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Achieving a flow state: 7 ways to get in the zone
实现心流状态：进入状态的 7 种方法 
目录：3W分析法
If you’ve ever been so absorbed in a task that you lose track of time, then you’ve experienced flow. But being in a flow state does more than just make the day go faster. It has a positive impact on your life, health, productivity, and well-being.
如果你曾经如此专注于一项任务而忘记了时间，那么你就经历了心流。但处于心流状态不仅仅能让一天过得更快。它对您的生活、健康、生产力和福祉产生积极影响。
To understand what makes the flow state so magical, you’ll need to understand what it is and how it works. Learn more about the science behind flow and how to get carried away.
要了解心流状态为何如此神奇，您需要了解它是什么以及它是如何工作的。详细了解心流背后的科学以及如何忘乎所以。
What is a flow state?
什么是心流状态？
Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, known as one of the cofounders of the field of positive psychology, was the first to identify and research the phenomenon of flow. Even if you’ve never heard the word before, you likely have other names for the experience. People call it being “in the zone,” “in the groove,” or “losing track of time.
心理学家 Mihály Csíkszentmihályi 被称为积极心理学领域的联合创始人之一，他是第一个识别和研究心流现象的人。即使您以前从未听说过这个词，您也可能对这种体验有其他的称呼。人们称之为“处于状态”、“处于最佳状态”或“忘记时间”。
What is flow state?
什么是心流状态？
The flow state is the experience of being so absorbed by an engaging, enjoyable task that your attention is competely held by it. You generally lose sense of time, self-consciousness, and anything that doesn’t have to do with the task at hand.
心流状态是一种被一项引人入胜、令人愉快的任务所吸引，以至于你的注意力完全被它吸引的体验。你通常会失去时间感、自我意识以及任何与手头任务无关的东西。
In flow, you feel as if you could keep doing whatever you’re doing forever. There’s no one experience that leads to flow. It could happen while you’re reading, writing, painting, running, or gardening.
在心流状态下，你感觉好像可以永远继续做你正在做的事情。没有一种体验可以带来心流。它可能发生在你阅读、写作、绘画、跑步或园艺时。
Although there’s no one activity guaranteed to create flow, there are some common characteristics of flow state that people experience. Not all of these are always present. But the more factors are present, the more likely you are to experience flow.
尽管没有任何一项活动能够保证创造心流，但人们体验到的心流状态有一些共同特征。并非所有这些都始终存在。但存在的因素越多，你就越有可能体验心流。
10 characteristics of flow state
流动状态的10个特征
1. Attentional focus 1.注意力集中
In flow, whatever you’re working on has your complete attention. You’re not thinking of anything else. Someone would have to work to get your attention or to interrupt you from the task at hand.
在心流中，无论你正在做什么，你都会全神贯注。你没有考虑任何其他事情。必须有人努力吸引你的注意力或打断你手头的任务。
2. Challenge 2. 挑战
The activity has to be the right amount of difficult. Too easy, and it won’t be absorbing enough. Too challenging, and you won’t be able to get into it.
活动的难度必须适当。太简单了，而且还不够吸引人。太有挑战性了，你就无法进入。
3. Goal-oriented 3. 目标导向
To trigger flow, the activity has to have some point to it. It doesn’t have to be grandiose — you could be playing a video game or coloring a picture. But in order to direct your attention, you have to have something to direct your attention to.
为了触发心流，活动必须有某种意义。它不一定是宏伟的——你可以在玩电子游戏或为图片着色。但为了引导你的注意力，你必须有一些东西来引导你的注意力。
4. Feedback 4. 反馈
There is a give-and-take of energy in the activity. Ever spend hours playing one of those puzzle games on your computer or phone? They’re engrossing because they give immediate feedback. You win a game, finish a level, or earn a star — which keeps you playing because you feel like you’re doing well.
活动中存在能量的给予和获取。您是否曾经花几个小时在计算机或手机上玩这些益智游戏之一？他们之所以引人入胜，是因为他们能立即提供反馈。你赢得了一场比赛，完成了一个关卡，或者赢得了一颗星星——这会让你继续玩下去，因为你感觉自己做得很好。
5. Personal control 5. 个人控制
You’ll have a hard time getting into flow if you feel like the activity or situation is out of your control. As a spectator, it’s difficult to have the mental absorption and sense of engagement that characterizes a flow state.
