Getting into the Flow. So important. Whatever you are going to do, whatever you will eventually excel at, learning to get into the flow is a crucial art to master. What is “being in the flow”? It’s when you’re focusing so deeply on the task in hand that all external concerns evaporate; it’s when you are in the groove, it’s when you are at one with what you're doing, it’s when it absorbs you completely. You may be a musician or an accountant, an architect or motor mechanic, but everyone who has achieved any sort of mastery will be familiar with the notion of being in the flow.
Now, one may posit that being able to get into the flow is a gift, not bestowed on all. That it requires practice, concentration and self-discipline. True, but it is a small-steps process. It finds you, rather than requiring your effort. As a child, I could find myself in the flow while playing, particularly with Lego or assembling a plastic model. The outside world would just fade away. Reading too. Given the right book, the words, and my attention to them, would merge; page after page would fly by, my mother's call to dinner ignored.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step, and that step is the most difficult. That first step is latching on the flow. Especially when a task is not immediately as pleasurable as the alternative. But once there, once in the flow, the task seems to get on with itself. Once in that state, beware of one thing. Distractions. These can lead you off on a tangent, especially when the task calls for research (going to an external source to verify a fact, for example). There is the ever-present danger of falling down a rabbit hole, and finding yourself back in the flow... but a different flow, and heading somewhere other than towards your original goal.
Is finding the flow a neurological thing? Is it, for example, easier for someone on the autism spectrum to get into the groove (unkind observers may say 'rut') than for someone with ADHD?
Or is it a metaphysical thing?
It is well known that musicians who achieve success do so through committing themselves to countless hours of practice. It is easy for a parent to see which child will go on to become a musician and which one wastes their money on music classes – the one that's obsessed with the instrument, obsessed with learning to master it, obsessed by music, will succeed.
The earlier you notice yourself getting into the flow in a given area, the better. It may be sport, the arts, or academic study. It can be something that seems less useful – trainspotting or stamp collecting for example. But whatever it is, if you're likely to get into the flow, aim to be a producer rather than a mere consumer. Aim to become an authority, a noted researcher, an expert that people go to for answers.
If you can't find something that allows you to get into the flow, keep seeking. It could be basket-weaving or flower-arranging. It could be mediaeval history or astronomy. Passion unlocks the door to the flow.
The flow, once there, comes easily. It does not necessarily require you to maintain focus, the focus draws you in. Maintaining focus is needed on areas that are not your natural attunement. If you find your attention wavering, it’s likely you’re doing something you don’t like. Find the right subject, the right activity, and the flow will come. It’s natural.
This time last year:
To ease the soul
This time two years ago:
Retrocausality and the Goneself
This time three years ago:
Many Machcins
This time six years ago:
The Long Dark Half-Hour of the Consumerist Soul
This time eight years ago:
Fields filling up with houses
This time 15 years ago:
Battle of Britain: Poland's contribution
This time 16 years ago:
Sewer under ul. Karczunkowska
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