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Flow: The Psychology of Optimal ExperiencePrinted Access Code – January 1, 2024
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- Reading age1 year and up
- Print length100 pages
- PublisherHarvNotes
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2024
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Product details
- ASIN : B0D81GKG9P
- Publisher : HarvNotes (January 1, 2024)
- Printed Access Code : 100 pages
- Reading age : 1 year and up
- Customer Reviews:
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Customers find the book interesting, well-written, and rich. They also find the insights thought-provoking, providing a sense of discovery and helping bring meaning to their lives. Readers describe the concept as interesting and compelling. They mention it puts them into flow and makes many things fun and enjoyable. Overall, customers say the book is worth it and a must-have.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting, wonderful, and well-written. They say it's rich, easy to understand, and surprisingly easy to read.
"...Itsounds simplebut it is rather complex. The book is written by an intellectual and at times its seem for intellectuals.... "Read more
"...It is becauseeach page is filled with possibility;each concept, each story/ parable told makes you go off into a reverie of thought and... "Read more
"...However, not all pages are enjoyable to read, as sometimes thechapters feel repetitive,preachy and downright esoteric.... "Read more
"...with close" Full "interpersonal relationships, good health, wisdom,awe,maturity, charity, moral development, self-control, purposeful striving,... "Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, interesting, and valuable. They say it provides a sense of discovery and helps bring meaning to their lives. Readers also appreciate the author's deep knowledge of the philosophical tradition. They mention the concept itself is presented in a rigorous and compelling manner.
"...time is distorted, you derived enjoyment in you life, thereward of life is established,and regardless if you have stress in your life or not, you... "Read more
"...For now, it has proven avery thought-provoking readindeed.... "Read more
"...chance, or dimension of experience, had this in common: Itprovided a sense of discovery,a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new... "Read more
"...Some passages just made so much sensethat I had to put the book down and seriously contemplate about what is being said and how it relates to my... "Read more
Customers find the concept interesting and compelling. They say the ideas are great for everyone and practical for shaping daily activities. Readers also mention it's relatable and opens doors to many potential opportunities.
"...Experience is in harmony."..."Read more
"...charity, moral development, self-control, purposeful striving,creativity,and professional accomplishments. Mihaly indicates; "..."Read more
"At the beginning this book seemed to me to have avery interesting themebecause since a long time ago I became acquainted with Timothy Gallwey’s... "Read more
"Theideas are intriguingand the concept itself is presented in a rigorous and compelling manner.... "Read more
Customers find the flow concept important and say it opens their minds and puts them into flow. They also say it makes many things fun and enjoyable. Readers mention the book is an easy read that allows them to reflect on flow.
"...17-" To realize the body'spotential for flow is relatively easy.It does not require special talents or great expenditures of money.... "Read more
"...Thetheory of flow does an excellent jobdescribing many aspects of our lives and most importantly sheds light on the conditions of happy and... "Read more
"...And there's alot of examples of flow experiences.Everything can become flow, if challenges are sought and overcome.... "Read more
"...However, theflow concept is very importantand I am grateful that someone went a long way to put it accesible and in simple terms.... "Read more
Customers find the book valuable, worthwhile, and enjoyable. They say it's a quality journal at a quality price. Readers mention the principles in the book are useful and inspiring.
"...I think the lessons and principles in this book werevery usefuland inspiring - it doesn't give a specific, step-by-step plan for making your life... "Read more
"...at hand without normal worldly concerns or stress, and thework itself is enjoyable.... "Read more
"...It can be difficult to read at times, butit's worth it.Mentions how athletes, champions, etc.. always manage to stay in a flow state.... "Read more
"...been a Yoga instructor for over 15 years and this book has been ofgreat valueto understand many of Yoga's principles and concepts about the... "Read more
Customers find the book refreshing, enlivening, and captivating. However, some readers feel the information is outdated and dull.
"...concerns that someone might have with this book is that theresearch is a bit outdated.... "Read more
"The concept of pursuing flow the way it is described in this book iscaptivatingand life bending.... "Read more
"Although this book is a good survey of the author's research,it is dated.... "Read more
"...in discovering truth offered many insights that were applicable andrefreshing.... "Read more
Customers find the book's start time tedious, vague, and slow. They say it takes ages to get to the point.
"This is a very weak argument, carried way too far, andquickly tedious.... "Read more
"overall good reading.Starts little slowas it is introducing various concept.... "Read more
"It was hassle free..everything went smoothly.. "Read more
"Slow startbut very good info! "Read more
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Just read it and decide for yourself!! I’m loving it
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It sounds simple but it is rather complex. The book is written by an intellectual and at times its seem for intellectuals. You have to pay attention otherwise you'd be like me when I had to re-read the paragraph for it to make it sense.
The premise is that for you to be happy-you have to overcome challenges and use your skills to do it. Flow and happiness are by-product of the task. But there is a delicate balance between the complexity of the challenge and the complexity of your skill. It have to be aligned. If one is greater then the other, then you will need to increase and improve your skills or lower the challenge. Only then, will flow exist. The author gives a few examples of this: a tribe in New Zealand moves every seven years as to give the tribe new trails, new enemies, new challenge for the happiness of the group. And he give examples of a culture that every year destroys a monument and re-builds it trying to make it better and more beautiful.
To achieve flow, there are clear rules that must be followed: The task must have clear goals and actions needed to overcome the obstacles. Immediate feedback is needed to see what you doing is working or not working. The challenge and the skills must be aligned but it has to stretch the person, it has be hard enough to do but not too hard where he will give up. Once the goal is met, a new goal needs to be set. Once, flow is established a few things happens, one time is distorted, you derived enjoyment in you life, the reward of life is established, and regardless if you have stress in your life or not, you bounce back and establish flow.
