Have you ever been in a situation where you were able to get so into a task that you were able to do it instinctively and you were able to perform it almost perfectly?

A lot of people refer to this as getting into the zone. However, it is often referred to by many psychology professionals as “flow” and it is best described as a mental state in which you are completely immersed and focused on a task or activity.

Most people have experienced this at least a few times in their lives. Whether it was because they were doing an activity they were particularly passionate about or skilled in or they were so determined to complete something, they became fully immersed into getting it done the best they could.

However, for a lot of people it is not a switch they can turn on and off. The concept itself can be a little cerebral as psychology is a soft science, so it will be different for everyone. Thankfully, there are ways to discover what is the best course of action for you so you can better get into a flow state and develop a sense of rhythm.

Understand the Activity

It may seem like a no-brainer to know what you are doing before you engage in an activity. However, there is a strong temptation for a person to dive into an activity unprepared and expect to get a lot out of the time you spent. Therefore, it is important that before you start, know what your goal is, the steps needed to reach that goal, and when you want to reach that goal.

Identifying your goal is often the easiest part and usually, it is tied to the task you need to complete or the activity you want to enjoy. It is all context sensitive and sometimes, especially for the latter, the end goal could just be engaging in the activity itself. You may just want to play piano and play whatever comes to mind, even if it is completely freestyle.

That is a completely valid goal. The goal itself can even change based in the middle of the session as new information comes to light or if you simply want to go into a different direction. The important part is keeping that goal in mind as you try to get into your flow state.

The steps you need to take to reach your goal are also context sensitive and can even differ from person to person. The most important part is not knowing what the general steps are, based on how most people do it, but what is the best way for you to complete a task. Knowing the process you prefer to perform a task and sticking to it can allow you to get into a state of flow easier since you will not have any annoying mental hiccups you need to overcome since it is the method that comes most natural to you. You will not know what it is every time, and it may be something you will have to learn to do, but once you do, it will become a lot easier to do it continuously.

Knowing when you want to reach your goal is a little simpler since all it entails is deciding the time you want to complete your task by. It can be based on the deadline, whether it be a future date or later that day, or it could be a set amount of time you want to spend on it, like an hour or a few. Knowing how much time you plan on spending on an activity can make it easy to focus and determine how much energy you want to put into it. There are, of course, times in which a task takes a shorter or longer amount of time. So it is important to also be flexible and give yourself enough time to allow for a margin of error.

Understand the Difficulty

One of the most important aspects of the state of flow is the struggle between the difficulty of an activity and a person’s skill. If the difficulty is higher than a person’s skill level, while it can be exciting to face a new challenge, it can also be incredibly frustrating and stressful. If the difficulty is lower than a person’s skill level, while it can be satisfying and relaxing to do something that is easy for you, it can also be boring. However, we best get into a state of flow, when we are engaged with an activity that is at a similar level of difficulty compared to our skill.

Thus, knowing both how difficult a task is and knowing where your skill level lies can make it easier to get into a state of flow. That said, we are not always in control of the tasks we are forced to do. A lot of tasks we do can be incredibly boring and tedious, while others can be overwhelmingly stressful. However, there are things you can do to alter the difficulty for yourself. In the former, you can try to get them done as quickly as possible and in the latter, you can split up the task into multiple bite sized chunks.

Visual artist, Sandra Taylor-Hedges, once said: “Flow can only truly be achieved when we are willing to let go of the outcome and just play.” The most important part about getting into a state of flow is being willing to put your all into a task. Even if it is something mundane or daunting, putting your all into it, even if you have to find ways to mitigate the difficulty, will make it easier to get into a state of flow. Putting your all into it will also allow you to improve, which will make it so you can better face higher difficulty tasks.

Understand Your Environment

Finally, knowing what work environments best suit you can make it easier for you to get into a state of flow. Perhaps you need absolute silence or maybe you need an environment with a lot of background noise, or you need to listen to music in order to tune out the world and get your brain working. What works best for you is what is important.

In any case, it is also good to rid yourself of anything that can distract you, whether that be your phone or the internet, other people, the stresses of your daily life, whatever that may be. Finding a way to get away from those distractions will make it significantly easier to get into a state of flow.