Ear phones plugged in; playlist shuffling between Coldplay and The script; fingers typing away on the laptop while slowly sipping a comfort drink. You don't hear the clock ticking but 6 hours later you have checked off your to-do list and more. You can indulge in fun for the rest of the day without a shred of guilt. You know that feeling? It's called Flow, I know it too well and unconsciously it has influenced many of my big decisions, including why I chose Software Engineering.
The scene above could describe me at work but the seed was planted a while back in high school. I studied in a catholic boarding school, we were allowed to access gadgets only on parent's visitation day. My brother and his girlfriend brought me a laptop to work on my college applications. While everyone was swimming by the beach, I was geeking out and I remember thinking "This is life!". I didn't even know what Computer Science was about back then but I had an idea on the kind of career I would pursue.
What exactly is flow? The father of Flow, Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (who has written extensive books on the topic), defines flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity. He describes the experience with the following very familiar symptoms.
- Clear goals that, while challenging, are still attainable
- Strong concentration and focused attention
- The activity is intrinsically rewarding
- Feelings of serenity; a loss of feelings of self-consciousness
- Timelessness; a distorted sense of time; feeling so focused on the present that you lose track of time passing
- Immediate feedback
- Knowing that the task is doable; a balance between skill level and the challenge presented
- Feelings of personal control over the situation and the outcome
- Lack of awareness of physical needs
- Complete focus on the activity itself
Need I say more? Just looking at the list sparks joy. Anxiety, noise, depression, (or any other negative feeling all together) has no place when you are in the zone.Its a happy place reinforced by happy wins. Flow gets things done while improving your mental health. Its the ideal spot. It is why creatives (software engineers included) can spend hours on the computer without batting an eye, why runners run long distances and actually enjoy it. Like every good thing in life there is a catch. It requires effort, it doesn't just come about when we pull up our computers, sometimes quite the opposite, the distractions of social media and Netflix get the better of us. It requires a lot of will power, self-awareness and discipline to get into Flow. We need some excitement but not too overwhelming, discipline with some flexibility. Mihaly's suggests the following to achieve it.
- You have a specific goal and plan of action
- It is an activity that you enjoy or are passionate about
- There is an element of challenge
- You are able to stretch your current skill level
It is hard but achievable. Distractions are easy but have you tried long-term fufillment of joy?
When I started writing this post I wasn't sure why (beside reminiscing the old times). Now that we are here, I can't help but appreciate joy flowing through me just from writing. I guess what I'm trying to say is find your flow; Write, Draw, Code, Design, Play, Run. Whatever, it takes, is totally worth it.
