Our New Book, Mastering Flow, is Out Soon—Here’s the Introduction

We’re excited to announce that our latest book will be published soon.

The book has been my #1 project for the last 4+ years. I’ve read hundreds of studies, articles, and books in the process. I’ve had conversations, watched videos, and listened to podcasts. I’ve thought, reflected, outlined, written, edited, and re-written again and again. I’ve felt excited and joyful, discouraged and doubtful, up and down and everything in between.

It’s been a long, arduous, and informative journey, and I’m glad the end is in sight. It’s time to finalize the book and bring it to the world. I’m excited and scared at the same time.

So, what’s the book called, and what is it about? The complete title is: Mastering Flow – Feel Your Best, Perform Your Best, and Reach Your Full Potential. As the title suggests, the book is about flow – about what flow is, why it matters, and how to experience it more often.

What is flow? In short, it’s the state of total involvement in an activity. Flow is characterized by intense concentration on the task at hand, a merging of action and awareness, forgetting of oneself and one’s problems, a sense of control and confidence, a distorted experience of time, and enjoyment.

Why does it matter? Why should you care about it? Because it’s one of the most valuable experiences we can have as human beings. Flow is highly enjoyable and beneficial in the moment and contributes to a better quality of life in the future. Decades of research have shown that flow holds the key to happiness and success. Flow helps people build skills, stay motivated, improve their self-esteem, grow more confident, and become more satisfied with their lives. Let me put it bluntly: Creating your best life depends on your ability to experience flow. It’s not a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. The better you become at accessing flow, the better equipped you are to create the life you desire.

As you can probably tell, I’m a believer in flow. I think it matters a lot. That’s why I spent so much time researching and writing. The end result is what I believe to be the most comprehensive and practical book on the subject of flow of the 2020s, or maybe ever.

Would you like a sneak peek of what’s inside? What follows is the complete introduction from the book. Enjoy!

Introduction

Have you ever been so immersed in an activity that you completely forgot about everything else? Perhaps you lost track of time and failed to notice that you were hungry, thirsty, or in need of a bathroom break? Did it feel easy and effortless? Did you feel strong, confident, and in total control? Did you “wake up” from the experience feeling excited, energized, refreshed, capable, and on a high?

This type of experience goes by many names. Psychologists sometimes call it “optimal experience.” Athletes may speak of “being in the zone,” musicians of “being in the groove,” runners of “runner’s high,” and writers of “writer’s high.” We will call it “flow.” It’s what this book is all about.

My first in-depth encounter with flow was when I read Steven Kotler’s The Rise of Superman. The book depicts some of the world’s best action and adventure sports athletes and how they’re using flow to “push human performance farther and faster than at any other point in the 150,000-year history of our species.” [1]

I was hooked instantly. I thought to myself: WOW. Flow is incredible. I want that for myself. No, I need that for myself. How can I make it happen?

This initial spark led me down a four-year journey of researching and writing about flow. The result? The book you’re holding in your hands.

What is Flow, and Why Does it Matter?

Flow is the experience of total involvement in an activity. You’re so absorbed in what you’re doing that everything else falls away. You’re so laser-focused on the task at hand there is no attention left for daydreaming, worrying, second-guessing, or doubting yourself. You forget your troubles and stop worrying about what other people think of you. In flow, you’re relieved from the nagging inner voice that is so prevalent in everyday life. You are temporarily freed from the “burden of selfhood.” [2]

When people describe their flow experiences, they report feeling strong, capable, optimistic, and in control. They report being switched on and tuned in. In flow, there’s a letting go of conscious control. You get out of your own way and allow your unconscious to take over. [3] You’re not making things happen; you’re letting them happen. [4] In flow, everything feels smooth, fluent, easy, light, effortless, and spontaneous. Everything seems to be moving of its own accord, seamlessly, automatically, without friction. It feels like you’re floating or being carried by a flow. Everything just flows—hence, the term flow.

Flow experiences are deeply enjoyable and are described by many as the best moments in their lives. These experiences are so rewarding that we want to repeat whichever activity provided it.

A couple of years ago, I went sledding with my father and my three brothers. I still remember where we parked the car, purchased the tickets, what the ski lift looked like, the photo we took afterward, and many other details from the event. Most vividly, however, I remember the feeling I had after one of our descents—I felt fully alive, strong, excited, energized, euphoric, and on a high. It felt like my system had just been flooded with a bunch of feel-good hormones. I remember thinking to myself, whoah, that felt gooood! That was fun! Let’s do it again.

But flow is more than a feel-good experience. What makes it special is that it’s highly enjoyable and beneficial at the same time. Flow feels fantastic and allows you to perform at your best and helps you build an overall better quality of life.

Whatever you do in flow, you’re doing it to the best of your ability. If you think about the best performances of your life, you’ll find that you’ve been in flow. If you think about the worst performances of your life, you’ll find that flow was absent—you probably thought too much, doubted yourself, felt overly anxious, or got otherwise distracted somehow. You got in your own way. The dreaded choke is an anti-flow experience par excellence.

By allowing you to be at your best, flow helps you build skills, accomplish goals, and grow your character. You become more capable and confident. You grow to like yourself better. Decades of research have shown that flow holds the key to performance, skill development, health, success, and happiness.

Let me put it bluntly: Creating your best life depends on your ability to experience flow. You can’t be at your best, and you can’t become your best, without flow. It’s not a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. The better you become at accessing flow, the better equipped you are to create the life you desire.

The good news is, regardless of your current ability to experience flow, you can learn to experience it more often. You can become more flow-prone—you can improve your ability to move in and out of flow. That’s what Mastering Flow is all about. My goal with this book is twofold: teach you about flow and help you experience it more often.

What You’ll Learn in This Book

This book is organized into three parts. Part 1 is all about what flow is and what we know about it. Think of it like a Tour de Flow. I’ll share the foundational as well as the most intriguing and helpful findings from over 50 years of research on flow. The Tour begins with a broad overview that puts flow in context. Next up are the origin story of flow, its definition, and a brief discussion of the different types of flow. You’ll then learn about the circumstances under which flow occurs and the components that come together to create the holistic sensation of being in flow.

Other highlights of the Tour include: the personality traits that support or hinder your ability to experience flow; the various methods researchers have used to uncover the many findings I share in this book; the activities and contexts in which flow is experienced most frequently; and finally, the fascinating world of your brain and body in flow.

Part 2 covers the benefits and dangers of flow. I’ve stated that flow holds the key to happiness and success and that creating your best life depends on your ability to experience flow. In chapters 10 and 11, I’ll back up these claims. I’ll provide examples of athletes, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs, and businesses that credit flow with their gold medals, world records, bestsellers, scientific breakthroughs, and other achievements. I’ll also share the scientific studies that have vigorously tested the many anecdotal benefits of flow. Finally, in chapter 12, I’ll discuss the dangers and downsides of flow. Flow is powerful; that much is certain. But flow isn’t good or bad in an absolute sense. It can build or destroy. It can make you or break you. While flow is always fun, its consequences can be everything but.

Part 3 is all about making it happen. Think of it as your toolkit. You’ll discover a smorgasbord of tips and strategies for experiencing more flow. You’ll learn about activities, jobs, environments, skills, mindsets, routines, and habits that facilitate flow. You’ll learn how to structure your life, tweak your surroundings, and manage your thoughts and emotions to make flow more likely. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to become more flow-prone—how to become better at moving in and out of flow at all times in all areas of life.

Flow can transform your life. Are you ready? Let’s make it happen.

There you have it. That's the Introduction of Mastering Flow. If you want to be notified when the book is available, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.