Principle 5 of 6

Where four things meet: flow

Flow is being “in the zone”: intense focus and effortless engagement.The graphic says it’s accessible to everyone, when four things come together.

The four circles

What’s missing for flow?

Mark what’s true about your activity.Two circles give a result, all four give flow.

Four overlapping circles with “flow state” in the middle — The four circles from the graphic; flow sits in the middle.From the @financialsimplified post

Examples

Your activity is

3 of 4 circles

The examples, their marked circles and the tips are ours, not from the graphic.Two pairs have no result in the graphic: care about + challenging, and long term + good at.

The results

What you get at each overlap

Each pair of neighboring circles gives a result, with three signs to recognize it by.Pick a result and see where it sits in the diagram.

A challenge and skill diagram, with the “flow” zone where both are high — Csikszentmihalyi’s model: flow appears when challenge and skill are both high and in balance.Oliverbeatson · public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Result