如果您觉得活动或情况超出了您的控制，您将很难进入心流状态。作为一个旁观者，很难拥有心流状态所特有的精神集中和参与感。
6. Timelessness 6. 永恒
When you’re in flow, you feel lost in the activity. This triggers a sort of altered consciousness around time. It can speed up or slow down — but either way, you’re a little surprised when you check the clock. This transformation of time comes from being completely absorbed in the present moment.
当你处于心流状态时，你会感到迷失在活动中。这会随着时间的推移引发某种意识的改变。它可以加速或减慢——但无论哪种方式，当你查看时钟时，你都会感到有点惊讶。这种时间的转变来自于完全专注于当下。
7. Peace 7. 和平
In flow, you have a feeling of calm. You’re absorbed in the task, but not stressed out or worried by it. You feel less self-conscious and even less anxious. This particular characteristic lasts beyond the experience itself, since being in a state of flow balances cortisol and stress levels.
在流动中，你会有一种平静的感觉。您全神贯注于任务，但不会感到压力或担忧。您感觉不那么难为情，甚至不那么焦虑。这种特殊的特征会持续到体验本身之外，因为处于流动状态可以平衡皮质醇和压力水平。
8. Intrinsic motivation 8.内在动机
To get into flow, the activity itself has to be rewarding for its own sake, independent of the outcome. For example, if you enjoy swimming, you can be in flow whether you’re competing, exercising, or just splashing in the pool. The results are secondary to the task itself. Csíkszentmihályi called this an “autotelic experience.”
为了进入心流状态，活动本身必须是有回报的，与结果无关。例如，如果您喜欢游泳，那么无论您是在比赛、锻炼还是只是在泳池里戏水，您都可以保持心流状态。结果对于任务本身来说是次要的。Csíkszentmihályi 称这是一次“自得其乐的体验”。
9. Disconnect from physical needs
9. 脱离身体需求
When you’re in the zone, you might temporarily forget that you’re thirsty, tired, or need to use the restroom. You have a loss of self-consciousness from being fully engaged in the activity. In this mental state, you may forget to eat or stay in an uncomfortable position a bit too long.
当您处于这种状态时，您可能会暂时忘记自己口渴、疲倦或需要使用洗手间。你会因为全神贯注于这项活动而失去自我意识。在这种精神状态下，您可能会忘记吃饭或以不舒服的姿势停留太久。
10. Single-mindedness 10.专一
Perhaps most importantly (and frustratingly) you can’t multitask your way into flow. In order to get in the right state of mind, you have to give all of your attention to the task at hand. It makes sense — after all, you can’t experience attentional focus without giving your entire attention to something.
也许最重要的是（也是令人沮丧的）你无法同时处理多项任务以达到心流状态。为了保持正确的心态，您必须将所有注意力集中到手头的任务上。这是有道理的——毕竟，如果你不把全部注意力集中在某件事上，你就无法体验注意力集中。
What happens to your brain in flow state?
在心流状态下你的大脑会发生什么？
What makes the flow state so special? Neuroscience hasn’t completely figured it out yet. Researchers have recognized that flow is a distinct mental state. It arises only when the level of challenge of the task and the level of skill of the person are in balance.
是什么让心流状态如此特别？神经科学还没有完全弄清楚这一点。研究人员已经认识到心流是一种独特的精神状态。只有当任务的挑战程度和个人的技能水平达到平衡时，它才会出现。
Working on a task that is engaging — but not so difficult as to be frustrating — lets our brains relax in an unusual way. When we are engaged in effortful focus, the brain’s central executive network (CEN) is engaged.
从事一项引人入胜但又不至于令人沮丧的任务可以让我们的大脑以一种不同寻常的方式放松。当我们努力集中注意力时，大脑的中央执行网络（CEN）就会投入工作。
When we are “doing nothing,” the default mode network (DMN) takes over. This part of the brain is associated with daydreaming, but it plays an important neurological role. Our levels of activity are significantly higher when in the DMN, even though we don’t look like we’re doing much at all. Counterintuitively, this part of the brain is also active during flow.
