“Like a graceful vase, a cat, even when motionless, seems to flow.” — George F. Will
You have either had the experience or heard about it: Flow has been in the global consciousness since Mihaly Csikszentmihaly’s book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience was released 35 years ago. Back then it was revolutionary, now it is woven into our popular language and culture. We’ve heard about it, read about it, and want it in our lives.
But what is flow? It is a very enjoyable experience marked by a sense of timelessness and engagement. In his own words, Csikszentmihaly said it is “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
Once we have experienced a flow moment in our lives we usually crave it happening again. We all want to be in the zone, in the groove, and over the years researchers have determined the conditions under which flow happens.
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OK, I just HAVE to ask… What is “contigation?”
When I enter “define: contigation” in Google, instead of giving a list of potentially relevant definitions (as it should) it asks if I mean “contagion.” I don’t think “contigation” is a word and if it is I can’t really decipher the complete meaning from context. In fact from context it does indeed seem to me as if “contagion” would be much more likely the intended word.
I don’t care if this comment get’s published (if comments are moderated), but as I say I just had to ask… Thanks.
Another little noted proponent of flow was Albert Ellis. He did not use the word “flow” but Vital Absorbing Interest”. He first discusses this concept in 1961 and emphasized it’s importance throughout his works. There is strong overlap between Ellis’s and Csikszentmihaly’s flow theory. For a detailed discussion see “Under the Influence: Reflections of Albert Ellis in the Work of Others” by Emmet Velten.
Daniel,
Thanks for your article. Flow is an experience that I attempt to create with athletes, and the understanding of it has only been cracked open slightly. Thanks again.
Thanks for you comments. Contigation is a terrm used like contagious – simply to mean spreading. While I love to make up words this one is one I’ve seen used by many scientists who, like me, have to find a funky way to say “spreading.”
Harmonizing with others in song, is a flow moment.Theatre and Dance in general create flow moments…. Thus Joy…..
After reading this the first thing that came to mind was co-working spaces that have been growing/popping up at a rather rapid rate over the past 5-7 years (along with an increase in people now working in smaller teams or even as a solo-freelancer due to the economy). I’m sure most of you have heard of a co-working facility/office if you’re living in or near a big city, but if you’re still scratching your head as to what it is, imagine a shared office where you can pay to have anything from just a spot at a long table w/ appropriate plugs/wifi/ethernet all the way to more expensive ones where you’ll have lofts that are segmented out to groups providing swanky office/shared resources.
So regardless of what your needs are, whether its just a pay-as-you-go setup where you’ve got a desk + usage of typical office supplies (fax machine, copier, conference room, etc..) that you show up to maybe three to four times a month, or whether you turn it into your actual office, where you’re then given the ability to ‘claim’ out your spot (and once again, i’ve seen ones that were low-priced and just a giant room with tables, but have also seen ones where it’s just a series of common areas/kitchen, etc.. but with upgraded cubes or even partitioned off executive offices). It’s all based on a combination of what you can afford, your level of desire to be in a social ‘office’ type environment, as well as your desire to portray yourself as a more ‘professional’ freelancer by paying for a premium semi-shared office space that gives you the ability to host clients as well as other ‘upscale’ office attributes.
Everyone who ends up working at coworking spots tend to be there for a variety of reasons, however if you ask them what they like best about their work setup, the answer is almost 90% of the time related to how they can feel like their part of a group/team as well as be able to interact with folks who might not even be working in their same industry. I.e to this day the best piece of advice i’ve been given about contract negotiations was from a commercial real estate developer who frequented the office in atlanta. I’ve since gotten tax + simple legal advice from other co-workers, not to mention have seen a few out here in colorado eventually join up to start their own companies (and eventually move out into a more traditional office once they were able to afford it). They still swing by the co-working office though from time to time in order to say hi” and that they miss the atmosphere it embodied.
Sorry for the long comment, i guess the whole point was that the need for social interaction (regardless of whether or not it was productive) was something I could see not only in myself but also in everyone who I either worked with or have talked w/ about joining a workspace. It was easily found in these cheap shared-office environments and I’m willing to bet that had I not started down this road I most likely would have started to re-apply to ad agencies (and would have hated my life/work).
Also – In the freelance arena (primarily programmers + digital artists) i’ve come across lots of people who attribute the co-working environment as the primary catalyst for their ability to produce more cohesive work (not to mention a lesser level of stress than they’d face working from home).
If you’re interested in reading more about this there is a wiki that’s been setup to serve as a guide for folks wanting to create their own co-working spaces as well as those just looking to find one near their area, you can find it here:
http://coworking.pbworks.com/
Thanks,
Brent