

Flow - simonreed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

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matthew-wegner
An easy flow trick is to set a 48-minute timer; commit to single-tasking for
the entire duration. 48 minutes is long enough to get something done, and
short enough that you can brute force through distractions (not checking
email, RSS, HN, etc).

You'll likely continue past the 48 minutes, if you hit a good flow state, or
you can take a deliberate 12 minute break and go for an hourly cycle.

Simple Windows timer: [http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/08/21/simple-
countdown-tim...](http://www.orzeszek.org/blog/2009/08/21/simple-countdown-
timer-for-windows/)

And Mac dashboard widget:
[http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/m...](http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/minutes.html)

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raju
Along similar lines, you can look into the pomodoro technique, which involves
a 25min period of work (1 pomodoro) followed by a 5 min break. After 2
pomodoros you typically take a 10 min break.

<http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/>

Windows (and Mac too) - <http://www.focusboosterapp.com/>

Mac version - <http://pomodoro.ugolandini.com/>

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kimfuh
So you time flow? Doesn't it make more sense to let flow flow?

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raju
I agree with your sentiment here. I have found that using a technique like
Pomodoro or the 48+12 forces you to focus on a task, and you are essentially
practicing to avoid distractions. There are times when I am so involved in a
task that the 5 min break seems more of a distraction, so I just plow on.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is it's so much the technique you
start with, but rather what you end up with. Having mini-mental distractions
seemed like the norm to me, but forcing myself to keep my mind on a particular
task allowed me to go for longer periods without being distracted.

After a while, you really don't need a tool to help you focus, but it's a good
starting point.

~~~
qaexl
The Pomodoro technique is a timebox mechanism, so it has benefits beyond
triggering the state of relaxed focus. The sudden-death nature of a
microtimebox like 25/5 and 48/12 is what forces you to eliminate the
unnecessary. A person can stay in the flow and do lots of unimportant things
beautifully. A timebox often means you make choices and then you keep going,
staying in the present. Second-guessing is another form of distraction, as
much as falling under Sunk Cost Fallacy.

Another important note: it isn't so much that you avoid distractions as much
as you stay in the present moment. Hindsight and foresight may guide your
actions, however, you can only act in the present moment.

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mjfern
I highly recommend the book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience" by
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Mihaly is well respected professor of psychology and
management at Claremont University. I don't say this lightly - there is no
other book that has had a greater, positive impact on my overall life. Enjoy!

~~~
Estragon
His book _Creativity_ is also excellent, particularly for entrepreneurs.
[http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Flow-Psychology-
Discovery-I...](http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Flow-Psychology-Discovery-
Invention/dp/0060928204)

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cloudkj
"Game designers, particularly video and computer games, benefit from
integration of flow principles into gameplay design."

Gamers will get into zones, similar to athletes, where their reaction times
become ultra quick and reflexes are super sharp. Game designers sometimes try
to bake these directly into the game, and it's arguable whether or not it's
beneficial. For example, many people complain about the killstreak rewards in
Modern Warfare 2; once you get going, you're pretty much indestructible.

~~~
algorias
See gunroar for an example of an incredible flow experience in a videogame.

I often play it to distract my body while working out algorithms. It's a
surprisingly effective way of thinking through hard problems.

~~~
Groxx
That game is _awesome_ for flow. Within minutes, you start dodging on instinct
alone, and the world flies past you. My personal favorite though goes to
F-Zero GX. If I play that for a while, I start _dominating_ other games
because I'm so keyed-up and focused. Too bad it fades :\

Link for those interested in Gunroar: <http://www.asahi-
net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/windows/gr_e.html>

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emehrkay
As a programmer, I love "Flow." I only experience it once in a while though,
I'd love to have it, if even for a small period, on a daily basis.

I do notice that if I'm in like barns and noble programming (just to get out
of the house) I am flow'n.

And the article's inclusion of what is considered flow in hip hop doesnt
really relate, but I see how they are trying to include it.

A great example of flow is when Dave Chapelle did standup for 4 or so hours
straight.

~~~
qaexl
"Flow" is a modern take on a very old idea. Atheletes and martial artists
before that have been using various methods to enter this state.

Josh Waitzkin figured out a method for consistently triggering flow in his
book, _Art of Learning_. The structure of his method depends on simple things,
mainly behavioral conditioning. The method works. I also want to note, he has
used it for both primarily mental tasks (chess) as well as physical
(competitive push-hands).

One last thing: Deepak Chopra produced a game specifically designed to teach
someone to enter the state of mindfulness (which, when applied to challenging
tasks, gets you flow). It is called "Journey into the Wild Divine". It uses a
USB sensor stuck on your finger to measure heart-rate variability, among other
things. You can only advance through parts of the game when you can
demonstrate the ability to consciously relax and stabilize your heart rate at
will. It's a game specifically to teach flow, not just to reward or punish the
secondary effects of flow.

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csmeder
That graph looks wrong: According to it if you have low-middle skill and enter
the difficulty level that creates anxiety, a person of less skill would only
feel worry.

~~~
gcheong
I think it makes more sense if you think of the perceived difficulty of a
challenge being relative and linked to the skill level for a particular
person. That is, for a person with low-middle skill there is a challenge level
that creates anxiety. Give that same challenge to a lower skill level person
and it will create even more anxiety. So the scales are different between
people of different skill level. I don't know if that helps at all.

~~~
teamonkey
Yeah. If you're in the Anxiety area it means that you're under-skilled and
over-challenged for the task in question.

A little bit of anxiety might not be bad though. As your skills improve then
you might pass in to the Arousal phase. But also as your skills improve the
challenge is decreased (gravitate towards the middle). Eventually you might
become over-skilled at the task and the challenge becomes low, then you're
Relaxed.

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thaumaturgy
I heard this term used by another programmer recently, and didn't realize it
was referring to a specific psychological concept. Awesome.

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cellis
Neat! I didn't know that what I call "The Zone" had been formalized.

~~~
qaexl
Yes it has. It's pretty cool discovering something new, eh? What's more
interesting is that these ideas are not really new. They are ancient. Check
out "Mindfulness in Plain English" as an example.

If you want a modern book on how to consistently trigger this state, there is
Josh Waitzkin, _Art of Learning_

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sthomps
Excellent book, made a huge change in my life.

