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Can anyone comment on the intersection of discipline and flow? I've always seen it as, flow is when you're doing something you enjoy, and discipline is when you

by andai 3y ago

Can anyone comment on the intersection of discipline and flow? I've always seen it as, flow is when you're doing something you enjoy, and discipline is when you force yourself to do something whether you enjoy it or not. But I've often found that just putting in enough time (about 45min-1hr for me) will trigger a flow state, or "evaporate" most resistance I had to a task. So paradoxically I found that it's easier to work for 2 hours than for just 1, since the whole first hour is just getting settled in. This seems to go against the pomodoro stuff (working in 25 minute increments).

seabrookmx 3y ago
I think it's important to note these approaches aren't one size fits all. What you're saying rings true for me: it's easier to work for 2 hours vs. 1, and the pomodoro method absolutely has not worked for me the few times I've tried. I have friends and coworkers who are the opposite though. Their barrier to the "flow state" is much lower than mine but they seem to fizzle out faster. IMO it's all about experimenting with different approaches and finding blend one is to your taste.
smokel 3y ago
I've been looking into the field of reinforcement learning lately, and that gives an interesting framework to think about topics like these. It seems that flow is a state of being in which you are almost constantly rewarded for your actions. Discipline might be a way to get there. I suppose that some people accidentally stumble into a state of flow, and others don't, but feel an urge to get there. In order to get there, they try things that give an instant reward (drugs, social media), or they try things that they think will give a big reward in the future (things you read in books or hear from wise people). Now, the question is, how are these rewards set? Is this something you can fiddle with? Will discipline actually change what you like? I guess some people enjoy discipline by itself, which makes all this highly complicated stuff to investigate properly.

by andai 3y ago

seabrookmx 3y ago

I think it's important to note these approaches aren't one size fits all. What you're saying rings true for me: it's easier to work for 2 hours vs. 1, and the pomodoro method absolutely has not worked for me the few times I've tried. I have friends and coworkers who are the opposite though. Their barrier to the "flow state" is much lower than mine but they seem to fizzle out faster. IMO it's all about experimenting with different approaches and finding blend one is to your taste.

smokel 3y ago

I've been looking into the field of reinforcement learning lately, and that gives an interesting framework to think about topics like these. It seems that flow is a state of being in which you are almost constantly rewarded for your actions. Discipline might be a way to get there. I suppose that some people accidentally stumble into a state of flow, and others don't, but feel an urge to get there. In order to get there, they try things that give an instant reward (drugs, social media), or they try things that they think will give a big reward in the future (things you read in books or hear from wise people). Now, the question is, how are these rewards set? Is this something you can fiddle with? Will discipline actually change what you like? I guess some people enjoy discipline by itself, which makes all this highly complicated stuff to investigate properly.