I’m not sure if you’ve read Mihály Csíkszentmihályi or not, but he argued that flow states are more likely when a task is more complex/challenging, and the person has a high level of appropriate skill that makes it possible (with substantial effort) to complete the task.
For me this often occurs while programming, sailing, or doing math- especially if I need to solve a new problem with those skills that will be especially challenging.
Once I’m in ‘flow’ it is a distinct mental experience—I am totally into it and lose any sense of time passing, or of needing to motivate myself until I am interrupted either by my own body, or by something external.
Cal Newport in Deep Work (his own word for flow work) defines “Deep Work” as anything that requires skills that would take at least a year to develop if a person was already generally educated, smart, and motivated.
Cal Newport in Deep Work (his own word for flow work)
I’m not sure that’s an accurate description for Cal Newport’s Deep Work. High intensity deliberate practice that you can only do for short amounts of time per session is Deep Work in Newport’s model.
How do you decide what counts as flow-work and what doesn’t?
I’m not sure if you’ve read Mihály Csíkszentmihályi or not, but he argued that flow states are more likely when a task is more complex/challenging, and the person has a high level of appropriate skill that makes it possible (with substantial effort) to complete the task.
For me this often occurs while programming, sailing, or doing math- especially if I need to solve a new problem with those skills that will be especially challenging.
Once I’m in ‘flow’ it is a distinct mental experience—I am totally into it and lose any sense of time passing, or of needing to motivate myself until I am interrupted either by my own body, or by something external.
Cal Newport in Deep Work (his own word for flow work) defines “Deep Work” as anything that requires skills that would take at least a year to develop if a person was already generally educated, smart, and motivated.
I’m not sure that’s an accurate description for Cal Newport’s Deep Work. High intensity deliberate practice that you can only do for short amounts of time per session is Deep Work in Newport’s model.
How is that different from flow work?
Flow work is work that you can do for 3 hours without pause.