Flow

Living at the Peak of Your Abilities

By: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Ph.D.

Narrated by: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Ph.D.

Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

In flow, everyday experience becomes a moment by moment opportunity for joy and self-fulfillment. Flow is the brain-child of a fascinating psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a renowned social scientist who has devoted his life's work to the study of what makes people truly happy, satisfied and fulfilled. While much of the study of psychology investigates disorders of the human mind, Dr. Csikszentmihalyi takes a different route. He focuses on the noble side of human nature, our capacity for living a life of integrity, courage, and perseverance. With his landmark research on flow, he reveals what he considers beautiful in life, ways of being and behaving that make people happy, satisfied and delighted to be alive. His insights into the "flow experience" show ways to lessen stress, fear and anxiety while increasing feelings of challenge, joy and excitement. The revolutionary findings of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Experience Sampling Method offer unprecedented information about the specific ways we can turn life into a continuous high quality experience. You'll discover how anyone can enrich his or her quality of life simply by learning how flow occurs and what it feels like. You'll learn about the key elements of the flow experience including:

• why it is important to know what you want to do in any given moment
• specific activities you can do that produce flow easily and naturally
• how to improve your experience of work so you feel in control and rewarded by it
• keys to harnessing the power of concentration
• the difference between pleasure and enjoyment (only one leads to personal growth)
• how to match challenges with skills to avoid boredom and frustration and maximize enjoyment

Once you experience the exhilaration of the "flow" state of being, you'll want to return again and again.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©1994 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D. (P)1994 Nightingale Conant

An Audio Book in the Style of VHS

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes - definitely. I was very interested to hear the source describe 'flow' after reading a number of references.

Would you recommend Flow to your friends? Why or why not?

No - probably not. I was really excited about this material, and this book has been on my list to listen to for a long time. With that said, the delivery of this book is very dated. There are corny interludes and the whole thing feels more like an interview on VHS tape than an audio book.

How could the performance have been better?

More narrative - less sound engineering school project.

Did Flow inspire you to do anything?

Yes - there are some good stories in this audio book despite the odd delivery. Looking for work/tasks that help you find flow is a worthwhile endeavor.

Any additional comments?

If you're interested in Flow, "Peopleware" is a much more approachable choice... it reads more like a book.

it's okay

it is very obvious that this book is a bit outdated. you can hear that in the recording as well, it is subpar from other books on Audible. However most info in this book is good and it goes in-depth. the only annoyance i have is the music that sometimes plays. very unessecary.

Entertaining, but the book is more useful.

While I give the book five-stars, the Audible version of Flow comes across more like a podcast than a reading of Csikszentmihalyi's work. It was entertaining, but not as useful as the book.

loved it!

I've experienced FLOW on more than one occasion and have stated it before ever knowing about this book's existence! I will definitely give this a 2nd listen and try to implement the teaching as even though I have experienced FLOW, I have no clue what or how I reached the state and often find myself craving the feeling of getting back to that state!

Old Format Some Very Good Information

This is very interesting information. I think reading the book Flow may be beneficial. The format is goofy with the theme music and vignettes through out. Reminded of a film strip (like 1970's) that they used to show in grade school. I think the Cree film strips may have used the same music.

we all need flow.

interesting overview of motivation and drive. i enjoyed it. the challenge is finding what works for you.

One of my favorite books , changed my life

I learned a lot of how to get in the zone and enjoy the work I do for college and my own hobbies

State of flow

The format felt very old - audio tapes converted to mp3s I guess. Easy-to-listen-to book but at times, it feels like an old drawl.

It’s more of a set of stories and life lessons than a book, but enjoyable all the same.

Some of the content is dated but the author is clearly an expert and leader in his field. Ultimately he explains how we can be looking for flow in our everyday lives and the author also shows why we should be looking for flow, I.e. how it can be rewarding and fulfilling, with some unexpected real-life examples.

good message, hard to get through

I really loved the message, and I find it to be very true in my experience. However it was really difficult to hear the professor at times due to the music that overlays some of the material. also, he has a very soothing voice which made it hard for me to stay awake at times! I really love the last chapter and felt it summed everything up very well.

Life in streaming...

If you looking for a new outlook on things. Here we go!! The author takes you into a world that you want to exist but few ever find. Not a fan of the interview style audio, but the content is dynamite!!