Flow for knowledge workers and creatives

You might have heard of the term “flow”, which was developed by various psychologists and popularised by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. The term itself is not new - it was introduced and developed over 50 years ago. The problem is that few of us truly implement its principles.

If you've heard it but aren't in a flow session daily, chances are that you're doing it all wrong.

Flow describes a mental state where someone is fully immersed in the activity they are doing and feels energised, focused, and enjoyment.

It is the melting together of action and consciousness.

People describe flow as being “in the zone”. You have single pointed consciousness.

Athletes say they are in flow during peak performance. For knowledge workers, you can be up to 5x more productive and more creative when in flow.

In other words, when trying to complete a task in non-flow states, we are only using 20% of the brain’s potential.

Furthermore, people who experience the most flow in their lives also report the highest degrees of well-being and life satisfaction.

In recent years there has been explosion in flow research, predominantly focused on extreme sports athletes.

Peak performance researchers (for example Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal at the Flow Genome Project) have identified at least 22 flow "triggers", that help people get into a flow state. These include things like being challenged just outside of our comfort zone, rapid feedback on whether you're succeeding or not, intensely focused action, and high consequences. Skiing down a mountain or surfing are clear examples of activities that produce a bunch of these flow triggers quite easily.

I used to think flow states were the exclusive realm of musicians, performance artists and extreme sports athletes.

And from personal experience, I had a much easier time getting into a flow state when I played football, went running, DJed, or hung out with friends.

I would experience occasional flow states during work-related tasks such as writing, creative problem solving, and group discussions. But these episodes were rare and difficult to replicate.

The problem was that I was trying to apply a flow protocol used predominantly in extreme sports to my context as an office-based worker.

Now I understand that flow for knowledge workers and creatives is different.

Here are four key differences:

Risk and adrenaline vs. deep focus

In extreme sports, flow is often triggered by immediate physical risk. The presence of danger requires total concentration, shutting down distractions immediately. Your sympathetic nervous system is in play (i.e. you feel a threat to your physical well-being) and your body is flooded with adrenaline, creating sharpened reflexes and heightened perception.

For knowledge workers and creatives, flow emerges from deep cognitive engagement such as solving a complex problem, writing, coding, or designing. The trigger here is cognitive or creative challenge that is just outside your comfort zone, not physical danger. And instead of adrenaline, the brain releases dopamine as you make progress.

Body vs. mind as the primary tool

The main tool of athletes is their body and how it moves. They rely on finely honed muscle memory and instinct. Flow emerges through fluid, automatic movement, where conscious thought might even be detrimental.

The main tool of a knowledge worker and creative is their mind. They rely on their ability to think analytically and creatively. Flow happens when they get “lost” in a problem, with ideas coming rapidly and seamlessly.

One area of overlap for both sides is the use of intuition and 'sensing' what needs to happen or emerge.

Time perception

Athletes often experience time slowing down, allowing them to react with precision in split-second situations.

Office workers and creatives usually experience time speeding up—they look up and realize hours have passed without noticing.

Performance and recovery cycles

Athletes have an intense, short-lived flow state followed by physical exhaustion. Their recovery often involves rest, nutrition, and sometimes even post-flow adrenaline crashes. Prolonged periods of physical strain can lead to physical burnout (which also manifests as mental exhaustion).

Office workers and creatives can sustain flow for longer periods (sometimes hours) but may experience mental exhaustion instead of physical fatigue, requiring breaks to reset cognitive resources. Prolonged periods of mental strain can lead to mental burnout (which also manifests as physical exhaustion.

I like to think of myself as an athlete. When they train, they get into the zone as soon as they step out on the track. In the same way, I want to be able to get into the zone and focus on a daily basis.

A daily flow session for a knowledge or creative professional is the equivalent of an athlete training each day on the track.

Getting into flow on a daily basis isn't difficult but requires a bit of planning and experimentation.

I've built on the flow triggers researched but simplified and adapted it across four main categories: environment, task preparation, kick-off, and execution:

Environment

• Block off 30-120 minutes of uninterrupted time (ideally 90-120). For me this is typically 2 hours in the morning before 10am, but your biological prime time may be different. Shorter periods can also work, but I would not recommend anything under 30 minutes as it takes time to get into flow
• Ensure a tidy working environment. I love minimalist working spaces. My desk consists of a monitor and wireless keyboard, mouse, and headset. All wires are hidden. If you work outside of an office, ensure your space is clean and free of clutter and distractions
• Block out distractions. Physically move your phone out of arm's reach. Put it in airplane mode and in a different room if you can. Let people around you know that you are not to be disturbed unless it's an emergency

Task preparation

• Scope the task. Clearly outline what the task is. If you are completing a series of mini tasks, clearly state what they are and in what order you will do them in
• Create sufficient challenge. Make rules for the task, in the same way you would make rules for a game. For example, this can be done by shortening the deadline you have for each task or increasing the aspired output within a given timeframe, pushing yourself to improve the quality, or in some other way ensuring that you need to stretch yourself to get it done
• Specify how you will measure feedback. You want to ensure continuous and immediate feedback along the way, so before starting make sure you will have a way to measure progress

Kick-off

• Take care of your bodily needs. Make sure you are not hungry or need to go to the bathroom as this can distract you. Grab a coffee or tea if needed
• Breathe. Flow happens when the brain is in a relaxed state (alpha brain waves), so for most of us we need to shift out of beta (frantic, problem solving mindset) and into a relaxed state of mind. A simple way to do this is to close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths while smiling
• Use music. This is optional but helps, as your brainwaves can match the frequency of external stimuli such as music (this is called brain wave entrainment). Search for classical music, “alpha binaural beats”, deep focus music, ambient sounds or lofi beats on YouTube. My music of choice is repetitive deep house without vocals, the type of stuff you can have on in the car while driving late at night or at a rooftop party. I’m naturally a calm and relatively low energy person so I prefer something a bit more uptempo. Sometimes I use periods of complete silence without music. Experiment and see what works best for you
• Perform a mini kick-off ritual. This is also optional, but I like to sit up straight in my chair and say “let’s do it” right before getting into my workflow

Execution

• Focus. Devote all your mental resources and attention to the task at hand. Shut out the rest of the world around you and execute. My mantra when executing work is “1 task 1 deadline”. Single pointed consciousness is your goal
• Resist temptations. You will inevitably be tempted to distract yourself, whether that’s getting a drink or opening a browser or checking your phone. If you’re serious about flow, get serious about being disciplined. A counterintuitive insight about flow states is that boredom and frustration are often precursors to flow
• Continuously re-centre yourself. If you find your mind wandering, practice bringing your awareness back to the task at hand. The more you practise this (and the more you meditate), the better you will become at holding your attention for extended periods of time
• Allow for 1-2 short breaks. It can be beneficial to take a 2-5 minutes break every 30-45 minutes, depending on the intensity of your work. Get up and stretch your legs, but don’t reach for your phone
• Close off. Finish your session by writing exactly what the next steps are for the task and adding any relevant tasks to your planner or calendar. This will allow you to fully close off the task, give you clarity if you need to pick it up later, and prime your brain for the next steps.

You can’t be in flow all the time, but you can do multiple sessions a day. Sometimes I’ll do a flow session, take a 15 minutes break, and go right back into another one. Sometimes I wait a day or more.

In theory, any task that requires your attention but does not overwhelm it could induce flow. It is easier to get into flow with activities that you enjoy, but you can hack your brain and get into flow during boring activities (such as replying emails) by setting up the parameters mentioned above - for example by challenging yourself to clear your inbox in 15 minutes or less.