当我们“什么都不做”时，默认模式网络（DMN）就会接管。大脑的这一部分与白日梦有关，但它起着重要的神经作用。在 DMN 中，我们的活动水平明显更高，尽管我们看起来并没有做太多事情。与直觉相反的是，大脑的这一部分在心流过程中也很活跃。
When we are in a flow state, our minds are fully engaged in the task at hand in a way that seems to free up other parts of our brain to make connections. Although you are working, flow is inherently restorative and pleasurable. When in flow, dopamine is released. This neurotransmitter makes you feel more relaxed, optimistic, energized, and dedicated to the task at hand.
当我们处于心流状态时，我们的大脑会完全专注于手头的任务，这似乎可以释放大脑的其他部分来建立联系。虽然你在工作，但心流本质上是一种恢复和愉悦的方式。当流动时，多巴胺被释放。这种神经递质让您感觉更加放松、乐观、充满活力并专注于手头的任务。
How flow state benefits physical and mental wellness
心流状态如何有益于身心健康
Understanding how dopamine works is critical to understanding human behavior. When we experience something positive, dopamine helps us register it as pleasurable and encourages us to do it again. It’s the source of many of our habits, cravings, and impulses. According to Psychology Today, “It is no exaggeration to say that dopamine makes us human.”
了解多巴胺如何发挥作用对于理解人类行为至关重要。当我们经历一些积极的事情时，多巴胺会帮助我们将其视为令人愉悦的事情，并鼓励我们再次这样做。它是我们许多习惯、渴望和冲动的根源。据《今日心理学》报道，“可以毫不夸张地说，多巴胺使我们成为人类。”
Our physical, mental, and emotional well-being are directly tied to our dopamine levels. When they’re out-of-whack (whether too low or too high) we can become ill or engage in self-destructive behavior.
我们的身体、精神和情感健康与多巴胺水平直接相关。当它们不正常时（无论是太低还是太高），我们可能会生病或做出自我毁灭的行为。
Flow rewards us for the mental engagement and attentional focus that keeps us growing. The neurological and subjective experience of flow has benefits — both in and out of flow state. Here are some ways flow benefits your well-being:
心流奖励我们的精神投入和注意力集中，使我们不断成长。心流的神经和主观体验都有好处——无论是在心流状态还是在心流状态之外。以下是心流有益于您健康的一些方式：
1. Higher productivity 1. 更高的生产力
People in a flow state often find that it correlates with peak performance. These peak experiences are often due to the total attentional focus — coupled with a lack of self-consciousness. This enables people to be more productive while using less energy.
处于心流状态的人经常发现它与最佳表现相关。这些高峰体验通常是由于注意力完全集中，再加上缺乏自我意识。这使得人们能够在使用更少的能源的同时提高生产力。
2. Increased satisfaction
2. 提高满意度
Because of the high levels of engagement in flow, people often feel more satisfied with themselves and their work. They experience a dopaminergic reaction, boosting their positive experience both during and after flow.
由于心流的高度参与，人们往往对自己和工作感到更加满意。他们会经历多巴胺能反应，从而增强他们在流动期间和之后的积极体验。
3. Improved emotional regulation
3.改善情绪调节
Improved focus and increased confidence help to reduce anxiety and stress. These gains are also associated with improved emotional regulation. Researchers suggested flow as a positive alternative to unhealthy and unproductive coping mechanisms.
提高注意力和增强信心有助于减少焦虑和压力。这些收获还与情绪调节的改善有关。研究人员建议，心流可以作为不健康和低效应对机制的积极替代方案。
How do you achieve flow state?
如何达到心流状态？
Once you understand how flow works, you can set up your schedule and work environment to make it as flow-conducive as possible. Here’s a guide to how to get into flow more often — and stay there.
一旦了解了心流的运作方式，您就可以设置自己的日程安排和工作环境，使其尽可能有利于心流。这是如何更频繁地进入心流状态并保持状态的指南。
1. Choose clear goals 1.选择明确的目标
Part of getting into a flow state means working on a task that has a specific, finite outcome. You’ll find that it’s easier to achieve the right frame of mind when you know exactly what you’re working on. While you could set a time goal, it’s often more effective for the task to have a designated end or completion point. Knowing what you’re out to accomplish also gives you a sense of control.
