Five Steps to Cultivate a State of Flow for More Happiness

Flow can make you more productive and happy. Take these steps to find your flow.

Posted November 28, 2018 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Have you ever found yourself so immersed in a task that everything around you seemed to fade into the background, a zen-like focus getting you so “in the zone” that time stood still?

Science has long shown that a flow state is the pillar of peak performance . There are numerous benefits associated with being in this state, including enhanced concentration , feelings of control, and improved productivity .

But now we’re learning that there is another important outcome that accompanies flow. One that has gone unnoticed: happiness .

Research shows that flow is a precursor to well-being and general life satisfaction. People who are happier find themselves in flow states more often and for longer periods of time.

The originator of flow theory, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, says that the rewards of flow are inexhaustible and boundless. He argues that during such a state, the activities being done (whether it’s a sport, art, business, or socializing) become intrinsically valuable. The acts themselves become worth doing for their own sake. The type of happiness that flow induces isn’t a fleeting hedonism. It’s a lasting sense of personal meaning and fulfillment.

And now researchers are keen on finding ways to get everyday normal people to enter into flow through daily activities. Flow and positive emotionality, it’s now believed, can be cultivated. It’s a matter of changing your mindset. Here are five different ways you can find more flow.

Make your intentions clear.

Flow is based on the system in the brain called intention memory . Rather than storing information from the past, this memory system allows you to be proactive by planning ahead. To activate it, consider the following:

Stick to one goal at a time.

Flow is all about implementing one goal at a time. We often convince ourselves that multitasking is the way to do things, but it’s not. It makes us inefficient and leads to countless distractions.

Luckily, research suggests that there is a way to protect you and your goals from all the outside noise. According to the model of motivation , taking an “action-orientation” to your behaviors can help keep you on track towards achieving a single goal. Do the following:

Practice mindfulness .

Being mindful means you’re focused on the present moment in a non-judgmental fashion.

A study found that athletes who engaged in a six-week mindfulness training program were significantly more likely to experience flow during their performance . Here are a few ways to engage in mindfulness:

Develop an autotelic style.

People with an autotelic style personality find pleasure in the task itself, rather than using that task as a stepping stone to advance their career or relationships. These individuals can balance work and play, resulting in greater enjoyment of life . They have no trouble getting into a state of flow. Here are a few tips to live like an autotelic person:

Find the balance between skill and challenge.

To enter a state of flow, you need to find a balance between the challenge level of a task and your skill level. If this balance is not met, you may experience feelings such as anxiety and worry. Find this balance by doing the following:

A version of this also appears on Health Central.

Csikszenthmihalyi, M. (2014). Toward a psychology of optimal experience. In: Flow and the foundations of positive psychology. Springer, Dordrecht.

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Nick Hobson, Ph.D. is a behavioral scientist and practitioner at the University of Toronto; Leandra McIntosh and Maryam Marashi are students at the University of Toronto.

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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.