Flow State in 1990, the seminal text on flow state based on decades of research. In Csikszentmihalyi's words, flow state is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter." In flow state, anxiety and your ego drops away, and you improve your ability to direct your attention. The key to feeling in flow is to identify activities that are just challenging enough for your skill level, and progressing to bigger challenges as your skills expand.