Behind the hype of the title is a refreshingly market-speak-free read detailing how top performers in adventure sports and athletics manage to regularly perform seemingly superhuman stunts like ski-base jumping, free-falling from space or even - tapping into history here - breaking the four minute mile barrier. The secret, Kotler asserts, is flow.Flow turns out to be that quixotic sense of being so deeply absorbed in a task that time passes without you noticing while accompanied fantastic levels of creativity and performance. Or in my generation's parlance - being in the zone. Or if you're a runner like myself - runner's high (a low level version of flow apparently).
Kotler slowly unpacks the neurochemistry (an interplay of around half a dozen potent chemicals) and biology behind the metaphysics of flow through well told and inspiring examples of derring-do. There are areas of our brains which give us near supernatural powers like being able to predict the future (in a limited way) and making non-obvious connections and acting on them unconsciously.
The good news, however, is that ordinary mortals like yours truly can also access flow in our everyday lives and also benefit from up to five times increases in productivity (according to a McKinsey study of executives):
Tips for activating flow
Avoid multitasking
Flow is experienced when the brain stops multitasking and so you are more likely to enter it - if you concentrate on one task.
Growth mindset
Some people that intelligence and abilities are fixed, others believe they can always expand and improve aka they have a growth mindset.
Autonomy
You have some level of control over your current experience.
Novelty
Different environments or situations like visiting a new coffee shop can help unlock flow. Being in nature can be especially good.
Visualisation
Kotler uses various examples, including the breaking of the four minute mile, to show how visualisation can help the impossible become possible.
“What does impossible feel like, sound like, look like. And then we start to be able to see ourselves doing the impossible—that’s the secret. There is an extremely tight link between our visual system and our physiology: once we can actually see ourselves doing the impossible, our chances of pulling it off increase significantly.”
Michael Gervais, psychologist
Clear goals
Chunking a big goal into lots of tiny ones helps enormously.
“I don’t think about breaking a record, I can’t ever think about the whole dive. It’s too overwhelming. I have to chunk it down, create tiny, clear goals. I go through kick cycles. The Voice (the voice of intuition) keeps count. I want to pay attention through one cycle, then the next, then the next. Keep the count, that’s my only goal. If I keep the count, I can stay in flow the whole dive.”
Mandy-Rae Cruickshank, Free diver
A writer is better focussing on a few great paragraphs at a time, than an entire chapter.
Immediate feedback
If you can get immediate feedback on what you're doing, then that helps drive learning and flow. One of the most profound flow experiences I had was during web development - I was right on the edge of what I was capable, but getting feedback (whether the program would run or not) almost every few minutes.
For individuals, this means tightening feedback loops (OODA loop style). That could mean daily rather than quarterly or annual reviews.
4% more
You are more likely to find flow when the task you're doing is 4% more challenging than your current capacity. The benefits of this are cumulative over time and akin to Team Sky's aggregation of marginal gains.
Element of danger
Note: danger doesn't have to be physical or life threatening - to a shy person crossing the room to talk to someone new can feel dangerous enough. Flow is often found close to boundary of fight or flight.
For those seeking flow in team situations, the following can also help:
- Familarity
- Collective humility
- Being engaged in the collective here and now
- Yes, And
- Choosing your own challenges
- Having the necessary skills
Finally, he finishes with an inspiring call to action drawn from another revolutionary author:
"We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for."
Alice Walker
Verdict: Thrilling and engaging, but not a how-to-manual
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