2023-07-27 19:10:48
Five keys to achieving the state of flow
1. Set challenging goals according to our abilities. If we set ourselves goals that are routine, unattractive, or even beyond our competencies, we will not reach this state, we will feel demotivated and even frustrated. Various investigations indicate that the state of flow is reached with the sensation of having left the routines of daily life towards a different reality. Establishing clear and exciting goals is an essential step, some of which may be:
Clarify our abilities and set objectives linked to them. Try to make our goals challenging, but also realistic. Break down our goals into small steps to work on them on a day-to-day basis. Draw a work plan and be disciplined. Review our goals from time to time to make sure they continue to motivate us.
2. Focus each time on a single task. If there is a voracious and destructive enemy for productivity and creative thinking, it is multitasking. An article in the magazine Cerebrum emphasizes that, when doing several things at once, the brain slows down and concentration worsens. This is because those areas linked to focus, such as the frontoparietal and dorsal attention control networks, have limited capabilities. If we want to enhance the state of flow, we must take into account the following guidelines that will help us focus:
Accomplish a single task every time. Focus all our attention on a single goal. Disconnect cell phone notifications. Work in a quiet space where there are no environmental stimuli.
3. Give us positive feedback. If we doubt ourselves when we carry out a task, it will be difficult for us to reach this highly valuable cognitive state, because one of the keys to reaching the flow state is to offer ourselves positive reinforcement that increases our self-efficacy. To improve our positive feedback we must:
Enjoy of process. Appreciate the effort what do we do. Analyze our achievements and feel proud Feel how our skills allow forward. To feel how time ceases to exist while we work. Accompany our work with positive messages and empowering. delight ourselves with the rewarding emotions that arise when we do something we like.
4. Do not force ourselves, trust and let ourselves go (flow). While we work, we innovate and we focus on producing something creative and that is when the term flow makes more sense. This is because we are facing a cognitive exercise in which the brain does not feel stress, but is motivated, concentrated and, in turn, releasing dopamine and endorphins. They are gratifying experiences in which we always give our best. The challenge is to move from an explicit (forced) to an implicit (automatic) cognitive control and for that, it will be useful to reflect on the following:
Trust always in our competitions. Try to enjoy the process and get carried away. To switch off negative thoughts and our inner critic. Remember that whenever the task is motivating we will reach the flow state. reduce our self demand. Focus our attention on the task and think that, at that moment, only we and ourselves exist in the world. our challenge.
5. Keep in mind the “blockers” of the flow state. Every cognitive process has its own blocking element or process that can boycott our performance. It is important to remember that the flow state experience is a delicate state that is difficult to achieve and the reason why not everyone achieves it is because they do not control a series of processes. To achieve this state, these variables must be taken into account:
The optimal flow experience is not achieved if we feel anxiety or stress. In case the task is not according to our abilitiesit will not be possible to materialize it. The distractions they are the worst enemies for the flow. Likewise, the lack of motivation and fatigue also condition it.
Benefits of the flow state
When Csikszentmihalyi introduced his theory on this concept, he described it as a tool to achieve happiness. In a way, when we manage to concentrate on a task or situation, our mind always offers the best of itself. Thanks to this, we achieve goals, solve challenges and enhance our well-being. The main benefits of implementing the keys to reach the flow state are:
strengthen the self-esteem. develop the self-efficacy. Achieve create ideas more innovative. Improve the Commitment to work. Trust us more for achieve our goals. work with older feeling of happiness. Tune in our emotions and thoughts. Improve concentration and apply it to all areas of our life.
Fields of application of the flow state
This cognitive experience is useful in many spheres of our society and can be applied in the following areas:
flow at work The keys described act as tools of great importance to increase productivity and innovative thinking in all work settings. In educational fields. If at present the teaching of this experience developed by positive psychology were included in schools, we could enhance the creativity and performance of students. In the world of sports. Every athlete can improve their performance if they apply a more concentrated mental focus, in which, in turn, those positive emotions motivated by self-efficacy, confidence and well-being are integrated. Flow in artistic activities. Surely you have guessed it. This experience is ideal to promote that creative mind that wishes to develop in the world of art in all its forms, such as painting, writing, music, etc. Flow in personal well-being. This tool stands as an enriching mechanism to optimize the well-being of everyone. It is a way of training the mind to focus on immediate reality, letting go and feeling how the imagination expands and new ideas emerge.
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