That's the nice thing about Hungarian. Same letter, same sound.
Yep. I've experienced this in multiple creative pursuits. I wrote a 110page fanfiction to the movie Let Me in in ~5 days. Had this also with creating artwork for a couple of games as well, organic stuff, giger-esque. it just seemed to come from some previously undiscovered area of my mind, and it was impossible to stop 'seeing' more designs, even when i was trying to fall asleep.
I have absolutely experienced flow. Specifically when writing. It is sort of draining but I have written a lot in a fairly short amount of time. Best way for me is listening to suitable music, being uninterrupted and being alone. No cafe's for me.
I experience this when I'm out on a joyride in my car. Shifting gears and controlling the movement of the vehicle as precisely as possible always makes me feel good.
I've been in the zone quite often sparing in martial arts, video gaming, and when I was young hacky sacking. It paradoxically gives you tunnel vision on the task and expanded peripheral vision. The world slows down, and it feels like you're running on instinct or autopilot, but you're in total control.
This explains snow plowing for me. I like tractors and operating them. I plow snow with a tractor commercially. every part of it perfectly fits all this description. I end up plowing for 16+ hours without eating or stopping. I enjoy it and it feels rewarding as there is a clear result and goal.
Rock climbing as an example activity that promotes a flow state: *Clear goal* - Reach the top. *On going feedback* - Grab a ledge. Pull. You become closer or farther away from the top. *Goldilocks difficulty* - It takes true effort to make progress, but you're not in pain, fear, or real distress.
Interesting, I get this almost every time I draw. It's so nice to just slip into my work and listen to whatever on youtube while drawing, really helps me feel better when i'm lonely or depressed, and helps to kill time when the day feels like it'll never end.
It’s like you’re so good / conditioned for that specific task that it basically becomes instinct. There’s no reason to think too much about the task so you’re free to think about other things while doing it- or think about nothing at all.
I remember being in the zone as a goalkeeper. I had total awareness of where everyone was positioned and where the ball was, no outside noise just the playing field. Knowing where the ball was going to be and blocking shots. As a captain it also felt like a chess game as I gave directions to my defense and other players. It feels great.
Thats that feeling i get when im playing with the band...it gets to a point where all of us(the drummer..keyboardist..and me on bass)are in that zone. Every key hit..string plucked..drum strike is perfection.
I feel like this could be really motivating and helpful for people to hear. I already was having little thoughts about this sort of idea in my head. So having some more structure to those ideas nice. I liked the video
was playing tennis once and was winning 5 games to zero. I then realized how good I was doing and the fact that I was in the zone. As soon as I had that thought, I could feel myself come out of the zone and instantly knew something inside of me had changed. I lost that match.
In the book Pragmatic Thinking & Learning: refactoring your wetware, it’s suggested to trace copy an image upside down. This is also a difficult task with continuous feedback. The difficulty of the task causes one to think only of the task at hand, and nothing else, which is why practicing mindfulness can work too.
I've felt this twice in my life: studying for an exam happening in 4 days that I hadn't even attended classes for, and when I went running, and managed to run for 9 miles straight despite never making it past 3 before
i always was aware of the idea of flow but i never fully understood it nor could i explain it. if anything it was kinda like a theory that their was something about the flow of mind.. then you guys just came in and explained it soo well. freaken amazing.
the tetris effect is a great example of flow. strong tetris players cane zone out for hours. I imagine something similar happens with a lot of video games, like smash.
I think challenge is only necessary for total flow. Look at how easily people get absorbed in challenge-free activities like social media, and slot machine players "in the zone." Simple leveling-up in an RPG can be fun and motivating even when it's extremely easy, especially early on when you're gaining new abilities very quickly. I think that's a low-grade flow that zombifies people, reducing their awareness of self. When challenge enters the picture, IE when lots of focus is required to succeed at the task, you get a more intense, exciting state. Your working memory is too overloaded to pay any attention to yourself at all, and your default mode network shuts off completely. You're reward-focused in both states. But when rewards are dependent on spending your focus entirely on the task, your brain will shift focus away from background tasks and engage fully with what you're trying to accomplish. This requires two things: 1. cognitive work is necessary to achieve the reward, and 2. the reward's value is not exactly known (which can mean the actual value of the reward, the probability of achieving it, or both). When the reward's value IS known, your brain is less excited by it. You're more motivated to explore promising new sources of value than to work on existing ones. Your motivational system is basically a valuation system, and nothing excites it like new, high-potential rewards. That research goes all the way back to rats pressing levers.
They feel different enough to me that I personally wouldn’t group them. For whatever reason the constant dopamine drip you get from social media and slot machines feels like I have little choice in the matter, like an addiction. Flow feels like part of what you’re suggesting, everything else getting out of the way. For whatever reason it doesn’t have any ‘can’t tear myself away” feeling. When I’m in flow if I’ve set an alarm to go to bed I can just stop, appreciate the progress/feeling, and go to bed. With gaming or social media or what have you the “one more minute” feeling is nearly overwhelming and it’ll be at least another hour before I manage to stop myself.
@@matthewfrederick8789 I'm not sure if I would group them as quite the same thing either, but the video refers to social media, endless google searches, and an addictive quality of flow. That might be accurate. I think there's also a tendency to assume flow is always a positive thing, and to reject examples that don't fit with that.
i feel like one easy way to study would be flow during people playing games. that's where i've experienced it. and since its an activity that doesnt require any movement, it should be easier to monitor whats going on.