进入心流状态的一部分意味着从事具有特定、有限结果的任务。你会发现，当你确切地知道自己在做什么时，更容易保持正确的心态。虽然您可以设定时间目标，但为任务指定一个指定的结束点或完成点通常会更有效。知道自己要完成什么也会给你一种掌控感。
2. Make it challenging 2. 让它具有挑战性
Activities that are the right amount of challenging are more engaging. If you can’t alter the task, you might be able to change other factors to make it harder. For example, I used to work in a role that required a lot of data entry. When I got bored with it, I’d race myself to see how fast I could complete the entries or how many I could do in a certain amount of time. Finding ways to make a routine task more challenging made it more enjoyable.
具有适当挑战性的活动更有吸引力。如果你无法改变任务，你也许可以改变其他因素来增加任务的难度。例如，我曾经担任过需要大量数据输入的角色。当我对此感到厌倦时，我会与自己竞赛，看看我能多快完成条目或在一定时间内能完成多少。想办法让日常任务变得更具挑战性，让它变得更有趣。
3. Make it easy to focus
3. 轻松集中注意力
Take time to look at your calendar and block off periods where you can work without distractions. You may want to schedule these blocks around certain activities or times of day when you’re naturally more productive and alert. Learning more about your circadian rhythms can help you identify your most productive times of the day.
花点时间查看你的日历，并划出可以不受干扰地工作的时段。您可能希望将这些时间段安排在某些活动或一天中您自然会更有效率和警觉的时间。详细了解您的昼夜节律可以帮助您确定一天中最有生产力的时间。
“Inducing flow is about the balance between the level of skill and the size of the challenge at hand.”
“诱导心流是关于技能水平和当前挑战大小之间的平衡。”
Jeanne Nakamura, positive psychologist and flow researcher
Jeanne Nakamura，积极心理学家和心流研究员
4. Take care of yourself
4.照顾好自己
In the state of flow, you forget about food, water, sleep, or how long you’ve been sitting on your foot. While this is great for staying focused, it’s not so great for your body. Create self-care routines that help you stay comfortable and taken care of so you can stay in flow longer. You might leave a bottle of water on your desk, a protein bar within easy reach, or invest in a supportive desk chair.
在心流状态下，你会忘记食物、水、睡眠，或者你已经坐了多久。虽然这对于保持注意力很有帮助，但对你的身体却不太好。制定自我护理程序，帮助您保持舒适并受到照顾，这样您就可以保持更长时间的流畅状态。您可以在办公桌上放一瓶水，在触手可及的地方放一块蛋白质棒，或者买一把支撑性的办公椅。
5. Turn your phone off
5. 关闭手机
Part of eliminating distractions means turning off your phone. It deserves its own category, though, because it doesn’t help to block off your calendar if you’ll be carrying a distraction in your pocket. Once you’ve communicated that you’ll be unavailable for a certain amount of time, put your phone away. Turn off your notifications or use an app like Forest to prevent you from sneaking back.
消除干扰的一部分方法是关闭手机。不过，它值得拥有自己的类别，因为如果你口袋里装着一些分散注意力的东西，它无助于封锁你的日历。一旦您表示您将在一段时间内无法联系，请收起您的手机。关闭通知或使用 Forest 等应用程序来防止您偷偷回来。
flow-state-person-focused-on-painting
6. Create a pre-flow ritual
6. 创建预流仪式
You can help your brain get into the zone by creating a ritual. For example, before I write, I check my messages, put my phone on silent, grab a beverage, and turn on “focus” music. It doesn’t have to be formal, practical, or the same for every activity. It’s just a way of cueing your brain that you’re about to get to work — and that it should, too.
您可以通过创建仪式来帮助您的大脑进入该区域。例如，在写作之前，我会查看消息，将手机调至静音，喝杯饮料，然后打开“专注”音乐。它不必是正式的、实用的，或者每项活动都相同。这只是一种提示你的大脑你即将开始工作的方式——而且它也应该开始工作。
7. Get to know yourself
7.了解自己
It’s hard to get into flow when we’re doing something we don’t like — but it’s worth paying attention to why we don’t like it. Is it too easy? Too hard? Too boring? Do we not know how to do it well?
