“Control of consciousness determines the quality of life.”
― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
In future posts we will be talking a lot about the multitude of virtues of flow hacking as a method to improve our lives and work towards being a better man every day.
In a nutshell, flow state is a state of consciousness that we enter while performing a task that is challenging yet rewarding. During flow we lose two things….our self doubt and awareness of time passing….both good things. Without self doubt we push ourselves further, faster. Losing awareness of time passing means we are 100% focused and enjoying the experience.
The biggie being the loss of self doubt of course.
Studies show that when we lose self doubt and get into flow, where time seems to not exist, our quality and quantity of work increases tenfold. From my personal experience, it’s very easy to see the improvement. It can be shocking to experience such a boost!
When it comes to sports and leisure activities, flow state can bring an even greater experience and incredible results. Most athletes and extreme adventurers are well versed in the art of flow hacking.
If you have ever spent time watching a great movie, having a gratifying conversation, or working on a rewarding project and then realized two hours has past, when it felt like 20 minutes tops, then you have experienced a naturally occurring flow state. You didn’t have to hack into flow, flow just happened.
The art of being able to enter flow state at will is called Flow Hacking.
The ability to hack into flow at will and make work, creative endeavors, and adventures 10X more efficient and 10X more rewarding is a powerful concept. Not only that, anyone can hack into flow. It just takes some practice.
Flow has been called a state of optimal human performance because when we are in flow we perform substantially better and come closer to our FULL potential than when we are not in flow.
Personally I find having to work outside of flow a daunting task. When all I have to rely on is brute force and willpower, I typically struggle mightily. On the flip side, when I hack into flow state work feels effortless, unforced, and incredibly gratifying.
I am not going to delve into the topic here in this post, I just wanted to introduce the conversation as something we will be covering a lot in future posts.
For now, I have included a few links below to get you started with flow hacking.
Scroll down to the bottom of this page and enter your email address to join The Manly Club and follow along as we explore ways we all can become better men each and every day!
Onward!
UNLOCK YOUR CREATIVITY: 7 STAGES TO EXPERIENCING “THE ZONE” + WHY IT’S GOOD FOR YOU
HOW TO ENTER THE ‘FLOW STATE’ ANY TIME: 4 SIMPLE STEPS
Understanding Flow Triggers, with Steven Kotler
