17

FLOW
T R I G G E R S
F O R O P T I M A L S T A T E O F C O N S C I O U S N E S S
FLOW is an optimal state of
consciousness, a peak state
where we both feel our best
and perform our best.
It is a transformation available
to anyone, anywhere, provided that
certain initial conditions are met.
W H A T I S F L O W ?
You know that what you
need to do is possible to do,
even though difcult,
and sense of time disappears.
You forget yourself. You feel
part of something larger.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
W H A T I S F L O W ?

FLOW might be the most desirable

state on earth; its also the most elusive.
Seekers have spent centuries trying,
yet no one has found a reliable way
to reproduce the experience...
(let alone with enough consistency
to radically accelerate performance).
W H A T I S F L O W ?
...Except action and adventure
sports athletes. Quite simply,
THE ZONE is the only reason
these athletes are surviving
the big mountains, big waves,
and big rivers.
W H A T I S F L O W ?
When youre pushing
the limits of ultimate
human performance,
the choice is stark:
its FLOW or DIE
ADVANCEMENTS in brain-imaging
technologies like fMRI and consumer
quantied self devices allow us
to apply serious metrics where
once was merely subjective
experience.
FINALLY, we can gure out exactly
what these athletes are doing to
reliably reproduce this state,
and apply this knowledge
across the additional domains
of self and society.
17 FLOW TRIGGERS
FLOW TRIGGERS are circumstances that
speed entrance into the state and come in
four varieties:
4 Psychological
3 Evironmental
9 Social
1 Creative
PSYCHOLOGICAL
TRIGGERS
Psychological Triggers are
internal strategies that drive
attention into the now.
P S Y C HO L O G I C A L T R I G G E R # 1
Intensely Focused Attention
Producing flow requires long periods of
uninterrupted concentration. Deep focus.
This means multi-tasking is out. Open ofce
plans as well. Flow demands singular tasks
and it demands solitude.
P S Y C HO L O G I C A L T R I G G E R # 2
Clear Goals
Know what youre doing and why youre
doing itthats the point. When goals are
clear, the mind doesnt wonder what it has
to do next, it already knows. Our focus can
stay pinned to the present moment and the
present action.
P S Y C HO L O G I C A L T R I G G E R # 3
Immediate Feedback
As a focusing mechanism, immediate feedback
is something of an extension of clear goals.
Clear goals tell us what were doing; immediate
feedback tells us how to do it better.
If we know how to improve performance in real
time, the mind doesnt go off in search of clues
for betterment, we can keep ourselves fully
present and fully focused and thus much more
likely to be in flow.
P S Y C HO L O G I C A L T R I G G E R # 4
The Challenge/Skills Ratio
Flow exists near (but not on) the midline
between boredom and anxiety. If the task is too
dull, attention disengages and action and
awareness cannot merge. If the task is too hard,
fear starts to spike, and we begin looking for
ways to extricate ourselves from the situation.
In other words, the challenge needs to be slightly
greater than the skills we bring to the table. If
you can keep yourself in this sweet spot, then
you can drive attention into the now and
maximize the amount of flow in your life.
ENVIRONMENTAL
TRIGGERS
Environmental triggers are
qualities in the environment
that drive people deeper
into the ZONE.
E NV I R O NME NT A L T R I G G E R # 1
High Consequences
When theres danger lurking in the environment,
we dont need to concentrate extra hard to drive
focus, the elevated risk levels do the job for us.
Since survival is fundamental to any organism,
our brains rst priority is to scour all incoming
information for any sign of a threat and focus
intently upon it.
A big wave surfer may need to ride Jaws to
pull this trigger, but an ordinary shy guy needs
only to cross a room to talk to a pretty gal to do
the same.
E NV I R O NME NT A L T R I G G E R # 2
Rich Environment
A rich environment means an environment
with lots of novelty, unpredictability and
complexitythree things that catch and
focus our attention much like risk.
If we dont know what happens next, we pay
more attention to the next. Complexity,
meanwhile, when theres lots of information
coming at us at once, does more of the same.
E NV I R O NME NT A L T R I G G E R # 3
Deep Embodiment
A rich environment means an environment with
lots of novelty, unpredictability and complexity
three things that catch and focus our attention
much like risk.
If we dont know what happens next, we pay
more attention to the next. Complexity,
meanwhile, when theres lots of information
coming at us at once, does more of the same.
SOCIAL
TRIGGERS
Social trigger are ways
to alter social conditions to
produce more group flow.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 1