当我们在做自己不喜欢的事情时，很难进入心流状态，但值得关注的是我们为什么不喜欢它。是不是太容易了？太难？太无聊？难道我们不知道如何做好吗？
Take the data entry example. I love working with computers, I’m competitive, and I love to learn new things. Data entry involves computers, but not usually a whole lot of learning. Making it a game worked for me because it tapped into my competitive nature.
以数据输入为例。我喜欢使用计算机，我有竞争力，而且我喜欢学习新事物。数据输入涉及计算机，但通常不需要大量学习。让它成为一款游戏对我来说很有效，因为它激发了我的竞争天性。
I could also have made data entry more engaging by turning it into a learning experience. I could use it to learn proper finger placement on the keyboard or macros (shortcut keys). Although the activity itself wouldn’t change much, the perceived challenge of the activity would. This is what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi refers to as challenge/skill balance in his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
我还可以通过将数据输入变成一种学习体验来使其更具吸引力。我可以用它来学习手指在键盘或宏（快捷键）上的正确放置。尽管活动本身不会发生太大变化，但活动的感知挑战却会发生变化。这就是 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 在他的书《心流：最佳体验心理学》中所说的挑战/技能平衡。
I truly believe that we might not enjoy everything, but we can find almost anything enjoyable. If we work to find something worth learning in every task, we can transform nearly anything into a flow experience. Aiming to experience this state of mind as often as possible leads us to happier, more satisfying lives.
我坚信，我们可能并不喜欢一切，但我们几乎可以找到任何令人愉快的事情。如果我们努力在每项任务中找到值得学习的东西，我们几乎可以将任何事情转化为心流体验。尽可能多地体验这种心态会让我们过上更快乐、更满足的生活。
How long can you stay in flow state?
你能保持心流状态多久？
The brain can’t stay in flow all the time. In a creative, flow state, the mind works optimally for about 90 minutes to 2 hours. You can make the most of this time with techniques like the Pomodoro method. Focused periods alternated with brief periods of rest allow your brain to be its most efficient and creative without triggering burnout.
大脑不可能一直保持流动状态。在创造性的心流状态下，大脑的最佳工作时间约为 90 分钟到 2 小时。您可以利用番茄工作法等技巧来充分利用这段时间。专注的时间与短暂的休息时间交替，可以让你的大脑发挥最大的效率和创造力，而不会引发倦怠。
It is possible to have multiple periods of flow in a day, which is very healthy for both you and your brain. For example, you might get your best work done early in the morning, go for a run to clear your head in the afternoon, and get lost in a book before bed. These are three distinct flow experiences, but each contributes to your well-being in a different way. And to be honest, that sounds like a great day.
一天内可以进行多个时段的心流，这对您和您的大脑都非常健康。例如，您可能会在清晨完成最好的工作，下午去跑步以清醒头脑，然后在睡觉前埋头读书。这是三种截然不同的心流体验，但每种体验都以不同的方式为您带来幸福感。说实话，这听起来是美好的一天。
Learn to go with the flow
学会随波逐流
Flow may be the most enjoyable of all human experiences. It might even be the secret to happiness. Flow is intrinsically rewarding, lowers our stress, and brings meaning and joy to just about any experience.
心流可能是所有人类体验中最令人愉快的。这甚至可能是幸福的秘诀。心流本质上是有益的，可以减轻我们的压力，并为任何体验带来意义和快乐。
Looking for ways to maximize the amount of time we spend in flow state makes us more engaged, satisfied, and creative. Whether you’re working, playing, or something in between, you feel better when you’re in flow.
寻找最大限度地延长处于心流状态的时间的方法，可以让我们更加投入、更加满足、更加富有创造力。无论您是在工作、玩耍还是介于两者之间，当您处于心流状态时，您都会感觉更好。
Bringing the concept of flow to our everyday life helps us to stay present as we continue to grow.
将心流的概念带入我们的日常生活有助于我们在不断成长的过程中保持现状。
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