Enjoyment and The Quality of Life, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Re-read Chapter 3, Wk4

Chapter 3 of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow is titled Enjoyment and The Quality of Life. This chapter resonates strongly with me. I have always struggled with the idea that lounging around or mindlessly working is enjoyable. Thinking about those scenarios the word tedious comes to mind. Between my senior year of high school and going away to university I worked in a tire factory. The overall process is quite interesting, however, as the low person on the shift (usually 11 pm to 7 am – dog shift) I did not get the interesting jobs. One of the jobs I had was sorting “green” (uncurled) tires by type into pallets so they could then be taken to the molds. It was mind-numbing work. The person next to me on the line, a PhD in psychology just back from a tour of duty in Vietnam gave me advice. “Make it a game. A game that requires you to think and be present. Something you could strive to win every night.”  It made the work enjoyable. It is a piece of advice that has stayed with me since 1974. Chapter 3 explains why a crazy (and looking back, he probably was suffering from PTSD) guy in a factory had such an impact on my life. 

 

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Re-read Wk 1

I have read and quoted parts of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow over the last ten years. It has been on my list to read cover to cover for several years. My wife pointed out that my copy has yellowed, so it’s time to read now, better late than never :). My copy is the paperback version and is the 15th printing. It is 303 pages broken into ten chapters, a Preface, notes, references, and a postscript section. We begin the re-read today, May 18 and I plan to complete it on August 3 or 10th. 

The Preface lays out the Author’s intent to tackle the ideas in the book in an accessible and less academic fashion. Unlike books we have read recently, the author does not lay out specific techniques to achieve flow in the Preface. This section is less content than framing. The goal is to state intent and to acknowledge those who have provided support. 

In Flow, Csikszentmihalyi lays out his approach to total involvement. Following on the heels of our read of Deep Work, this re-read flows (pun intended). Use this week to read the acknowledgments in the Preface and Chapter 1. Next week we will dive into Chapter 1 which explores happiness.  

Buy a copy of Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Amazon – https://amzn.to/4b5kPmb).