Table 1: Eight components of flow experience (Csikszentmihalyi 1990. Flow: The psychology of optimal experience)

  1. A clear goal - Knowing what you want to do in any given moment is a key element of the flow experience.
  2. Feedback - You need to be able to tell if you are getting closer to your goal or not.
  3. Challenges match skills - it is important that what you do matches your ability to do it.
  4. Concentration - Total attention onto one task.
  5. Focus - Focus on only one task.
  6. Control - When you are in flow you feel that you can be in control of your actions and experience.
  7. Loss of self-consciousness - There is no room for relentless self-monitoring.
  8. Transformation of time - Time seems to adapt itself to your individual experience.