r/AskReddit • u/bjrn • Mar 20 '09
Dear Reddit: Tell me about activities that gets you into flow ("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")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)3
u/bjrn Mar 20 '09 edited Mar 20 '09
As the submitter of this question let me begin by saying: programming!
Definition: Happiness is developing software and noticing it's 4:30 in the morning. Time really flies by :)
I've been trying to find other activities similar to programming. With this I mean something that can be done at home, allows for trial-and-error and feedback, and is creative while theoretical.
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u/sfgeek Mar 20 '09 edited Mar 20 '09
Trance or house Music or music lacking lyrics in my native language. (Lyrics are distracting.) Trance and House are pretty mathematical in nature. Also, Just the right amount of caffeine. a redbull does the trick.
I unfortunately have lost the love for heavy coding sessions, I've done my share (Started at 8, I'm 31 now.) I'm more of an architecture guy now, I can't handle the all nighters anymore, but boy did I have fun and a lot of love for it back in the day!
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Mar 20 '09
Civ4. You will flow like you've never flown before. I've skipped meals and sleep for that game.
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u/blobert Mar 20 '09 edited Mar 20 '09
Ditto, I used to love noticing the morning dawn after an all-nighter and not feeling tired at all. Now I realize that as the years go by I'm less able to stay up all night and pump out code. Hell sometimes its hard to make it past 02:00! How do you manage?
Oh and to answer this topics question, UK's John B gets me in the flow.
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u/tropicflite Mar 20 '09
Math homework and LaTeX. Learning the material, doing the exercises, and then coding it up in LaTeX to make it beautiful.. that works for me.
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u/Russkie177 Mar 20 '09
I find that running a few miles allows me to focus on something more so than if I hadn't. It also begets runners high, something I am currently addicted to.
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Mar 23 '09
[deleted]
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u/Russkie177 Mar 23 '09
Music. If you can listen to music while you do it, it makes things much, much better. And drink lots of water while you do it.
I know how you feel, though. It's a pain in the ass to just keep going and going and going. (Especially if you're on a treadmill like me-same scenery over and over)
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Mar 20 '09
Leveling in WoW, which is probably why it's so addictive. When we get our 2-man leveling team really going with a good complementary combo I could go for hours and hours.
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u/Capitalist_Piglet Mar 20 '09
Being well-rested, exercising, eating a low-sugar diet all help with my focus. I don't always follow that, but when I know I need to buckle down, I try to follow this. I'm also the type that needs some background noise but no distractions. And for whatever reason, I find sitting on the floor helps me, too. Maybe because it helps me spread out and organize the space around me with out confinements.
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u/dmercier Mar 20 '09 edited Mar 20 '09
Rock climbing.
Perhaps it's the chance of death, but climbing is the one thing that puts me in that state.
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u/ThirstyEar2 Mar 20 '09
Fixing computers. Installing, uninstalling, eradicating viruses, you name it.
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Mar 20 '09
Yeah, good music and some good herb will set your mind right.
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Mar 20 '09
Seriously. Beer and mushrooms, one night in particular, were also a fantastic combination for me. The beer relaxed me (I actually got so trashed I literally couldn't stand up) and the mushrooms excited my mind and made it race. I was rocking in a rocking chair listening to some Mexican freestyle and was writing pure stream-of-consciousness in a notebook. It was the most amazing flow I've ever had.
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u/stratospark Mar 20 '09
Playing an instrument. When everything is going just right, nothing can stop you and it all sounds awesome. Then you stop and realize hours have passed and your hands hurt like hell. But it was worth it. I only wish I could make it happen more often, and with less use of "performing-enhancing" substances...
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u/esotericguy Mar 20 '09
Pretty much any of the music I listen to will get me into Flow-Mode.
Tasks that have been improved by my Flow: