Our mind is a beautiful thing and we can learn to perform many differnt tasks thanks to adaptability. But how do we maximize our ability to think? In our hectic and sometimes unpredictable world, there are distractions abound: TV, Facebook, phone calls, texts, in-person interactions, only to name a few.

But when we are with ourselves, when we focus on a task or if we start thinking about a problem to explore solutions, something wonderful can happens: we get lost in the problem, boundaries melt away and we become ONE with it. This total immersion with the task, forgetting everything around you is called FLOW.

You might have experienced it under pressure, when you took a difficult exam. Or you might have felt it when doing a project you always wanted to do. I remember experiencing it the first time in high school during math exams, when I lost the sense for time and I was in the zone. Those exams where I experienced flow ended up usually with top grades – which provides positive re-inforcement. Ever since have I become addicted to flow. Unfortunately flow is a fleeting feeling, it’s precious and it can’t be forced. Almost a little bit like love.

But there are things you can do to increase the chances to experience it. Here’s what I’ve found works for me:

• Remove Distractions – any interruptions can easily catapult you out of the zone
• Think about the outcome in glorified ways – i.e. how cool would it be to design the first airplane that is modular and can be reconfigured at will for different missions? – A dream of mine. Or: This idea of mine will revolutionize this field (I’m still working on this one 😉 )
• Think of people who inspire you. Role models or just people you want to impress – your parents, your wife/husband, a friend, a person you like and cherish, but they don’t even know you exist (You’re imagining how impressed they would be with your work once they learn about it).
• Get started – things will evolve from there
• Take charge, drive things forward – this sense of control is very empowering for open ended problems
• Set aggressive goals as you become better at getting into the zone – did I mention above airplane is mass produced from recycled materials and costs less then a car? (There’s a fine line between visionary and madman)

From a psychological point of view FLOW is a zone where inherent motivation pushes you to perform at the max of your abilities without being interrupted. It is eu-stress, the positive kind of stress your mind and body can experience. You’re becoming one with the task, you have laser sharp focus, and you are fully task saturated. That leads to a deep feeling joy and contentment. You’ll not want to stop. And in the end you’ll be exhausted in a good way. Kids are very good at it. When they lose themselves in play (alone or in a group) it is one of the most beautiful things to watch. They’re very good in make-believe games, a key ingredient to experience flow. There is no spoon.

FLOW is the process, not the outcome. Focusing on the outcome removes the mind’s focus on wanting to control FLOW. By doing so you increase your chances of experiencing it. But the outcome of an activity is not FLOW – the process itself is. An outcome can also be achieved by grit. But grit is not to be mistaken for FLOW. It’s lacking the deep sense of joy and contentment in the process.

So set yourself up, create the right conditions for FLOW to happen. Then apply yourself, dive in and enjoy. As with all things in life there are no guarantees. So it might or might not happen for you in this instance. There’s no way to tell upfront. But when it does it’s one of the most amazing things to happen. And once you had it happen you want to experience it again and again.

Also a word of caution: you can be experiencing FLOW but working on the wrong tasks (only knowable in hindsight). When you’re turning off judgement to lose yourself in an activity that the rest of the world might or might not agree with, then you’re removing yourself a little bit from reality and might just go down a rabbit hole that doesn’t lead you anywhere. In the worst outcome you’re going to harm people around you. Just be aware of the risk here.