One question I had once, How can I apply this in my life? I have goals I have not reached. It begs the question, are the goals too unrealistic and complex or do I lack the skills to achieve and overcome the challenge. I think my conclusion is the latter so I have to find a way to increase and improve my skills.
My other takeaway is that the author states many times, that life is inherently hard, filled with stress and for him the admirable trait is one of perseverance, resiliency and of confidence. That becomes the challenge and few individuals are able to do this, he gives examples of veterans wounded in combat who attitude and resiliency are amazing and are able to achieve flow with positive and outstanding results. He says the trick is that one has to believe in themselves. The attitude is of a pilot who knows if he runs into problems, he can safely land the plane.
My last takeaway from the book, is that he repeats himself and in one of the reviews, it said it was a bad thing. When, actually for me is a good thing, he talks a lot of psychic energy and how is used. Psychic energy is what you pay attention to every day. It is limited and it has to be used wisely. He talks a lot of external and internal forces and how you cannot control external but you can control internal, the consciousness, the psychic energy, the attention and the positive attitude knowing you can do it regardless what hte external pressures are. He has a few favorite workers describing flow, the surgeon who challenge is obvious and so is his feedback, the operation was either a success or failure, the dancer who is totally absorbed in her performance, where time doesn't exit, the mountain climber who sees every little details in his quest to climb the mountain. The concentration is like breathing, they are not aware of it, an explosion could occur near by and they wouldn't be aware of it. He talks a lot about paradoxes, how you must change consciousness to achieve flow but by doing you lose your self, you become part of what you are doing- by being in control, you lose control and perfection and clarity occurs.
I really enjoyed the book, overall my recommendation is positive, However, there a one thing I wish I would have seen. I am a big fan of summaries and the last chapter didn't make sense to me, he talked about the meaning of life and different models of it. For me, it would have make more sense, to tie it up and give practical example how an average person could use flow, I understand he wrote, a seguel to Flow, maybe he explains in practical manner how to use flow in your life not how dancers, chess players, musicians and surgeons uses flow.
I do recommend Flow and you will see how you can use it in your own life.
It took me a good long while to read it. This is the 35th book I've read in 2014, and it took me all of June and most of July to get through it. This is not because it is a bad book or badly written. It is because each page is filled with possibility; each concept, each story/ parable told makes you go off into a reverie of thought and memory.
At its core, the book is about "Flow" or that state of consciousness that one achieves when engaged in an "enjoyable" activity. Something difficult, but doable, with a clear goal, and that requires a specific set of skills to perform a specific set of actions to get there. This might be running a 5k, or bringing up a child, or deciding to rid the world of cancer - you decide! According to the author, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, as human beings we have an infinite variety of flow experiences available to us - various avenues that he delves into in some detail, that open up based on the possibilities of our body, our minds, our work/ workplaces, our families, communities, and so on. This is something I think we can all empathize with and was certainly a feeling that is familiar to me.
Then the author goes on to make a strong assertion - that to feel flow is to be happy. Nay, to be happy is to be in flow. The assertion is an ambitious one, but quite convincing. Most of what I consider to be happiness can indeed be defined as flow activities or their outcomes. Then he makes an even stronger assertion, one that took my breath away: flow, and the pursuit of flow, can give your otherwise chaotic life meaning.
I was blown away to read descriptions of what the author calls an "auto-telic" personality - people to whom their purpose in life is intrinsic to their identity/ self. These are people who have either settled on a life that affords them many flow experiences, or who actively seek out flow experiences and lead a negentropic life as a result.
This is breath-taking to me because this is the answer to the existential crisis. Not my existential crisis, however maudlin, but The Existential Crisis. The author is offering a competing worldview here in the same space as where the Buddha, most of organised religion, Neitszche, Kant, Plato and others operate. He is tackling ontological questions, universal questions, based on anecdotes and (while well researched and documented) basically life stories of fairly normal, "ordinary" people!
It was also breath-taking because I bought it. I knew I was falling for it hook, line, and sinker! I was reliving my life, reassessing my happy and sad moments in the context of flow, and of flow as a way to seek order amid chaos.
I think it will be some time before I internalize and synthesize everything I've thought up as I read this book. I like to think I'm auto-telic to a certain extent, and feel like I understand better how or why I've been as happy as I've been at certain points in my life. I'll almost certainly read this book again, but that is some time away. For now, it has proven a very thought-provoking read indeed.
Heartily recommended to anyone that likes a good bit of mental stimulation - whether you buy into it or not.
I still think it is an essential read in the arsenal of life hacking books.
Top reviews from other countries
Neste livro, o autor teoriza e desenvolve o conceito de fluxo (Flow), estado mental de atenção plena e concentração profunda. O livro é intensamente baseado em pesquisas da área de psicologia e dá diretrizes de como este estado mental é importante para o indivíduo ter experiências positivas e melhorar a qualidade de vida.
Entender um pouco como o estado de Fluxo funciona abre a possibilidade de o leitor vislumbrar uma melhor maneira de desenvolver hábitos produtivos e investir seu precioso tempo em atividades que melhorem a qualidade de vida.
Confesso que é um livro que norteou minha visão de mundo atualmente. E além de tudo, é muito bem escrito.
Excelente.
Citando o livro: "Quando nós escolhemos um objetivo e nos investimos nele até o limite da nossa concentração, qualquer coisa que fizermos será agradável."