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Ask HN: Is the Flow State actually productive for development?
Definition of Flow State: Distraction-less period of coding where you are very absorbed by your work and don't detect anything else.
I used to believe that flow state is great for coding and all the personal literature I read seems to confirm this and some of my personal experience as well. However after reading some literature that debate and argue against this idea, stating that you often are doing productive work that you feel like is productive due to it feeling almost like rote work but really not might not cause a real impact whereas if you had more questioning (See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocus), you would figure out easier ways to accomplish the goal long term etc if you weren't so self-absorbed.
I wasn't too sure if this right and I think not many people question the theory of flow state enough and after searching through academics and research, I realized there isn't much on flow state and work so I was wondering if Flow state is legitimate with proven effects or is it like one of the personal voodoo stuff that everybody repeats and just believes without having ever shown how scientifically it works and its scientific effects.
EDIT: Found the paper by the professor who coined flow state:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224927532_Flow_The_Psychology_of_Optimal_Experience
- modbait 8y agoFor me, it's some of both. Flow is spectacularly useful when I'm working on a chunk of something and have a pretty good understanding of what needs to be done and how. The times when I'm contemplating dramatically different alternatives don't really lend themselves to flow. And in fact, I find that one of the things that blocks flow for me is a semi-conscious realization that I might be following the wrong path in some way.
- sharemywin 8y agoA lot of it is probably some kind of generate and test in your head. Generate a bunch of use case/questions/test cases/scenarios generate a model generate some kind of state chart generate possible solutions/constraints So the more mechanical you are about the process the less you might need flow state.
- xstartup 8y agoI create my best work in a state of chaos. I actually need distractions to reinforce my priorities without which I don't see the end.