As an athlete I experienced this all the time! I trained it since I was younger and now it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing as I would get in this flow state whenever I need such as every time I wrote an essay but now if I'm thinking about something too deeply I experience it too and I have no sense of what is going on around me which isn't great in social situations 😂
Im am an athlete too sometimes I am in the flow then I notice I am in the flow then I am not in the flow anymore Someone told me to not rely on the flow when you need it the most
From all my experiences with the zone/flow, I believe you may not need to be highly skilled in the task your completing. I’ve played on a basketball team for years now, and though I wasn’t able to reach flow in the beginning, I did once I picked up a few skills. So you may not need to be incredibly skilled, but still have a bit of skill. You also need to be confident in your skills. I wasn’t that good but I was still able to reach flow because I was confident in the skills I currently had. You should focus completely on the task at hand, but you shouldn’t WANT to reach flow, you need to let it happen naturally. I believe that flow is your peak performance at whatever level of skill you are on. A few weeks ago I entered flow in a normal 2v2 with my friends in basketball. I hit every shot and pulled off crazy combo dribble moves I wouldn’t have even thought about doing regularly. I was able to enter flow because I was up against two good players on my team, and my teammate is very new to basketball, so you also need to challenge yourself to enter flow. However like the guy said in the video, take my thoughts with a grain of salt, how I enter flow could be different to how you enter flow.
Excellent video! I'm glad researchers are studying this, now. When we know more about the flow, we can consciously achieve it to get to our goals. And that's a good idea especially at work. It has happened often enough when I wrote my first book during nanowrimo(.com) It was a if the story fell out of my head!
As a programmer, sometimes you get that task where it's the right amount of challenging and fun and you get right in the zone. If it's too easy you usually get a bit distracted cause it gets monotonous. Too hard and you just sit there thinking but not typing.
For me, welding does this. When it's all set up, all the metal is clean and properly beveled and ready, and then I can just go for it with the tig torch and watch that mesmerizing little pool of liquid metal dance around and seal the join. It's just awesome.
I have found myself on this, not so often when I draw (since my traces are super clumsy so I have to redo lines a lot, but still get there) but with videogames, but not just any, but ones that have a good deal of movements and flow between em. Oddly enough it happens more on older first person videogames where advanced movement have many movement techniques that flow and lead one to the next and just generates this great feeling of just, flowing through a place. But the most effective one for me is... Super Hexagon. You know that game with the triangle you spin around a hexagon dodging walls? Holy hell, I can outright meditate with it, literally. My eyes stop focusing on anything, mind goes blank, lose track of time and myself. I immediately start again when I lose, just a constant flow, not caring if I lose or paying attention to my times... and I always get my highest times when I'm fully immersed like that.
I feel called out. Perhaps I'm lucky but I'm able to reach this 'flow' state reliably. For me the danger is staying there too much to the exclusion of eating, or cleaning my apartment. I would also point out that while we've only recently called it 'flow', this euphoric state has existed perhaps throughout human history. It's the inspiration for the 7 Muses.
Also important to note that a flow state doesn't cancel out fatigue or the need for sleep. Even if you're in the zone, time will simply pass faster while you're ignoring it.
Getting into that zone is the main goal when I'm speedrunning my favorite game. The first step is for me is to brush off any mistakes as negligible and keep morale high. But to keep that going, I really need a distraction. Something interesting enough for me to think about, but not too distracting that I want to interact with or watch it. Luckily, the game is very rewarding when played well, so there's plenty of motivation if the first two requirements are continually met.
Simplicity is difficult for most people on earth right now, trapped in their mind. But FLOW is Energy in Motion, e~motions. It has everything to do with being emotional. Being Desirous and Passionate. Being in Your Soul, You the Real You, Engaged, Conscious. You are not your Mind, close your eyes picture a blue butterfly or whatever you want. Notice YOU are the ONE Looking @ Your Mind, hence therefore YOU are not your Mind. Your Mind Translates INTEL, Energy in Motion, e~motions so fast you "think" you are your mind, you are not, You are the Conscious Being using a Mind which resides in your Spirit Body, it's Language is Thoughts, Then Your Physical Body's Brain Translates Thoughts into it's Language Words. You Soul, Your Language is emotions. They are very very very very very very FAST...in the FLOW
Bloodborne taught me to trigger "flow state" on command. I can do it with most things I try now, if I really try and focus. It happened before, but it was inconsistent. But Bloodborne... it teaches you it in a totally distinct way that sticks with you.
Now I know what to call the phenomenon where in exams I perform so well and think so vividly that if I were to do it again OUT of the exams, I'd be confused and begin praising myself for being so smart back then
When I was part of national team I was in the zone sometimes. Always having a personal best when it happens. It is very addictive and that is the trick. It happens or it doesn't, you cannot force it. When you had it, you want it badly but doesn't work that way. It is like going to sleep with music volume set to 11.
I've felt the "zone" a few times. Its the feeling of being able to block out everything else. If you want to simulate it somewhat, a sparring session in boxing or martial arts can probably get you partway there.
i've only achieved flow a few times in my life. most recently when building my pc, i spent 6 hours working on it non-stop and enjoyed every bit of it. i think it was the fact that i had a clear objrctive that i was working towards, like you said in the video.
Hyper focusing as I've heard it called too. And oh man when I get in the zone. I go nuts, everything else is forgotten about. Even at times having to force myself to sleep. But I get a whole lot done I never would have. Or what would have taken me weeks, gets done in a day or two. The only not so nice thing is when you crash afterwards as it can mentally take a lot out of you. But sometimes it is worth the price in what one gets done.
I get into the flow very easy, I can induce it at almost will. The more challenging the task the better, if I can push past my anxiety or if the task isn't social required of me. I can do it with physical tasks or I can with math tests. It really depends. I wouldn't say it makes one happier as a person but for the short term it certainly does elevate mood. I'm glad I don't only experience it, though I do find it interesting that others have harder time reaching it then I do.
