Some days just don’t quite flow the way you want them to.

You want to go out; you feel lazy.

You want to draw; you have no ideas.

You want to write; you have no thoughts to share.

You need to start that next project; Facebook sure is interesting all of a sudden.

Whatever comes to mind just doesn’t feel engaging enough – something even comes at all.

 

At times like these, waiting for that mysterious force to come by to set you back in flow is boring at best and stressful at worst.

Where do you find your flow?

When you’re in flow, you’re in the zone.

You’re relaxed.

You feel everything coming together effortlessly.

You don’t even need to thinking; you’re just doing.

In reality, flow is simply the balancing of two attributes:

Challenge and Ability.

 

Too much challenge and not enough ability leads to stress, worry, and anxiety.

Too much ability and not enough challenge leads to disinterest, boredom, and apathy.

 

What happens if you balance the two evenly?

You find yourself in a space of effortless engagement; flow.

 

Flow State

 Of course, imbalance is important!

Increasing your challenge increases your ability;

Decreasing your challenge increases your relaxation.

The concept of Flow is born of the work of Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Fight Mediocrity does a great job of profoundly unpacking flow. Check it out!

Get yourself back in flow!

Next time you feel uninspired, ask yourself these questions:

Do I want to do something stimulating right now? What challenge could I take on?

Do I want to do something relaxing? What am I good at?

 

Alternatively, if find yourself stuck, ask yourself:

What skills do I need to feel comfortable with this challenge?

What challenges could I set myself to make this more interesting?