Flow: Being in the Zone - Terry Ng

Flow – Being in the Zone

How To Forget to Eat, Sleep, and PoopBy: Terry Ng

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

What is flow?

What is flow?• Time passes by more quickly

What is flow?• All your attention is dedicated to the task• You lose the notion of “self”

What is flow?• The best moments of your life

What is flow?• Growth

Flow vs relaxation• “Flow occurs when either a person’s body or mind is stretched to its

limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”• The activity may not be pleasant i.e. your legs ache during a marathon

How to achieve flow – select a challenge• A challenge matched appropriately with skill level

How to achieve flow – clarify goals• Make it as unambiguous as possible 1) be the first sprinter to run pass the finish line vs2) be a successful entrepreneur

How to achieve flow – get immediate feedback• Flow occurs when you are receiving a constant stream of feedback

suggesting you are doing all right

How to achieve flow – concentrate• Where is your attention directed?10% on how good you’re doing10% on if you are even competent enough20% on whether you should be doing something else5% on if people are judging you right now55% on the task

How to achieve flow – lack of worry• Let the worst happen and prove to yourself that it’s not bad

So why is it hard to achieve flow?• Initial investment of energy and attention• Threat against self

Universal flow activities: socializing• Why? They are forced to continually invest their attention at the other

person, no time to wonder about other things• Flow is noticeably experienced when somebody brings up an

awesome topic or a common goal

Universal flow activities: reading• Why?

Flow during free time• With our free time, we lack a clear purpose like we have at work• Americans spend more free time on activities that are less likely to

produce flow i.e. T.V.• Games and sports have clearly defined rules and goals

Flow at work• Surprisingly, more flow is experienced at work than during free time• So why do we hate work?

So what can you do now?• Whatever you are pursuing now, considering setting your own intrinsic

goals and metrics that allow for an ongoing stream of feedback• Follow the “do-something” principle• Read on the beach

THANKS