I watch this. I watch down at what my hands are doing. I'm holding my rubics cube in my hands. It's solved, again. I start mixing it back. A clear goal and ongoing feedback. I do this all the time i'm awake. And interestingly it kind of transfers to other things i do too. When my hands are moving and my mind is lazily solving the next step, it's way easier to concentrate on other things.
Oh. And needing the highish level of skill may explain why i enjoy 5x5 more nowadays. Doing this faster just doesn't interest me as much, so getting the difficulty increase has to come from some other place.
It happens to me when playing instruments, sometimes virtual instruments, it's the same. Once it went stronger than ever, I felt as if I were out of my body, looking my hands moving along the frets of my guitar, as if I wasn't myself, just an observer....scary, and weird! I was aware of observing me from outside. PS: it was a challenging and complex musical exercise. It sucked me IN. When I mastered it, the magic disappeared. It happens when I practice a new challenging technical skill, or a new idea or motif.
The Narcolepsy drug Modafinil beloved of Silicon Valley and college campuses across the world is 'Flow' in pill form. Its called the 'Limitless' drug from that movie but its nothing like that at all. When people ask me to describe its effects I tell them, 'it doesn't give me superpowers or any kind of addictive high, it just makes those random 'in the zone' type days where you are performing to the best of your innate abilities, where everything goes right, nothing fazes you, it makes those random days into 'on demand' days just by taking the pill. Its addictive only in so far as who wouldn't want to be at their best every day.
this used to happen to me from time to time on a basketball court, in my lost youth. after a few good plays, I'd snap out of it and have no recollection of exactly how I did those things.
This is also sometimes referred to as limnal time. It's behind some monks meditation, & is closely associated with theta waves in the brain, or 4-cycle per second brainwaves. Monks often use chants based on multiples of the 4-cycle speed. I've experienced this in many scenarios. Running or hiking, playing Tetris or Bejeweled, or during complex, repetitive tasks.
I get this when I play instruments. I'll start playing something I like and everything else drops away, including my band director telling me to shut up. It's really nice.
I've got a little anecdote regarding flow: I have no clue how old I was, maybe 12. (Definitely before the growth spurt, which was somewhere between 13 and 14 for me) I have no clue what exactly I was doing, but I was programming something. (I started programming when I was 8, so I was already quite good at it) Not a clue what I was working on and not a clue how long I worked on it, but I distinctly remember needing the result of 7+8 for something at the end of it and just looking at it for like 15 seconds without coming to an answer. I was so mentally exhausted I could not do this incredibly simple calculation. (Or a similarly simple one - it was an addition of two one-digit numbers, not necessarily these ones) That made me aware of what was happening and I decided I needed to finally take a break, so I went downstairs to watch some TV. Even then, it took quite a while for me to relay, as I was still thinking about that programming task. Eventually I managed to lose myself in the TV, though. I actually have no recollection of it - at the end of the show I just realised I managed to relax :D
Thank you. I am carrying this since 10 years with me since I have discovered that my best results were achived this way. People were looking strange when I have been trying to explain it. Now I am glad to know that this is not some mental problem. 😆 However, when I am in the zone I do not feel comfortable with other people. It also takes some time to come back from the zone until I like people's presence. So I am not very happy about spontaneous visits while in the zone. Does anybody else experienced something similar?
for me, I have a basic way to get there; fighting games and distraction. I grew up playing mortal kombat and street fighter, so if I am playing any game like that I just 'get it'. When playing friends, I often don't really try that hard or anything and just have fun.. but if they distract me with conversation, I both converse with them and enter flow while playing the game. and I'm really fricken good when in flow. just like I blank out and win without even looking at the screen. Distraction may be a convenient research tool.
This is some really good advice. It only occurred to me to try to use Mindful Meditation *during* a task as a way to focus on it while I was watching this video.
Intersting. How do you manage to meditate while focused on another task? I did a bit of Headspace (not much), and it seems that meditation requires being focused on yourself, not something external... No?
@@b33thr33kay Well, I meant to say it never occurred to me, therefore I will try it. That sad, I usually focus on a single spot on the wall, and counting my timing while doing controlled breathing to help reduce anxiety. (two-in-one! :D) I am curious about Headspace. What do you mean? I've never heard of that.
@@brynshannon6692 It's a mobile app for meditation. Some of it is available for free, but for everything else you will need to purchase a subscription.
"Clear goals, ongoing feedback, & the correct difficulty". So "Video games", whatever genre & difficulty setting is right for you.
I mean, its so true. Any game that offers real goals and is challenging can put just about anyone in a flow state.
we studied flow as pat of our games design degree :) i'm kinda disappointed hank never told us what the name of that psychologist was, its a mouthful :P
I experience that sometimes with Minecraft. Most times, though, it’s just a lot of mundane tasks and starting to build things and taking them apart because I don’t like them.
Let me correct that to "Well designed video games"* for you
Anthony Smith It's DDR for me, combining a game with the rush of endorphins that physical activity gives.
I get totally involved in one specific task more often than others: Completely binge watching TH-cam.
Write a daily routine
deep meditation try it
An interesting follow-up might be, "how does flow differ from the hyperfocus that some people with ADHD encounter?" I mean, I have ADHD and commonly find myself feeling like I'm 'in the zone' if I am working on certain kinds of homework assignments, hobbies, or activities that actively stimulate me and that I take a certain level of joy from. The problem comes when trying to get me to refocus my attention to something else, like holding a conversation or taking care of a normal chore that may crop up in the middle. Often times my hyperfocused state comes at the expense of other important things in my life (part of why ADHD is an executive function disorder).
Had the same thought in terms of your follow up question
Jep me too!!!! I would find it very interesting to know how it differs or is the same! And if it is possible to regulate the flow/hyper focus in a better way :)
That’s interesting. I was unaware that this happened to people with ADHD. I have Aspergers and am, of course, very focal, able to concentrate as you describe for hours on the same task without breaks and subsequently have difficultly switching tasks. I had thought ADSD was the opposite. In conversations, it does sometimes seem like the two disorders are the most ill matched to the frustration of both parties. It is always good to learn something new!!
