Mihaly Csikszentmihály (
pronounced me-hi cheek-sent-me-hi-ee) - the brilliant man with the name like someone was banging on a keyboard, who developed what is called the
Flow Model:
FLOW is when we lose ourselves, move forward on instinct, and are completely devoted to the task before us. You are so engaged, you lose track of time and become immersed. You feel energized and possibly even joyful about what you are doing.
The graphic consists of 8 emotional states we're likely to experience when trying to complete a task, depending on the Perceived Skill Level (or how well we think we can do it) and the Challenge Level (or how difficult it actually is to accomplish).
If we view our skills or ability to complete the task as low, or not adequate enough,
Apathy,
Worry, and
Anxiety result as the task becomes more challenging. If we view our skills as mediocre - in between low and high - then
Boredom or
Arousal (this means engaged with stimuli - get your mind out of the gutter!) will result.
But if we view our abilities as high, or very positively, then easy challenges result in
Relaxation, medium challenges we feel in
Control of.
To find our balance and perform at our best, we need a challenge which is significant and interesting, and we need well-developed skills. This puts us into a position where we can "Flow". Those who have mastered Flow often make what they are doing look easy and they are totally engaged in it.
