> Not so sure “sufficiently motivated” folks could just learn this. Pretty sure the ability is there in most people. Not that many do it, but the potential is

> Not so sure “sufficiently motivated” folks could just learn this. Pretty sure the ability is there in most people. Not that many do it, but the potential is there. All too many people are disengaged and trapped into apathy by their experiences. > I have what I call my “fugue state.” It’s a fairly “timeless,” focused, self-centered state, where “everything flows.” I get a lot done, when in this state, but many hours can go by, and it’s exhausting. Yup. That state was dubbed "flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) Among "normies" flow seems to often have a physical activity component, and is more common among athletes, musicians, artists, surgeons, and similar professions. Many gamers would recognize themselves in your description as well. The more purely mental version you experience is less common, though it isn't restricted to pursuits like math or coding. Writers (of types as diverse as journalists and fiction authors) can experience it too, for example. > I also get pissed when I’m yanked from that state. I get quite cranky. Lasts for about half an hour, afterwards. Oh my yes. I can get cranky enough to lose the whole rest of the day. Also note that the writer that gets cranky when interrupted is practically a trope. It is worth noting that a state of flow, while extremely productive, may not be the best state for improving your skill (although it does allow polishing skills smooth, as it were), which is better served by deliberate practice of activities that are a just bit too challenging to allow entering the flow state (if they are harder than "a bit too hard", it may help to do it at half speed, which can feel a bit wierd for something like coding). > That kind of thing makes it hard to play well with others. When I was a manager, I didn’t have that issue. Well, there is such a thing as "team flow" but it doesn't seem to be cultivated deliberately much outside of team sports, improv, and group music. Something similar can occur in group brainstorming sessions, though.