@@pencilfriendpaperscribbler6032 yep! ADHD tends to make people hyperfocus in a similar way as ASD (inc. Asperger's). As ADHD exists on a spectrum as well (between hyperactive, inattentive, and combined), it presents differently for different people. For many folks, one way it manifests is in the form of hyperfocus. We ADHDers call it our "super power" as it's basically the only way we can get things done in short periods of time. Whereas an NT person may be able to easily parse and spread out the work for a project or assignment over a long period of time, someone with ADHD is far more likely to save all of the work up to a deadline and then bust through it in one fell swoop. We may start and stop that project over and over for the days and weeks leading up to it with no progress, but when you hyperfocus, things suddenly just "click". The problem comes when you find yourself hyperfocusing on things that aren't entirely necessary or act as a form of procrastination from more important tasks. And don't try to interrupt a hyperfocused person with ADHD. I know I can get grouchy, anxious, and visibly flustered if I'm asked to break my focus for something as simple as being asked to put some dishes away. It would take 2 minutes tops to complete but the productivity loss can be as much as 10 times that as I try to resettle myself.
Damn is this the oposite of procastinators?!
I don't truly know is this becomes a bad thing in your daily life, but, as a egotistical thougth:
If you're able to just focus and DO something for hours straigth on any task you like, we (humanity) need ya'll to spread your genes so that lazy people like me are begone from this world (In a few centuries) 😁
I’m a web developer and get this regularly at work! I get constant feedback on what I do every time I rerun my code, it’s generally challenging but not undoable, and I enjoy it greatly.
Yup, programming and some games do the trick for me.
Same here. It's good when you're working with tools that have a nice tight/quick dev cycle. Edit->run->feedback->GOTO:Edit.
I recently experienced this building my first React app with Material UI.
The goals were clear and easy to separate, e.g: implement grid list component, integrate a dialogue component with specific props, etc.
Every new adjustment or update to any component provided ongoing feedback.
And the React tutorial I was following, coupled with the well-documented Material UI API, made it challenging enough - but not too challenging.
Started in the morning and next thing I knew it was getting dark and I'd skipped lunch (which is something I'm loathe to do)
I also regularly feel this while coding. Sometimes also when I complete a longer graphic design project, like a magazine.
I was about to comment the same thing! I switched careers to bioinformatics halfway through medical school in part because programming during a summer research project was so enjoyable. I always described it as immediate gratification, but flow is an even better description. The day can fall away as long (as you aren't stressing too much over a deadline).
I love being in 'the zone'. Especially when I'm reading. It's so nice.
To bad it hasn't happened in a while though.
The Creature Oh yes! The zone while reading is so pleasant
Are you doing drugs its okay you can tell us
like hank said, perhaps try mediation?
The Creature *meditation
Meditate it's similar to reading
Transient Hypofrontality. That is some *_serious_* language aesthetic right there.
Stop thinking, Just do. Not really good advice for most people, but if you're good at what you do its some of the best.
I experience it almost daily when i'm working (i'm an illustrator). It can make drawing anything feel like the most exciting thing ever. Yesterday i was painting some bush and i thought i'm absolutely dominating this bush and it looks hotter than porn. Normally the morning after i'm back to a more level-headed opinion - and to constantly second-guessing and having no faith in myself. Thinking about "what if something goes wrong" and "at the moment i'm not sure how to do this" 100% doesn't help with focusing on and succeeding at a task.
It was interesting to hear what goes on in the brain during flow, i haven't read anything about that aspect of the concept before.
that’s hilarious
amazin
Painting that bush so good the ghost of Bob Ross would be calling you salacious.
John B
A thin coating of liquid hwite
Basically me anytime I draw
22 year old with ADHD here, going into flow is how i hyper focus. Its like a super power for people with ADHD. I work in construction so when i can sheet a roof on a school or do something with just the right amount of repetition that i can get it down, and variety to keep me engaged and interested, I'm almost unstoppable because i can flow, or hyper focus as its sometimes called. Truly blissful where for a person with ADHD who has trouble focusing on mundane tasks.
I usually get in the zone later at night. It’s really annoying when my parents tell me to go to bed because I’m working and it interrupts me. Can’t wait till I can stay up as late as I want lol
I think it’s in part that you don’t have a bunch of other stuff on your mind to distract you.
bad idea
It's ok. I did that for a while until I had kids that need someone to drive them to school. I think it's a personality type. nocturnal beings we are.
"Can’t wait till I can stay up as late as I want" - As soon as you start working a full-time job that consumes almost all of your energy you'll be dreaming of catching more dreams (i.e. sleep).
I feel ya.
Man, this video hits so many good points. As a concert pianist, I practice piano 6 hours every day. I notice that I have the best and most productive practice sessions when I'm definitively working toward a goal instead of practicing old repertoire or whatnot. For instance, this past week I've pulled up my recording equipment and just recorded and criticized every last detail of what I'm working on, trying to match the crystalline quality of professional recordings. Twice this week I've practiced for 2+ hours straight and didn't even realize how my hunger was now stomach-churning until I left the piano.
"Flow" is something we, with AD(H)D Brains, experience a lot when we get into "hyperfocus". It's a thing we fall very easily in and that let us completely depleted, even if we can't stop.
Also, it tends to happens with shiny new experiences, or those pesky should-really-do-that-boring-thing-instead-of-this distractions we get so oft entangled with, instead of being able to choose it.
Bevor we know it, we find ourselves surfing the flow in full.
Cheers!
