{"id":229,"date":"2025-06-17T02:30:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T18:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/?p=229"},"modified":"2025-06-17T17:28:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T09:28:54","slug":"what-is-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/2025\/06\/17\/what-is-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Flow?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you ever been so absorbed in something that you forgot to eat, didn\u2019t check your phone (which kind of is a good thing right?), and didn\u2019t even notice the time flying by? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You weren\u2019t bored. You weren\u2019t overwhelmed. You were just <em><strong>in it<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that, my friend, is <strong>Flow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When was the last time I experienced &#8220;flow&#8221;?<\/strong> Well, for the past 3 days, I was building the <a href=\"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\">website<\/a> and assessment tools, and it&#8217;s 2 am, and I&#8217;m still in it. I&#8217;m inspired to pen this post. I&#8217;m in a state of flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this 3-part series, I&#8217;m going to share with you about Flow, and how Flow is relevant in LEGO\u00ae SERIOUS PLAY\u00ae and Ikigai. \ud83d\ude0e<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is flow?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Flow<\/strong> is a mental state where you&#8217;re fully absorbed in what you&#8217;re doing; energised, focused, and completely in the moment. You&#8217;re not pushing yourself with effort; you&#8217;re <em>gliding<\/em> with it. It\u2019s that sweet spot where your skills are being challenged just enough to keep you hooked, and the activity itself offers constant, natural feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The term was coined by psychologist <strong>Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/strong> (say it with me: <em>cheek-sent-me-high<\/em> &#8211; legendary name, legendary insights).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through his research, he found that people from all walks of life; whether they were surgeons, surfers, or chess grandmasters, described the <em>same<\/em> experience when they were at their best: a state of deep concentration, joy, and a total loss of time awareness. He named this state <strong>Flow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Flow <em>Feels<\/em> Like<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you&#8217;re in Flow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Time either <strong>flies<\/strong> or <strong>disappears<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You\u2019re fully focused &#8211; no space for overthinking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The task feels challenging, but not overwhelming<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You feel in control, yet you&#8217;re not <em>trying<\/em> to control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You forget yourself\u2026 and become the activity<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sound familiar? Good. You\u2019ve been there. I love that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the million-dollar question: how do you get back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flow isn\u2019t just a \u201cnice feeling.\u201d It\u2019s <strong>powerful<\/strong>. Csikszentmihalyi believed <strong>Flow <\/strong>is one of the most <em>reliable indicators of a <strong>meaningful life<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 8 Elements of Flow according to Csikszentmihalyi&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>A Clear Goal<\/strong> \u2013 You know what you&#8217;re trying to do.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Immediate Feedback<\/strong> \u2013 You can tell if you\u2019re doing it right. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Balance Between Challenge and Skill<\/strong> \u2013 Not too easy, not too hard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deep Concentration<\/strong> \u2013 You\u2019re completely focused.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A Sense of Control<\/strong> \u2013 You feel capable and confident.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss of Self-Consciousness<\/strong> \u2013 You stop worrying about how you look or sound.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time Distortion<\/strong> \u2013 An hour feels like five minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Activity Becomes Autotelic<\/strong> \u2013 Fancy word meaning: it\u2019s worth doing for its own sake.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When these elements align &#8211; Boom. <strong>Flow <\/strong>state activated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Flow Is More Than Just Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what Flow can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Increase <strong>creativity<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhance <strong>learning<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reduce <strong>anxiety<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Build <strong>resilience<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a sense of <strong>purpose<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basically, Flow is the gateway to your best self. \ud83d\udcaa<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Can You Find Flow?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flow doesn\u2019t only live in hikes or yoga classes. You can find it in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Writing, painting, playing music<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Solving a challenging puzzle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Playing sports or dancing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even cleaning (yes, really)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Simply an activity that you do<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not about <em>what<\/em> you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s about <em>how <\/em><strong><em>deeply<\/em> <\/strong>you\u2019re doing it. \ud83d\udca1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick Reflection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Think about the last time you lost yourself in an activity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What were you doing?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What made time disappear?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What does that say about what energises you?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those moments? They\u2019re not random. They\u2019re <strong>clues<\/strong>. Flow is your brain whispering, \u201cHey\u2026 this matters.\u201d I would love to hear from you, just email me at <a href=\"mailto:david@saltnpepper.sg\">david@saltnpepper.sg<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One more thing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <strong>Part 2<\/strong>, we\u2019ll explore how Flow &#8220;flows&#8221; in <strong>LEGO\u00ae SERIOUS PLAY\u00ae<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Spoiler<\/strong>: it\u2019s not just about bricks + it\u2019s about brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until then, <strong>pay attention to your Flow moments<\/strong>. They\u2019re guiding you somewhere <strong>meaningful<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Have you ever been so absorbed in something that you forgot to eat, didn\u2019t check your phone (which kind of is a good thing right?), and didn\u2019t even notice the time flying by? You weren\u2019t bored. You weren\u2019t overwhelmed. You were just in it. But<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,194],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ikigai","category-play"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229\/revisions\/235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/saltnpepper.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}