Have you ever been so focused on something that hours pass by that it feels like minutes? Absorbed into a task-oriented activity such as painting, knitting, playing tennis, working out, biking, driving, folding laundry, or something else?

“Flow is a state of full task engagement that is accompanied with low-levels of self-referential thinking….Flow is often associated with athletes, artists, or scientists who are fully task-absorbed in order to achieve peak performance.” (Frontiers in Psychology Journal)

For me, it was dance. I’m a dancer of over eight years and a massive part of why dancing is so addicting and therapeutic for me is because I find myself constantly in flow state (whether I choose to or not). Dance brings me into a meditative state that physically and spiritually grounds me to the earth and my most present state. When I’m in flow, I feel the most focused, productive, and attuned to my mind’s wants and needs. Almost borderline tunnel-visioned or in a trance you could say.

“…being in a flow state is associated with a decrease in activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is essential in higher cognitive functions, including memory and self-consciousness. Reduced activity in this region may explain why people experience a distorted sense of time and loss of self-consciousness.” (Verywellmind)

How does this all translate to my day job as a UX designer? How has flow leveraged my productivity at work and my career growth?

There used to be times in past jobs when I felt like the work day was dragging by, looking at the clock tick through the minutes and seconds. I’ve also experienced the opposite where I was so dialed in and the next thing I know, it’s 5 pm. That right there is flow. Achieving flow state has transformed how I work, process information, and make decisions daily.

My partner, friends, and coworkers have historically described me as a productive go-getter. Anytime I had an idea — whether it was the next best product or a design solution to a unique problem, I had to entertain the idea immediately and scratch the itch before I could be at peace. Hours, weeks, or months would go by as I passionately and faithfully devoted my time to said objective. At the time, I wasn’t fully convinced that this “skill” was due to my profound ability to enter flow state on command, but perhaps a byproduct of my anxiety or attachment to obtaining results or completing a task. Even if it was a byproduct of my anxiety or to satisfy some internal need, why was it always so effortless for me to fall into that trance? That incessant journey?

Obtaining the unattainable

Through my various work experiences and my ever-evolving relationship with design, I learned that I am capable of solving difficult design problems. I grew an obsession with obtaining the unattainable — or so they are perceived to be. That feeling alone kickstarts my creative juices, thus kickstarting my state of flow. My driving question: What would life look like if it worked?

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990)

UX design by nature is a solution-oriented field. UX designers are constantly designing for complex problems and making micro-decisions about every single thing to land on the “best of the best” solution. For better or for worse, I find myself forming “relationships” with my designs and becoming attached to their evolution journey. That relationship is faithful and that relationship is how flow reveals itself to be, for me at least. Fully equipped, with zero distractions, timeless energy, and a formidable challenge.

Benefits of flow state

• Feeling in tune with (and in control of) your emotions
• Increased satisfaction because what you produce during flow state tends to be its own reward
• Increased engagement in your work
• Feelings of increased creativity because you’re less self-conscious during flow state
• Increased focus in what you’re doing
• Confidence that what you’re working on is achievable

(Flow state work, Asana)

The impact

In a single flow session, I find myself generating 10–20 iterative pieces and variations, arriving at pivotal design decisions, or having an epiphany of some sort. In practice, these hyper-concentrated junctures have led to pivotal outcomes down the product pipeline. Whether it’s pitching a scope change to my product manager, sharing out key findings from design exploration, or even expediting the project timeline.

To be clear, the quality of flow state is not defined by whether or not I can drive a 10% increase in ROI, how many designs I can generate, or whatever metric I decided to give it. Flow is simply the state of presence and pursuit. The state of complete focus and engagement. What we do with that focus is ultimately up to us.

The more times I’ve entered flow state, the more attuned I am to my design and decision-making process. This has single-handedly changed the pace and quality of which I execute my job as a UX designer. Simply put, the more time I spend designing, the better designer I become! As straightforward as that may sound, it’s harder to do than you think. It ultimately depends on your work environment and personal habits.

Heads-down time

I’ll deep dive into the triggers of flow state in another article, but one of the more prominent factors I have observed that prevents designers from entering flow state is not enough heads-down time. Heads-down time is undivided attention into design work and by design work, I mean actually being on the drawing board.

As UX designers, this time is critical to our performance and execution. Oftentimes, our 40-hour weeks are engrossed with one-on-one meetings, stand-ups, XFN meetings, reviewing design work, reading briefs, and everything in between. We’re then left to rapidly generate high-impact design solutions during our brain’s non-peak performance state. This is when it becomes all the more important to set your boundaries and advocate for ample time to allot design work.

“It takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes of focused attention to reach a flow state. Once in flow, it may last from 30 minutes to a couple of hours.” (Verywellmind)

Undivided heads-down design time is when your most clear-insight ideas come because that’s when we have the chance for our minds to enter flow state. It’s when we’re in that state that we become our most creative and innovative selves.

Thanks for reading!

🤝🏼You can learn more about my UX work here and connect with me on LinkedIn.

💬 Always welcome your thoughts or a conversation below!