"Flow" is what I've dubbed as the "Auto Zone", where everything just seems to come to me. Where there's no fear or anxiety of failure. This often happens to me accidentally when I'm commiting to stimulating challenges like competitive Gameing. Alot of times I'm not even the most skilled player, but I'll pull off some stunt that I wasnt capable of until the "Auto Zone" kicks in manifesting potential. What's weird though is that I'm not even fully conscious of it when it happens as it happens, and the momment I get to much praise for it I'm pulled out of it. I assume that with practice I'll be able to sustain this state of mind better. It truly is a fascinating thing though because it's not even me realy, it's like a higher self that paradoxically is & isn't what I consider myself. It's kinda scary.
This is what got me hooked on writing and playing music, drawing, and writing. It's the reason for so many late nights. The cure is usually people.
I was in the zone last night, played difficult (to me) tracks on Beat Saber for 3 hours straight, without even stopping for water. Beat Saber definitely has a clear goal and ongoing feedback.
So basically play Civilization - ongoing feedback, lot of thinking and a clear goal of world domination. No wonder that one more turn lasts several hours.
Hahaha we don't talk about the four other types of victories.
@@jorandebraekeleer7557 idk even know how to get the other victories, I just go for world dominate
I'd love to see a comparision to flow and hyperfocus experienced by people with adhd
I was just thinking the same thing. I relate really well to this for that very reason.
Just had this exact same thought (2 years later!)
If you want to get a flow, just listen to “don’t stop me now”.
There’s just something special with that song.
I get a flow while singing the song but its impossible to work to that song it's to awesome
OMG yes!! It works for me too!
And then 60 Carls appear all over the world.
Drum and bass
I beg to differ. Most if not all of Queen will induce “flow”!!!
Anyone else get flow from cleaning? Because I legit do. There is nothing like scrubbing the gunk off a wall or table top, watching it slowly but inexorably come clean from your own willed effort. Maybe that's just me, but there are few things as consistently rewarding or absorbing to me as a good thorough cleaning. When I hit flow, I can end up cleaning a whole room or floor when all I meant to do was clear off a desk. I've had it happen with writing and coloring too, but most consistently, cleaning. It's magical when I do it right. I dunno, just wanted to throw that out there.
Edwina Cooper Edwina, that’s astonishing! That never happens to me, sadly. There is just the constant inner monologue, “I am going to die of boredom and it’s ruining my fingernails.” It would be so much better and more efficient if I had your response.
@@pencilfriendpaperscribbler6032 I get that, I get that. Heck, for most people I'm sure it's a very repetitive and boring task. I'm not gonna pretend like it isn't. But I don't know, the idea that I'm fixing something, I'm making something better, and that I can see it happening in front of me, that's something. There is an instant gratification with cleaning, but you do have to want to do it, I would say, and not think about it as a chore that you Have to do.
@Edwina Cooper Would you come over and show me how that works? I have plenty of material for you to explain it with.
@@KimberlyLetsGo Good as flow is, I ain't doing that for free.
Edwina Cooper I think it’s terrific to take pleasure in simple things. I’ve tried to cultivate that attitude myself, but after 50 came and went I’ve accepted that it’s just not going to happen where cleaning is concerned ! :)
It's hard getting in the zone when your depression makes everything you do not as engaging as you know it should be, leading one to grow bored of the task quickly and not spend enough time to properly get in to said zone.
But when I get in the zone, it's absolutely riveting. It's like the spark to a fire.
I kept waiting for Hank to try to pronounce "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi," but was never satisfied. :/
It's not hard, you just have to know the rules. ly, cs, sz are just single consonants in Hungarian. ly is how you start "you", cs is how you start "chalk" and sz is how you start "single".
Also, you have to think in individual letters, not in syllabels.
@@pocok5000 Most people I know pronounce his surname like "chick sent me high". Is that correct (never mind the ludicrousness of the mnemonic...)?
@@doubleru Yeah that's pretty close. The vowel in "chick" and "high" should be long, and short in "sent" and "me". Also there's an "i" at the and which sounds like an "e" in english. like in "me". That's the nice thing about Hungarian. Same letter, same sound.
@@doubleru Actually, it's Csíkszentmihályi. Notice that í at the beginning instead of i. i is short, í is long.
Yep. I've experienced this in multiple creative pursuits. I wrote a 110page fanfiction to the movie Let Me in in ~5 days. Had this also with creating artwork for a couple of games as well, organic stuff, giger-esque. it just seemed to come from some previously undiscovered area of my mind, and it was impossible to stop 'seeing' more designs, even when i was trying to fall asleep.
I'm glad you exist scishow ❤❤❤
I have absolutely experienced flow. Specifically when writing. It is sort of draining but I have written a lot in a fairly short amount of time. Best way for me is listening to suitable music, being uninterrupted and being alone. No cafe's for me.
Same here. Had major flow with writing and artwork creation.
I experience this when I'm out on a joyride in my car. Shifting gears and controlling the movement of the vehicle as precisely as possible always makes me feel good.
I've been in the zone quite often sparing in martial arts, video gaming, and when I was young hacky sacking. It paradoxically gives you tunnel vision on the task and expanded peripheral vision. The world slows down, and it feels like you're running on instinct or autopilot, but you're in total control.
This explains snow plowing for me. I like tractors and operating them. I plow snow with a tractor commercially. every part of it perfectly fits all this description. I end up plowing for 16+ hours without eating or stopping. I enjoy it and it feels rewarding as there is a clear result and goal.
Rock climbing as an example activity that promotes a flow state:
*Clear goal* - Reach the top.
*On going feedback* - Grab a ledge. Pull. You become closer or farther away from the top.
*Goldilocks difficulty* - It takes true effort to make progress, but you're not in pain, fear, or real distress.
Interesting, I get this almost every time I draw. It's so nice to just slip into my work and listen to whatever on youtube while drawing, really helps me feel better when i'm lonely or depressed, and helps to kill time when the day feels like it'll never end.
I get this feeling from time to time in games, when reading or writing. Or even during a match of badminton. It's just amazing.
As a tattoo artist, I can attest to the beauty of being in the zone. Nothing greater, honestly. It's my Zen.
It’s like you’re so good / conditioned for that specific task that it basically becomes instinct. There’s no reason to think too much about the task so you’re free to think about other things while doing it- or think about nothing at all.
I remember being in the zone as a goalkeeper. I had total awareness of where everyone was positioned and where the ball was, no outside noise just the playing field. Knowing where the ball was going to be and blocking shots. As a captain it also felt like a chess game as I gave directions to my defense and other players. It feels great.
It's been awhile since I've been in the zone. I miss that feeling.
Thats that feeling i get when im playing with the band...it gets to a point where all of us(the drummer..keyboardist..and me on bass)are in that zone. Every key hit..string plucked..drum strike is perfection.
I feel like this could be really motivating and helpful for people to hear. I already was having little thoughts about this sort of idea in my head. So having some more structure to those ideas nice. I liked the video
was playing tennis once and was winning 5 games to zero. I then realized how good I was doing and the fact that I was in the zone. As soon as I had that thought, I could feel myself come out of the zone and instantly knew something inside of me had changed.
I lost that match.
In the book Pragmatic Thinking & Learning: refactoring your wetware, it’s suggested to trace copy an image upside down. This is also a difficult task with continuous feedback. The difficulty of the task causes one to think only of the task at hand, and nothing else, which is why practicing mindfulness can work too.
I've felt this twice in my life: studying for an exam happening in 4 days that I hadn't even attended classes for, and when I went running, and managed to run for 9 miles straight despite never making it past 3 before
i always was aware of the idea of flow but i never fully understood it nor could i explain it. if anything it was kinda like a theory that their was something about the flow of mind..
then you guys just came in and explained it soo well. freaken amazing.
the tetris effect is a great example of flow. strong tetris players cane zone out for hours. I imagine something similar happens with a lot of video games, like smash.
This is an excellent video. Well researched content and brilliant presentation. Thanks for your help.
I think challenge is only necessary for total flow. Look at how easily people get absorbed in challenge-free activities like social media, and slot machine players "in the zone." Simple leveling-up in an RPG can be fun and motivating even when it's extremely easy, especially early on when you're gaining new abilities very quickly.
I think that's a low-grade flow that zombifies people, reducing their awareness of self. When challenge enters the picture, IE when lots of focus is required to succeed at the task, you get a more intense, exciting state. Your working memory is too overloaded to pay any attention to yourself at all, and your default mode network shuts off completely.
You're reward-focused in both states. But when rewards are dependent on spending your focus entirely on the task, your brain will shift focus away from background tasks and engage fully with what you're trying to accomplish. This requires two things: 1. cognitive work is necessary to achieve the reward, and 2. the reward's value is not exactly known (which can mean the actual value of the reward, the probability of achieving it, or both).
When the reward's value IS known, your brain is less excited by it. You're more motivated to explore promising new sources of value than to work on existing ones. Your motivational system is basically a valuation system, and nothing excites it like new, high-potential rewards. That research goes all the way back to rats pressing levers.
They feel different enough to me that I personally wouldn’t group them. For whatever reason the constant dopamine drip you get from social media and slot machines feels like I have little choice in the matter, like an addiction. Flow feels like part of what you’re suggesting, everything else getting out of the way.
For whatever reason it doesn’t have any ‘can’t tear myself away” feeling. When I’m in flow if I’ve set an alarm to go to bed I can just stop, appreciate the progress/feeling, and go to bed. With gaming or social media or what have you the “one more minute” feeling is nearly overwhelming and it’ll be at least another hour before I manage to stop myself.
(To be clear, I really appreciate your thoughtful post and nodded along to most of it. Thanks for that.)
@@matthewfrederick8789 I'm not sure if I would group them as quite the same thing either, but the video refers to social media, endless google searches, and an addictive quality of flow. That might be accurate.
I think there's also a tendency to assume flow is always a positive thing, and to reject examples that don't fit with that.
i feel like one easy way to study would be flow during people playing games. that's where i've experienced it. and since its an activity that doesnt require any movement, it should be easier to monitor whats going on.
eye opening, a state of mind im fond of but could never explain to others or even myself. Liked, Shared, & Subscribed.
As an athlete I experienced this all the time! I trained it since I was younger and now it's a blessing and a curse. A blessing as I would get in this flow state whenever I need such as every time I wrote an essay but now if I'm thinking about something too deeply I experience it too and I have no sense of what is going on around me which isn't great in social situations 😂
Im am an athlete too sometimes I am in the flow then I notice I am in the flow then I am not in the flow anymore
Someone told me to not rely on the flow when you need it the most
How you do that? May you please explain it? I still gathering some information about this topic ,to find which work best for me
From all my experiences with the zone/flow, I believe you may not need to be highly skilled in the task your completing. I’ve played on a basketball team for years now, and though I wasn’t able to reach flow in the beginning, I did once I picked up a few skills. So you may not need to be incredibly skilled, but still have a bit of skill. You also need to be confident in your skills. I wasn’t that good but I was still able to reach flow because I was confident in the skills I currently had. You should focus completely on the task at hand, but you shouldn’t WANT to reach flow, you need to let it happen naturally. I believe that flow is your peak performance at whatever level of skill you are on. A few weeks ago I entered flow in a normal 2v2 with my friends in basketball. I hit every shot and pulled off crazy combo dribble moves I wouldn’t have even thought about doing regularly. I was able to enter flow because I was up against two good players on my team, and my teammate is very new to basketball, so you also need to challenge yourself to enter flow.
