Day 5: The magic of losing yourself in a task
This is day 5 of the 6-day energy challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
Over the past few months, I’ve been doing an experiment: instead of scrolling through social media after work, which vaguely entertained me but didn’t make me feel good, I put my phone away and did things that felt better. like playing.
After a few misses (macramé is not my jam), I tried pressing flowers and loved it. I pick flowers with a single layer of petals, place them between pieces of newspaper or parchment paper, then close them between the pages of a book until they dry. Then I glue them to a piece of paper. board or frame.
The whole process is fun: looking for the flowers, checking if they’ve dried, absent-mindedly humming as I arrange them. I usually feel rested and refreshed after a session with my flowers.
Apparently I have entered a flow state, a period of intense focus that comes from being completely absorbed in an activity. According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the positive psychology pioneer who coined the term, a flow state occurs when you do something challenging, but not so difficult that it becomes stressful. When you are in flow, time and self-consciousness melt away.
Dr. Sue Varma, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said this happens to her when she dances salsa. “It’s not about whether I’m good at it or not,” she said. “At that moment I am transported.”
When you get into flow, she explained, “you’re flooded with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine, which make you feel alert, engaged and motivated.”
It can happen in minutes, but there’s no clear time frame for getting into flow, says David Melnikoff, an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. It depends on how complicated the task is and how familiar you are with it. However long it takes, there is evidence that people who experience flow experience less work-related burnout and emotional exhaustion.
Find your low-stakes flow state.
Today we are looking for flow states that don’t require much effort but yield a big payoff: call them “low-stakes flow states.”
Go on a flow hunt.
Write down five of the most compelling moments you had last year. Where were you and what were you doing? Do those moments have anything in common? Perhaps they all took place outside, or involved other people. This list can help you figure out what gets you in the flow.
Your past interests and hobbies can also provide clues. What did you like to do when you were younger? If you could go back to school for a year, what would you study?
Once you’ve identified what makes you happy (or has the potential), block out 15 minutes today to try it, said Dr. Varma. You’ll probably have to “play and experiment a little” to figure out which of the things on your list are right for you, she said, but that’s part of the process.
Then, try your new endeavor at least once a week to avoid burnout and maintain your energy levels.
Low on ideas (or time)? Here are a few suggestions.
If you have five minutes: Learn a few phrases in foreign languages with a free app like Duolingo. Or play a mindless game: Dr. Melnikoff likes to throw markers into a trash can in his office like he’s playing basketball. (His record is 13 without a miss.)
If you have 10 minutes: Read one short story or telling a chapter from your favorite book out loud to another adult (reading and speaking at the same time requires deep concentration, Dr. Melnikoff said, a key characteristic of flow). Or try one William Morris paint-by-numbers kit.
If you have 20 minutes: Work on a Lego set for adults; there’s everything from classic car models to the Taj Mahal. Or draw a picture of your pet.
If you have more than 30 minutes: Give in to your friend who keeps bugging you to play pickleball. Or buy some herb plants, pot them up and place them near a sunny window.
My drawing of my tuxedo cat, Tux, is pretty terrible. But it was fun to do, and the world fell away for a moment. He usually sleeps, so it was a still life.
I’ll answer your questions in real time today, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. What were your favorite parts of the challenge? What surprised you? What motivated you? We will answer questions from here.
Do you know someone who speaks Spanish and would appreciate this challenge? They can follow it here.
Do you want more power? Here’s something special from the New York Times Games.
Games are the ultimate flow activity. That’s why our colleagues at New York Times Games decided to release a new Tiles palette, called Soho, to celebrate the 6-Day Energy Challenge. They’ve only done this once before in the game’s five-year history! We are happy to share it with you.
Tiles is an engaging color and pattern matching game made up of layered shapes. (Here are tips and tricks for becoming top dog at Tiles, from creator Robert Vinluan.)
Play the game: Floor tiles