How to Achieve a State of Total Concentration Four tips to find your flow and stay focused longer.

By Nadia Goodman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Think of an activity you enjoy that completely immerses you. When you're doing it, your attention is fully focused, and you are so absorbed that you lose track of time. You feel free and effortless. That state of total concentration is called "flow," and the people who love their jobs experience it often while they're working.

"It's what keeps you going," says Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the leading researcher on flow states, a professor of psychology and management at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif., and author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008). "Flow creates an experience that is so exciting and so stimulating that you would do [the activity] even if you didn't get paid."

Entrepreneurs are especially likely to experience flow at work because they have the freedom to choose their own challenges. "The ability to take risks in a calculated way helps create the dynamic that makes entrepreneurial activities flow-producing," Csikszentmihalyi says.

To experience flow and stay focused on a regular basis, try these four tips:

1. Choose challenges that fit your skills.
To experience flow, your skill level needs to be sufficient to tackle the challenge with confidence. "If there is a good balance between the challenge and the skills, then you start feeling flow," Csikszentmihalyi says. If the challenge overwhelms your skill, you'll be anxious, but if it underwhelms, you'll be bored.

As you work, notice when your skill-challenge match is out of balance. If you find yourself anxious, then work on improving your skills. If you're bored, then increase the challenge. "Every activity will take hundreds of these adjustments," Csikszentmihalyi says. Staying attuned to these imbalances will help you adapt and reenter flow.

Related: 4 Strategies to Sharpen Your Focus

2. Know the steps to reach your goals.
Full immersion in any task can only happen when you know how to accomplish it. You need to have some idea about how to get from point A to point B. "That constant awareness of what is next is what keeps you focused," Csikszentmihalyi says. "That's where the engagement comes from."

Much of entrepreneurship is new or unfamiliar, so at the beginning of a new project or task, make yourself a roadmap. Talk to a mentor or peer about how they would proceed, especially if you're at a loss. You may go down several dead ends, but having a path to try is all you need to experience flow.

3. Set aside distraction-free time.
Flow can only happen when you are uninterrupted. Open office spaces or constant email notices prevent complete focus, so give yourself the time and space to really get in the zone. Close your email, turn off your phone, find a quiet space, and signal to others not to interrupt you.

For example, John Reed, the former CEO of Citigroup, kept his office door closed from 7am to 10am every day, refusing to take any calls or visits until he opened his door. You might adopt a similar strategy, set aside one day a week, or work from home sometimes. Just find a system that works for you. "Otherwise, you're like a marionette that's being pulled by strings," Csikszentmihalyi says. "You have to cut the strings to feel good or produce any flow."

4. Get feedback on your work.
To build your skills enough to achieve flow, you need to know if what you did was right or wrong. "You have to know how well you're doing," Csikszentmihalyi says. That feedback empowers you to improve so that you can find your flow -- a state that only occurs after you've mastered the learning curve.

Initially, you get that feedback from your boss or an older colleague, but as you become more expert, you learn to give yourself that feedback autonomously. If you are your own boss (as most entrepreneurs are), then look to peers or mentors for honest feedback about your work. That constant drive to improve will make flow a regular part of your work life.

Related: How to Train Your Brain to Stay Focused

Nadia Goodman is a freelance writer in Brooklyn, NY. She is a former editor at YouBeauty.com, where she wrote about the psychology of health and beauty. She earned a B.A. in English from Northwestern University and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. Visit her website, nadiagoodman.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Uber's CEO Says Drivers Have About 10 Years Left Before They Will Be Replaced

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the jobs of human drivers are safe for the next decade, but after that, another type of driver will take over.

Business News

'I Love Doing Product Reviews': Bill Gates Stepped Down from Microsoft in 2020, But Admits He Still Spends 15% of His Time Working at the Company

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates also said he is still close with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Business News

'Everyone Can Profit From It': What Is DeepSeek? China's 'Cheap' to Make AI Chatbot Climbs to the Top of Apple, Google U.S. App Stores

DeepSeek researchers claim it was developed for less than $6 million, a contrast to the $100 million it takes U.S. tech startups to create AI.

Business News

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Hiring People Eager to 'Work Long Hours' to Eliminate 'Waste, Fraud and Abuse' in the Government. Here's How to Apply.

The Department of Government Efficiency is hiring U.S. citizens to help cut spending and headcounts in the federal government.

Branding

How to Build a Strong Brand Identity for Your Early-Stage Startup

Branding might not be your first priority, but neglecting it can hurt your startup. A strong brand identity early on sets the stage for marketing success.