{"id":8333,"date":"2026-01-14T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=8333"},"modified":"2026-01-14T08:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T13:00:04","slug":"flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2026\/01\/flow\/","title":{"rendered":"Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"

One day recently, I set to work on a blog for this website. After a while, my words began to come easily, and I became deeply immersed in what I was doing.  <\/span><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t notice that the cat had jumped up on my desk until she knocked something over. That stopped me and, bleary-eyed, I glanced at the clock. I thought I\u2019d spent about an hour working, but three hours had slid past, and I\u2019d forgotten to have lunch. <\/span><\/p>\n

I was hungry but delighted with the work I\u2019d done. I knew I\u2019d been in flow. <\/span><\/p>\n

You experience flow when you become completely absorbed in accomplishing something that\u2019s neither too easy for you nor too hard. Virtually everyone does this at times. It can happen while you\u2019re playing the piano, reading a book or working on a crossword puzzle. Creative efforts often generate it\u2014as people who paint or write music or poetry in their spare time can testify. Meditation can be a flow experience and so can dancing, playing tennis or making love. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever you\u2019re doing, it goes so smoothly, it seems almost effortless. You lose track of time. You\u2019re in top form and feel competent and full of vitality. A chess player I talked to put it this way: \u201cThe concentration is like breathing\u2014you never think about it.\u201d If you experience flow in sports, whether you\u2019re playing basketball or climbing a rock face, your movements are fluid and easy. It\u2019s called \u201cbeing in the zone,\u201d but it\u2019s flow in a different context. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being in flow is an odd experience. You don\u2019t know it\u2019s happened until it\u2019s over, and it\u2019s involuntary: you can\u2019t make it happen. Mostly, I find flow while I\u2019m writing. <\/span><\/p>\n

My recent flow experience reminded me that it had been quite a while since the last one. I wondered whether aging (I\u2019m 90) had made it less likely.<\/span><\/p>\n

A bit of research reassured me that aging isn\u2019t an obstacle. What\u2019s more, studies have confirmed that being in flow is especially good for your psychological health and well-being in your later years. Older people sometimes tell researchers that when they\u2019re in flow, they feel younger. <\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not surprising. We live in a culture that teaches us to dread aging and that stereotypes older people as weak, unhealthy and incompetent. It\u2019s almost impossible to avoid absorbing some of that ageist bias and turning it against yourself. It\u2019s easy to see why, in our later years, we feel younger after we\u2019ve been in flow: feeling competent, confident and happy with ourselves counteracts the stereotypes. <\/span><\/p>\n

While aging itself isn\u2019t an obstacle to experiencing flow, retirement can be, according to research. Perhaps that\u2019s because, once you leave the work force, you don\u2019t have as many opportunities to take on engrossing tasks. <\/span><\/p>\n

Are there ways to help yourself get into flow? The key is engaging in the right activity: something you enjoy that\u2019s just difficult enough to present a challenge. Think about what\u2019s put you into a flow state in the past and try it again where you won\u2019t be interrupted. Don\u2019t choose a quick task\u2014it takes time for flow to develop. <\/span><\/p>\n

If the activity you\u2019ve chosen feels too easy, make it more difficult. If you\u2019re playing the piano, for example, set the sheet music aside and try to play the piece from memory. Keep going until you get it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another approach is to gradually build up skills in something entirely new. Learn to play the guitar, to paint with watercolors, to knit. And don\u2019t be discouraged if it takes a while to become good enough at it for flow to develop.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you grow older, you may find that a task that once induced flow is now too difficult. Instead of giving up, break it down into steps or spend time practicing until your skills and confidence come back. <\/span><\/p>\n

I expect to retire within the next year, and I\u2019ve wondered where I\u2019ll find flow once I stop working. Here\u2019s one thing I\u2019m planning to try. Years ago, I played the clarinet relatively well, but I haven\u2019t picked up my instrument in a long time. When I retire, I\u2019ll start with something basic, like playing scales, and then move on to simple tunes. If I can pace myself so that each time I practice, I\u2019m stretching my skill, I stand a good chance of finding flow along the way. <\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s very much worth doing. Not only will it help me sustain my self-confidence but it feels so good, it\u2019s worth missing lunch occasionally. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One day recently, I set to work on a blog for this website. After a while, my words began to come easily, and I became deeply immersed in what I was doing.   I didn\u2019t notice that the cat had jumped…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Flow<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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