However like the guy said in the video, take my thoughts with a grain of salt, how I enter flow could be different to how you enter flow.
when Hank's flowing, he records 10 videos in a row, without blinking or breathing, across all of his channels and platforms.
A year later, but so what you're saying is... I need to be Ultra Instinct.
Excellent video! I'm glad researchers are studying this, now. When we know more about the flow, we can consciously achieve it to get to our goals. And that's a good idea especially at work.
It has happened often enough when I wrote my first book during nanowrimo(.com)
It was a if the story fell out of my head!
As a programmer, sometimes you get that task where it's the right amount of challenging and fun and you get right in the zone. If it's too easy you usually get a bit distracted cause it gets monotonous. Too hard and you just sit there thinking but not typing.
That's helpful, thanks SciShow!
For me, welding does this. When it's all set up, all the metal is clean and properly beveled and ready, and then I can just go for it with the tig torch and watch that mesmerizing little pool of liquid metal dance around and seal the join. It's just awesome.
That’s why I love math. It has a clear goal and pretty much ongoing feedback and it’s just so relaxing to do haha
"We stop thinking so hard."
Finding solutions in a sec is the best feeling in chess, systems analysis, and in programming.
I have found myself on this, not so often when I draw (since my traces are super clumsy so I have to redo lines a lot, but still get there) but with videogames, but not just any, but ones that have a good deal of movements and flow between em. Oddly enough it happens more on older first person videogames where advanced movement have many movement techniques that flow and lead one to the next and just generates this great feeling of just, flowing through a place.
But the most effective one for me is... Super Hexagon. You know that game with the triangle you spin around a hexagon dodging walls? Holy hell, I can outright meditate with it, literally. My eyes stop focusing on anything, mind goes blank, lose track of time and myself. I immediately start again when I lose, just a constant flow, not caring if I lose or paying attention to my times... and I always get my highest times when I'm fully immersed like that.
this is why mobas like LoL and DotA are so addictive. just enough things to keep track of and just enough actions to optimize.
I feel called out. Perhaps I'm lucky but I'm able to reach this 'flow' state reliably. For me the danger is staying there too much to the exclusion of eating, or cleaning my apartment. I would also point out that while we've only recently called it 'flow', this euphoric state has existed perhaps throughout human history. It's the inspiration for the 7 Muses.
Also important to note that a flow state doesn't cancel out fatigue or the need for sleep. Even if you're in the zone, time will simply pass faster while you're ignoring it.
Gardening does it for me. I can't wait till Spring
Getting into that zone is the main goal when I'm speedrunning my favorite game. The first step is for me is to brush off any mistakes as negligible and keep morale high. But to keep that going, I really need a distraction. Something interesting enough for me to think about, but not too distracting that I want to interact with or watch it. Luckily, the game is very rewarding when played well, so there's plenty of motivation if the first two requirements are continually met.
I reach flow when I play DDR and see that I get better each round. It's awesome!
Simplicity is difficult for most people on earth right now, trapped in their mind. But FLOW is Energy in Motion, e~motions. It has everything to do with being emotional. Being Desirous and Passionate. Being in Your Soul, You the Real You, Engaged, Conscious. You are not your Mind, close your eyes picture a blue butterfly or whatever you want. Notice YOU are the ONE Looking @ Your Mind, hence therefore YOU are not your Mind. Your Mind Translates INTEL, Energy in Motion, e~motions so fast you "think" you are your mind, you are not, You are the Conscious Being using a Mind which resides in your Spirit Body, it's Language is Thoughts, Then Your Physical Body's Brain Translates Thoughts into it's Language Words. You Soul, Your Language is emotions. They are very very very very very very FAST...in the FLOW
Bloodborne taught me to trigger "flow state" on command. I can do it with most things I try now, if I really try and focus. It happened before, but it was inconsistent. But Bloodborne... it teaches you it in a totally distinct way that sticks with you.
3:08 that’s my favorite kind of cocktail. Also the only kind I can drink
The writer was in the zone when they came up with this one.
Now I know what to call the phenomenon where in exams I perform so well and think so vividly that if I were to do it again OUT of the exams, I'd be confused and begin praising myself for being so smart back then
When I was part of national team I was in the zone sometimes. Always having a personal best when it happens. It is very addictive and that is the trick. It happens or it doesn't, you cannot force it. When you had it, you want it badly but doesn't work that way. It is like going to sleep with music volume set to 11.
Ultra Instinct!
Ultra Valor!
Damn you said it before me
Yep cue the music 🎶
I've felt the "zone" a few times. Its the feeling of being able to block out everything else. If you want to simulate it somewhat, a sparring session in boxing or martial arts can probably get you partway there.
i've only achieved flow a few times in my life. most recently when building my pc, i spent 6 hours working on it non-stop and enjoyed every bit of it. i think it was the fact that i had a clear objrctive that i was working towards, like you said in the video.
Hyper focusing as I've heard it called too. And oh man when I get in the zone. I go nuts, everything else is forgotten about. Even at times having to force myself to sleep. But I get a whole lot done I never would have. Or what would have taken me weeks, gets done in a day or two. The only not so nice thing is when you crash afterwards as it can mentally take a lot out of you. But sometimes it is worth the price in what one gets done.
How you do that man? May you please explain it? Or you realised some pattern to got to that point?
I get into the flow very easy, I can induce it at almost will. The more challenging the task the better, if I can push past my anxiety or if the task isn't social required of me. I can do it with physical tasks or I can with math tests. It really depends. I wouldn't say it makes one happier as a person but for the short term it certainly does elevate mood.
I'm glad I don't only experience it, though I do find it interesting that others have harder time reaching it then I do.
i get into flow when i'm drawing! my fitbit registered it as a nap once, which i find pretty funny and fascinating
The only time I've been "in the zone" is playing video games or sleeping...
