Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Milhály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.
1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable
and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities). Moreover,
the challenge level and skill level should both be high.
2. Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field
of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to
focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self/consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time, one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of
the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too
easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. People become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is
narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging.