Most of us probably think of flow state as a special mental state reserved for elite athletes and champion chess players, but anyone can tap into the flow state! In addition to being available to anyone, you can unlock the flow state in almost any activity–from walking your dog to cooking dinner. This post will discuss the different ways to find flow in daily life.
1. Immerse yourself fully
The first requirement for entering the flow state is total immersion. You have to invest your full attention in whatever you’re doing. This might be easy for complex and demanding tasks, such as writing a timed essay or playing a game of speed chess, but for day-to-day chores, we tend to do these things without being present.
Think about the last time you brushed your teeth or washed the dishes. We write off these tasks as mundane chores that have to be completed, but these are also opportunities to be in the flow state! For that to happen though, we have to be fully present in what we’re doing.
What’s the point?
I know what you’re thinking–what’s the point of being fully present when I’m brushing my teeth? Well, I assume if you’re reading this post then you’re interested in learning how to find flow in your daily life, and I’m here to tell you the first step is this: be present.
Not only do you need to be present, but you need to be fully immersed. It sounds silly to direct your undivided attention to brushing your teeth, but this step is essential to finding flow.
Ordering your consciousness
When we direct our full attention towards a task, no matter how simple it is, we are bringing order to our consciousness, our mental space. According to the famous flow psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, being in the flow state is all about reducing the chaos in our minds.
Our minds are in a natural state of confusion, or psychic entropy as Csikszentmihalyi calls it, and it’s only when we are fully present in action that this state of entropy is reduced. Next time you are brushing your teeth, try being fully present: feel the bristles brush against your teeth, notice the sharp, minty taste of the toothpaste, immerse yourself in the experience.
You’ll find yourself forgetting about that assignment due tomorrow or that your mother-in-law is coming to visit, and momentarily, the world stood still because you were brushing your teeth.
2. Have a goal
Having a goal in mind is another important step on how to find flow in daily life. This facilitates flow because it further decreases the entropy in our minds. Using our mental resources to accomplish a goal leaves less room for our minds to wander and introduce more chaos, which is not conducive to being in flow.
If we revisit the example of brushing our teeth, the goal there is simple: to brush all our teeth evenly with the toothbrush. We can apply this to other events in our daily lives too–going to the grocery store, catching up with a friend, walking our dog. Each of these things has a goal.
So far, we’ve talked about being fully immersed and having a goal for whatever you’re doing; the next thing we need is a challenge.
3. Match the Challenge to Your Skillset
It’s not enough to fully immerse yourself in carrying out a goal; you also have to be challenged. More specifically, the challenge has to match your skill set. This means that the opportunity provided by the task at hand needs to engage the entire range of your abilities. Let’s revisit the example of brushing our teeth.
For most of us, brushing our teeth is not challenging; we simply move the toothbrush around for a few minutes (or less) and then we rinse our mouths. But for this to be a flow activity, we have to introduce more complexity.
More demands mean more engagement
An appropriate challenge while brushing our teeth could be making sure we spend the same amount of time on each tooth. In order to do this, you’d need to strategize.
How much time do I allot to each quadrant of my mouth? After figuring that out, you’d need to calculate how much time to spend on each individual tooth. Finally, you would have to decide how to keep track of the time. Would you count in your head? Or use a timer?
Notice how we transformed a simple nighttime routine into a more engaging task. We introduced a challenge that demands more of our skill set. Besides physically moving the toothbrush, we now have to perform mathematical operations and keep track of time.
But we’re not there yet! There’s one more step before we can truly unlock the flow state.
4. Notice the Feedback
The final ingredient of flow is feedback. It’s crucial we have a sense of how well we’re performing; this allows us to adapt and adjust our actions, which again, keeps us engaged and fully immersed in what we’re doing.
The activity itself usually provides this feedback. A basketball player knows immediately whether a shot goes in. The cook tastes their dish and knows whether it needs more salt. When I’m climbing, my sense of balance tells me whether I’ve positioned myself correctly on the rock.
Without feedback, we would be mindlessly carrying out our tasks, not knowing whether we’re on the right path.
Feedback in our daily lives
In the example of brushing our teeth, our goal was to brush each tooth for the same amount of time. If we use an electronic toothbrush, which beeps every 30 seconds, then the beeping provides feedback regarding our pacing. However, if we’re using a regular toothbrush, then we might use a timer to help us maintain the right pace.
It’s about the effort
I want to end the post by saying that finding flow isn’t about achieving your goal, or incorporating random challenges into your day–it’s about the effort you put in. In other words, being in the flow state on a daily basis is actively engaging with your life.
So the next time you want to find flow in daily life, remember:
Immerse yourself fully.
Set a clear goal.
Match challenge to skill.
Pay attention to feedback.
Do that, and you’ll discover that flow isn’t just something that happens to you by accident—it’s something you can invite into your life every single day.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like my other post about how to find joy in the process, And as always, let me know in the comments if you found any of this helpful!
