What if you weren’t looking for a job, but an emotional state?
You are hesitant to change careers. You are afraid of making a mistake, of not being able to cope, of losing your footing. You doubt your ability to remain focused, committed and motivated over the long term.
But you have probably found yourself absorbed in an activity at some point. Time flew by. You were completely immersed in it. Without even trying.
It was neither willpower nor discipline. It was something else. What psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi called Flow: a state of fluid concentration and deep satisfaction during a stimulating activity.
The Flow: seven signs to recognise it
Flow is an optimal state, both absorbing, fluid and satisfying. It does not declare itself, it settles in. You do not decide to enter Flow: you realise that you are already there.
Imagine yourself focused, without tension. Your hands move almost on their own. The silence around you becomes pleasant. Time becomes blurred, but your perception is clearer than ever. These are signs that you are in the Flow.
It can be identified by seven key characteristics:
- Intense, effortless concentration. You are absorbed, without distraction.
- Clear objectives. You know what you need to do at each stage.
- Retour immédiat. Vous percevez si vous avancez ou non.
- Immediate return. You can tell whether you are moving forward or not.
- Loss of self-awareness. You are not observing yourself.
- Time distortion. An hour passes like ten minutes.
- Feeling of alignment. You feel at home, in the moment.
Flow is not a luxury or an extra. It is a valuable indicator: it signals that you are exactly where your energy flows freely.
Appetence + competence: the path to Flow
Flow cannot be decided upon. It must be prepared for. And it all starts with appetite. This is the starting point, the internal signal. It is what draws your attention to an activity, without effort or justification. But appetite alone is not enough. For flow to occur, the activity must also demand something of you: a little more than usual, but not too much.
Flow occurs when a deep desire meets a well-balanced challenge. You enjoy doing it, you have the basics, and the activity pushes you just enough to lose yourself in it — without drowning.
Flow is a compass for reorienting yourself.
Not sure where to start? Think about where you have already experienced this feeling:
- Quelles activités vous ont fait oublier le temps ?
- What activities made you forget the time?
- In what contexts did you feel engaged without having to concentrate?
These are valuable clues. Flow is a subjective phenomenon, but deeply reliable. It speaks to you without resorting to logic or discourse. It reconnects you to an embodied experience.
Three ways to find your flow
- Identify the activities where you lose track of time.
- Identify the moments when you are focused without forcing yourself.
- Observe the areas of activity that help you progress without mental fatigue.
The Flow does not lie
When you are in Flow, you feel it immediately: your attention is fluid, your movements flow, the outside world is suspended. You are not forcing anything, but everything moves forward. What you are doing makes sense, without needing to be justified.
Don’t look for what you can endure. Look for what absorbs you. Flow is a reliable benchmark. It shows you the path to work that suits you.
👉 Identify your appetences: that’s where Flow begins. You will identify activities where time slips away, where you are fully present, and jobs where this feeling lasts all day long.