Serious Concentration
In sports, complete concentration is required
because games move past. You need to be aware
of your teammates and opponents. If they lose
focus and start thinking about what is for dinner,
or other things, theyll quickly be overrun.
To create similar flow in social settings, it can
help to ensure everyone has their maximum
attention to the here and now and blocked off
from other distractions.
Shared, Clear Goals
Groups need to be clear about what their
collective goal is in order for flow to happen.
The key to group flow is a balancing act:
creating a goal that provides enough focus so
the team members can tell when they are
close to a solution, but one that is open
enough for creativity to exist.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 2
Good Communication
Constant communication is necessary for
group flow. Even while deep listening,
the conversation must move forward.
This follows the most important rule of
improv: Yes, and
Listen closely on what is being said, accept it,
and build upon it. Nothing blocks flow more
than ignoring or negating a group member.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 3
Familiarity
The group has a common language, a shared
knowledge base and a communication style
based on unspoken understandings. It means
everybody is always on the same page, and,
when novel insights arise, momentum is not
lost due to the need for lengthy explanation.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 4
Equal Participation
(and Skill Level)
Flow is most likely to happen in a group
setting when all participants have an equal
role in the project. For this reason, all
members should have similar skill levels.
Think of professional athletes playing with
amateurs. The professionals will be bored
and the amateurs frustrated.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 5
Risk
The potential for failure. Innovation and
frequent failure go hand in hand. Theres
no creativity without failure, and theres
no group flow without the risk of failure.
Mental, physical, creative, whateverthe
group has to have some skin in the game
to produce group flow.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 6
Sense Of Control
Combines autonomy (being free to
do what you want) and competence
(being good at what you do).
Its about getting to choose your own
challenges and having the necessary
skills to surmount them.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 7
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 8
Close Listening
Were fully engaged in the here and now.
In conversation, this isnt about thinking about
what witty thing to say next, or what cutting
sarcasm came last. Rather, its generating
real time, unplanned responses to the
dialogue as it unfolds.
Innovation is blocked when one or more
participants already has a preconceived idea of
what the person is going to say, or how to get to
a goal. Doing so keeps them from listening to
what is really said and working from there.
S O C I A L T R I G G E R # 9
Always Say Yes
This means interactions should be additive more
than argumentative. The goal is the momentum,
togetherness, and innovation that comes from
amplifying each others ideas and actions.
Its a trigger based on the rst rule of improv
comedy. If I open a sketch with, Hey, theres a
blue elephant in the bathroom; then, No, theres
not, is the wrong response. With the denial, the
scene goes nowhere. But if the reply is afrmative
instead: Yeah, sorry, there was no more space in
the cereal cupboardwell then that story goes
someplace interesting.
Creativity
If you look under the hood of creativity,
what you see is:
Pattern recognitionthe brain's ability
to link new ideas together, and
Risk-takingthe courage to bring those
new ideas into the world.
Both are flow triggers. Creativity triggers
flow; then flow enhances creativity.
C R E A T I V E T R I G G E R # 1
Intensely Focused Attention
Clear Goals
Immediate Feedback
The Challenge/Skills Ratio
High Consequences
Rich Environment
Deep Embodiment
Serious Concentration
Shared, Clear Goals
Good Communication
Familiarity
Risk
Sense of Control
Close Listening
Always Say Yes
Creativity
Equal Participation
(and Skill Level)
FLOW TRIGGERS 17
STEVEN KOTLER is a New York Times
bestselling author, and award-winning
journalist. His articles have appeared
in over 70 publications, including:
New York Times Magazine, Wired,
Discover, Popular Science, Outside,
GQ, and National Geographic.
Kotler is also the co-founder and director
of research for the Flow Genome Project,
an organization dedicated to decoding
ultimate human performance.
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TO CULTIVATE AND
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POWER OF FLOW
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