What kinds of activities do you get "lost" in?
@KristiSCash (29)
Dallas, Texas
November 30, 2015 1:17pm CST
Ever been so "tuned in" to an activity that an interruption actually startled you? Or maybe you started a project and looked up minutes later only to find that it was actually HOURS later? Author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote a book about it called "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." I read the book about a decade ago and think of the term every time this happens to me.
When I used to design business cards and flyers, I always put off getting started, but once I started, I could completely lose track of time. It happens often to some of us and more rarely to others, but we can all become fully engrossed in certain activities or tasks if they have strong connections to our skills, abilities and imagination.
What kinds of activities are you most likely to get "lost" in? Has anyone else read the book? If so, what did you think?
7 people like this
8 responses
@Castlerock34 (2259)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
30 Nov 15
Ive never read that book, but when I am feeling up to it and motivated I really get lost in painting. I can sit at my table for hours and hours and when I am finally done it is in the wee hours of the morning.
1 person likes this
@KristiSCash (29)
• Dallas, Texas
30 Nov 15
From what I understand, creative tasks are the most likely ones to engage us like that. Those parts of our brains are just begging to be used!!
2 people like this
@websitewithnoname (56)
• United States
30 Nov 15
It used to be writing and chess, or a really good book. But that hasn't happened in a long time. I would dearly love to have more of those kinds of days.
1 person likes this
@KristiSCash (29)
• Dallas, Texas
30 Nov 15
I'm so sorry to hear that. I don't want to make assumptions or overshare, but I will say that both stress and the effects of age-related hormonal changes have interfered with my ability to find complete pleasure in some activities. Sometimes, the fact is, we just have to spend too much of our time on things that don't engage or challenge us. Hopefully something joyful is on its way to you. :)
1 person likes this
@ataboy (737)
• United States
1 Dec 15
I've never read the book you mentioned, but I tend to "get lost" in certain subjects that that interest me and/or I know well. In my case I’m more fluent in many areas of science. When I start discussing something with someone, for instance, I tend to forget about where I am who else is around me and who I'm talking to and become focused on the idea. It can be a little rough when I'm talking to someone that is a prominent/authoritative expert on a specific subject and I point out an error and just start explaining where they made a mistake and after a somewhat heated debate, I remember there is a roomful of people watching and I'm almost shouting by that point...things like, "How can you not see (this and that), a fourth grader would see the mistake and you really still can’t see it?!...so on and so forth!"
I can remember back in elementary school I was giving a presentation of my science fair project to a judge and apparently the project next to mine caught on fire for whatever reason, and I just kept talking and ignored it completely! It's funny thinking back to that now. I did take home first place at that level, so I guess it made an impression on the judge! I can imagine the discussion they must have had was probably something like “yeah, I’m voting on fire-boy.” 
