7 Ways to Connect to the Speed of Flow State for Better Performance

The Flow State was first coined by Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975. He referred to it as a mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

It’s not just a state of focus, but one that combines brain activity and positive emotions together. A state of timelessness, happiness, clarity, focus and intrinsic motivation.

In this mental state of flow, it is the only time the brain will produce all 5 of our so-called feel-good hormones together.  

Norepinephrine, dopamine, endorphins, anandamide, and serotonin. All five affect performance.

Norepinephrine and dopamine improve focus, helping us shut out our distractions in an always-on, always-busy world. 

Endorphins block pain, allowing us to push further without burning out as quickly.

Anandamide allows us to make better lateral connections and promotes the mental space we need for new ideas and clarity.

And serotonin, helps improve people to connect and bond together essential in creating motivated and happy teams.

A 10-year study conducted by McKinsey also found:

1. Top executives reported being five times more productive in flow.  In other words, spend one day of your week in flow and you’ll get as much done as your peers can in a week. 

2. If Leaders increase the time spent in flow by 15-20%, overall workplace productivity would almost double.

3. In a study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, researchers found that employees who experienced flow at work had higher job satisfaction, fewer absences, and higher levels of productivity.

In other words, the better we can become at maintaining a stronger mental state with our thoughts and emotions, the more effortlessly we can optimise our performance. And the good news for high achievers is that it requires an ability to push 4% beyond their existing ability. When a challenge is 4% harder than expected, and the skills required are higher than a person's average ability then there’s enough push or intrinsic motivation to shift into the flow state. As represented in the diagram below.

 Leadership psychology experts will tell you that effective leadership qualities are linked with emotional intelligence at its core. Relational intelligence, Self-awareness, adaptability, situational awareness.

Which in turn impact Networking and Influencing skills and strong communication linked to building great relationships.  These qualities also help leaders with their strategic abilities to create and see through a long-lasting vision and effective decision-making.

The better we can become at maintaining a stronger mental state with our thoughts and emotions, the more effortlessly we can optimise our performance.

So how can we get better at doing this?

When you look at Czikzentmihalyi's diagram you’ll see that from a person's set point from the central fulcrum, the Flow state is easiest to enter from a place of curiosity/arousal and control. Consistent boredom and apathy mean we are likely to be operating away from our full potential and optimal performance.

Like all muscles, the brain needs to be trained to adapt to better behaviours.

Here are 7 practical evidence-based tips to keep more connected to flow:

1.    Get clear on your Vision and Goals: Having clear and specific goals helps you focus your attention on what’s productive and improves productivity. Break down your task into smaller goals, track your progress, and remember to reward yourself as you go.

Give yourself enough stretch and make the goal challenging enough but not unrealistic. It’s an easier step initially. Then build from there.

2.    Understand your values and importantly what systems and processes you need to set up to allow you to live into them more each day. It's shown to help build mental resilience as well as team and cultural performance.

3.    Eliminate distractions: Flow requires a high level of concentration, so it's important to control distractions that might disrupt your focus.

4.    Use positive affirmations with good intention and belief: Positive self-talk can help you get into a flow state by increasing your confidence and focus.  Engage with positive content and information.

5.    Practice being present and fully engaged in your tasks. Evidence-based meditation and mindfulness is helpful because it can replicate the flow state. And by the same token, the activities that get each person in their flow state can be their equivalent of a meditation. Through a run, a walk, playing music, reading, having a bath. Learn to pick the tasks that will help you connect.

6.    Take breaks: Flow requires sustained attention, but it's important to take breaks to avoid burnout and maintain your focus. Take short breaks to stretch, rest your eyes, or take a quick walk to recharge your batteries and maintain your productivity.

7.    Set your Boundaries and Priority actions clearly: Most people don’t have a time management problem, they have an "action management" or energy management problem.

It's helpful to understand which activities will keep you on track and double down on the ones that will keep you in flow

Flow is a natural state and ability that the mind and body have to help humans thrive. A state that has always been accessible and understood through all human civilisations but requires a choice to make. A choice to push just a bit further through one's comfort zone.

It’s important to note that flow is not accessed through simply "doing" and checking the points above off a checklist. And it's more than the practical nature of slowing down to speed up actions and results.

It is an ability to access a mental state of being, however consistently or inconsistently, through a combination of different behaviours. Behaviours that allow leaders (and all humans) to slow down and connect to the speed of flow, to improve performance.

Coaching Question for Reflection

What's the single biggest thing in your life that helps you create your flow state?

What else could be possible if you double your time on it?