In The Flow

The flow, aka the zone, is ” the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.” (trusted source: Wikipedia).

That glorious place where magic happens: in the flow.

Have you ever snapped out of Flow and wondered where the hell the hours have gone? After many hours of labor or skill, expecting to be exhausted, but instead feeling energized, buzzing, feeling alive. Flow is a place where we can create, complete, progress. Essentially, Flow is the place where we make sh*it happen.

We unwittingly fall into Flow, how can we intentionally cultivate Flow? Perhaps by examining the times we re-emerged from Flow, we may be able to pinpoint a specific thing that fosters Flow. Or, perhaps there is a through line for each of us to fall into our own Flow.

I examined my Flow and uncovered two through lines. My Flow comes from either: doing an activity that I truly and deeply enjoy; or, being up against a deadline, after procrastinating as long as possible, and having no other option than to just get sh*it done.

I can get lost on the ice for hours, or lost meandering through a good book. Or lost in a project with a looming deadline, knowing that the rush of completing the task in the nick of time will feel worth the stress inherent in the time spent procrastinating.