"Creativity Spikes Between 400 and 700% In Flow."
- Harvard and Flow Genome Project (Result of various studies)
"Top Executives Increase Productivity By Up To 500% In Flow."
- McKinsey & Company (Result of a 10-year study)
"The Learning Process Becomes 490% Faster In Flow."
- USA Department of Defence (Study with snipers and radar operators)
Flow is the scientific term for optimal states of consciousness, where your sense of self vanishes, you merge with the activity you are performing, time flies, and you achieve ultimate performance. It is intrinsically connected to finding creative solutions to your challenges.
As you enter the flow state you become laser-like focused, without feeling high or wired. You will feel unusually clear, knowing what you need to do and how to do it.
You already know there is nothing quite like it, as we all experience getting in flow from time to time. What is fundamental in this competitive world is to be able to access flow more often at work, and as a bonus, you will be more likely to access flow in your leisure time and have more fun in life.
Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi ran one of the largest psychological surveys ever, asking people about the times in their life when they felt their best and performed at their best. No matter their age, occupation, or nationality, their description of peak performance converged to describe what getting in flow felt like and the term flow was created.
Scientific research to guide your access to flow is still surrounded by mystery, but now we can clearly define the characteristics of a flow experience, conditions for it to happen, and identify the triggers to achieve flow. We can also observe the radical change in body neurochemistry, brain activity and brain wave patterns while in flow.
Researchers believe that flow is behind the most significant progress in science, business breakthroughs and innovation in arts, not forgetting that gold medals and world championships are achieved as a result of athletes having an intimate relationship with flow.
Creativity is the most sought-after asset in the marketplace, but unlike skills it is almost impossible to train someone to become more creative. The great discovery contained in this book is that you can become more creative when you find your way to enter the elusive state of mind called flow.
ZANDER GARCEZ is Managing Director of Humans In Flow Consultancy, where he empowers top executives and ambitious professionals to lead their fields from the bleeding edge. Zander navigates through complexity and uncertainty by living in London, and he splits his time between giving talks around the world and coaching professionals to achieve 'impossible' goals.
