Achieving the State of Flow

The state of flow is the best state to be in, no matter what you're doing or experiencing.

I define the state of flow as:

The state you're in when you're so focused on something that you forget almost everything else except for that thing.

You've experienced the state of flow before. Think back to:

• A work session that was challenging enough to keep your attention.
• A chatty session with friends that was so engaging you could keep talking.
• A day spent looking at nature, where you felt like you could do it forever.

Here are some characteristics of the state of flow:

• You forget about time; you don't know how long you've been doing it.
• You don't have a lot of thoughts in your mind, just one goal or one thing at a time.
• You feel a sense of bliss from taking part in that activity.
• You don't feel hungry.

Why is the state of flow so blissful? Because you're not worrying about the past or feeling anxious about the future; you're present in the very moment.

How can you visualize the state of flow? I came up with a concept called "Attention Bandwidth Points (ABP)." We experience life as a stream, and at any given moment, we have limited ABP that we can give to anything we want. If most of our ABP is given to one task or event, that means we're in the state of flow. At this stage, we don't have enough ABP to pay attention to time, other thoughts, or hunger.

It's easier to get into the state of flow if you already have enough ABP to spend. If you don't, then you have to make an effort to free up some ABP from other distractions or thoughts.

Here are some ABP management and hacking tips:

Restart

A good nap can clear your mind and help you start fresh with a blank slate.

Use Transitionary Activity

Focus on another activity that can take up your ABP faster and then release your focus on that, such as working out or doing something intense.

Fill up ABP with nondistracting events

Sometimes, you might be working on a boring task that doesn't hold your attention. In this case, you need to have enough challenges in that activity to keep your focus. Music and a good environment can help fix that gap.

When I code, I listen to music 90% of the time. I just vibe to the music and code automatically.

Increase or Decrease Challenge

Any activity you do should be challenging enough to keep your focus but not too challenging to frustrate you or make you give up. Break down your work and carve it to match your expertise. Notice your inner feelings when you're engaged in something and adapt your surroundings and tasks to optimize and get into the state of flow.

Hook a time/place/event to the state of flow

I actually wrote this article in the state of flow. These days, I come to the rooftop of my apartment to write, and I can start without getting distracted because of the hook I've attached over the past 5-6 days.

There are other life hacks you can use to get into the state of flow, which I'll speak about later. These are the most general tips I can think of for now.

Happy life hacking!