Flow

The concept of Flow was developed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (pronounced “CHICK-sent-me-high-ee”). In his book, *Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience*, he writes:

The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen.

Flow, then, is a feeling and a state. A state where we are able to focus more clearly and perform more effectively. When our senses are more acute and learning is accelerated as neurotransmitters are released in our body.

Once experienced, it is a state we desire to return to, developing the Creative Confidence to face new challenges.

Here is how he talks about this state in an interview in Wired:

Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost.

In his book, he summarizes the three elements of Flow as:

- Purpose

- Resolution

- Harmony

He writes:
Purpose, resolution, and harmony unify life and give it meaning by transforming it into a seamless flow experience.

Here is a TED talk that he gave:

YOUTUBE I_u-Eh3h7Mo

Research has demonstrated that the brain learns faster in a Flow State due to the release of neurotransmitters:

YOUTUBE aHp2hkue8RQ The Neurochemistry of Flow States

When a team is working together, they can enter into a Collective Flow.

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