On the previous page we talked about the value of flow to generate more happiness in your life. Those who flow focus their attention intentionally upon the task at hand. It really amounts to knowing your goal, concentrating on it, remaining determined, and having the self-discipline to complete what you are doing.

You create yourself by how you invest your energy. When it is under control your attention is focused. Attention is your most important tool in the task of improving the quality of your experience.

 1. Choose a task that you have a good chance of completing.
 2. You need the ability to focus your concentration upon the task at hand.
 3. Clear goals are necessary, allowing you to focus your concentration.
 4. The task provides feedback, which allows you to focus your concentration.
 5. You get so involved in the task that you forget about everything else.
 6. The task allows you to exercise a sense of control over your actions.
 7. You become so focused on the task that self-concern disappears. (Your sense of self returns, stronger than ever after the flow experience is completed.)
 8 You lose your sense of time; hours seem to pass in minutes, minutes can stretch out and seem like hours.

The combination of these factors causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is intensely gratifying. With this knowledge, it’s possible to achieve control of consciousness and turn even routine tasks into an experience of flow.

Remember, flow is when all your relevant skills are needed to cope with the challenges of a task, and you become completely absorbed by the activity. No attention is left to process any information but what the activity offers.

Once you are flowing, the experience drives you on to more creativity and achievement. The development of increasingly refined skills to sustain enjoyment is the actual power behind the evolution of culture.