This is the topic of the Inner Game books by Timothy Gallway and it focuses on people who struggle to get into flow. It’s a really good read
I'm grateful this video exists, I needed a quick, scientific explanation, after watching a video on synchronicity
That was enlightening. Programming is my source of flow.
Clear goal. Ongoing feedback. (Usually) correct difficulty.
I definitely get tha flows when playing skill-intensive video games. "What!? It's 4 AM!?"
This is exactly what I was experiencing in a game development jam the last days.
I often get into the "flow" when im drawing
Gotta say, flow in home office (including recreational drugs) is quite the fantastic experience
No face to face human interaction and 100% artificial lighting. That's what gets me flowing.
I watch this. I watch down at what my hands are doing. I'm holding my rubics cube in my hands. It's solved, again. I start mixing it back.
A clear goal and ongoing feedback. I do this all the time i'm awake. And interestingly it kind of transfers to other things i do too. When my hands are moving and my mind is lazily solving the next step, it's way easier to concentrate on other things.
Oh. And needing the highish level of skill may explain why i enjoy 5x5 more nowadays. Doing this faster just doesn't interest me as much, so getting the difficulty increase has to come from some other place.
Flow is when you dont bring up the scoreboard and at the end of the game you are number one.
It happens to me when playing instruments, sometimes virtual instruments, it's the same.
Once it went stronger than ever, I felt as if I were out of my body, looking my hands moving along the frets of my guitar, as if I wasn't myself, just an observer....scary, and weird! I was aware of observing me from outside.
PS: it was a challenging and complex musical exercise. It sucked me IN. When I mastered it, the magic disappeared. It happens when I practice a new challenging technical skill, or a new idea or motif.
The Narcolepsy drug Modafinil beloved of Silicon Valley and college campuses across the world is 'Flow' in pill form. Its called the 'Limitless' drug from that movie but its nothing like that at all. When people ask me to describe its effects I tell them, 'it doesn't give me superpowers or any kind of addictive high, it just makes those random 'in the zone' type days where you are performing to the best of your innate abilities, where everything goes right, nothing fazes you, it makes those random days into 'on demand' days just by taking the pill. Its addictive only in so far as who wouldn't want to be at their best every day.
this used to happen to me from time to time on a basketball court, in my lost youth. after a few good plays, I'd snap out of it and have no recollection of exactly how I did those things.
I found flow when cutting firewood today. Time went by quickly and the entire tree was stacked up without one "arg" or frustration.
Happens most when there are no managers around, and no stupid meetings. Working from home is good for flow: MY music at MY volume, TY!
This is also sometimes referred to as limnal time. It's behind some monks meditation, & is closely associated with theta waves in the brain, or 4-cycle per second brainwaves. Monks often use chants based on multiples of the 4-cycle speed. I've experienced this in many scenarios. Running or hiking, playing Tetris or Bejeweled, or during complex, repetitive tasks.
I get this when I play instruments. I'll start playing something I like and everything else drops away, including my band director telling me to shut up. It's really nice.
This is another reason I love making art. Easier to get there at 3am. Next day at work is going to suck though.
I've got a little anecdote regarding flow:
I have no clue how old I was, maybe 12. (Definitely before the growth spurt, which was somewhere between 13 and 14 for me) I have no clue what exactly I was doing, but I was programming something. (I started programming when I was 8, so I was already quite good at it)
Not a clue what I was working on and not a clue how long I worked on it, but I distinctly remember needing the result of 7+8 for something at the end of it and just looking at it for like 15 seconds without coming to an answer. I was so mentally exhausted I could not do this incredibly simple calculation. (Or a similarly simple one - it was an addition of two one-digit numbers, not necessarily these ones)
That made me aware of what was happening and I decided I needed to finally take a break, so I went downstairs to watch some TV. Even then, it took quite a while for me to relay, as I was still thinking about that programming task. Eventually I managed to lose myself in the TV, though. I actually have no recollection of it - at the end of the show I just realised I managed to relax :D
Thank you. I am carrying this since 10 years with me since I have discovered that my best results were achived this way. People were looking strange when I have been trying to explain it. Now I am glad to know that this is not some mental problem. 😆 However, when I am in the zone I do not feel comfortable with other people. It also takes some time to come back from the zone until I like people's presence. So I am not very happy about spontaneous visits while in the zone. Does anybody else experienced something similar?
for me, I have a basic way to get there; fighting games and distraction.
I grew up playing mortal kombat and street fighter, so if I am playing any game like that I just 'get it'. When playing friends, I often don't really try that hard or anything and just have fun.. but if they distract me with conversation, I both converse with them and enter flow while playing the game. and I'm really fricken good when in flow. just like I blank out and win without even looking at the screen.
Distraction may be a convenient research tool.
State of Mind or MOOD is more important than the task itself!!!!
This is some really good advice. It only occurred to me to try to use Mindful Meditation *during* a task as a way to focus on it while I was watching this video.
Intersting. How do you manage to meditate while focused on another task? I did a bit of Headspace (not much), and it seems that meditation requires being focused on yourself, not something external... No?
@@b33thr33kay Well, I meant to say it never occurred to me, therefore I will try it. That sad, I usually focus on a single spot on the wall, and counting my timing while doing controlled breathing to help reduce anxiety. (two-in-one! :D)
I am curious about Headspace. What do you mean? I've never heard of that.
@@brynshannon6692 It's a mobile app for meditation. Some of it is available for free, but for everything else you will need to purchase a subscription.
@@brynshannon6692 Yeah, what Daniel said: it's an app/service for mindfulness meditation.
Thanks a lot for the tip!
We learned about this in out Gameplay classes when I was learning to become a game dev.
I get this when I 3D model, i can go for several hours non stop.