Flow inducing activities

Thought of some activities that facilitate Flow state, bring you to the present moment, engage your whole self (mind, body, soul)

• playing music

• playing sports

• playing video games

• programming

• woodworking

• writing

• cooking

• painting

• dancing

• conversing (not just talking or just listening)

Of course you still need other components of flow to enter the flow state (challenge, competence, and feedback loop).

You won’t always enter flow if you are still figuring out how to play the song on the guitar, for example. But these activities would indude that process more than activities that don’t require you to apply yourself and are more passive like watching sports, watching a movie, listening to music in the background, or even reading a book — where you are somewhat immersed but not as “alive“.

What I also noticed is that a level of struggle is embedded in flow states. Enjoyable and immersive things can be fully pleasurable. They also demand your attention. But without an element of struggle, they don’t get you to flow state and bring you aliveness. Another common element is: doing things with your body.

Closing thoughts: music is special. aside from being a flow-enabler, it’s also a time machine to the past.

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Originally published to Proses.ID.