[wayoverthecloud]

On a side note, I find that this flow state has it's addiction of it's own. I find myself doing whatever I can to find time for it. I feel like the reason mathematicians, physicists and artists of the past produced such great results is, they found the flow state so addictive, more addictive than balancing your health or family life, and thus dedicated almost entirety of their lives on it. Just have to be careful on that one. After all, our purpose is (I think) is not just working.

[TeMPOraL]

It is addictive, because it feels like living life at its fullest. It feels like life should always feel.

> After all, our purpose is (I think) is not just working.

Agreed, but I think that our purpose is also not just experiencing, nor is it just eating, pairing up, multiplying, and dying (like all life on Earth does, +/- the pairing up stuff).

I also feel that "working" != "working", specifically working for money usually stands in opposition to the kind of work you'd find fulfilling and that benefits from the state of flow.

[hinkley]

We associate things and people with the experiences where we encountered them.

Once I made the same observation that GP did, I reflected back on conflicts over code. The most vitriolic arguments I’ve gotten into about design decisions at work have all, almost to a man, boiled down to the person who authored it having done so in flow state and how fucking dare you question the beauty of the output of that effort. They make it personal because the experience was deeply personal.

Flow state cannot make nuanced ethical decisions. It’s right in the characteristics. And both DevEx and maintainability come down to thinking about the people who have to deal with your code for the next four years.

The only way I’ve been able to avoid this trap myself is to spent more effort on refactoring, taking notes, taking breaks, and saving up the Deep Work for special occasions where I have choreographed much of it ahead of time. So I know exactly what to do and why. Exploratory dev in flow state leads to all of these sins. Because you get the bear to dance and then you stop.

[kamaal]

>>On a side note, I find that this flow state has it's addiction of it's own.

For this reason, there are societies and cultures where Chess is treated more on the lines of a dangerous addiction one must stay away from. Co-incidentally I have seen similar damage in people with video game addiction. Years wasted online, or on board games. Often when people are young, they could be attending college, or starting a trade or learning new skills. Or just working and earning money.

People are instead playing video games, or chess, where you are not only addicted to gaming, but you also get a illusion that you are doing productive work, where all of your mental faculties are engaged, and you are thinking and executing. Its easy to fall into this simulated productivity trap. Given levels to these games, its easy to create a flow like situation for years.

>>I feel like the reason mathematicians, physicists and artists of the past produced such great results is, they found the flow state so addictive, more addictive than balancing your health or family life, and thus dedicated almost entirety of their lives on it.

Trust me, most people who warn against going into academia are saying precisely this. If you are not too good at Math or Physics, its possible to get addicted to intermediate or beginner intermediate levels for all life and never really go out and make a living.

The sheer amount of failed musicians, mathematicians, physicists who went to in to the field because of curiosity, but got addicted to 'flow' and could never really bail and go on to earn or have a good living is quite large, and in many ways this is a bigger let down than even gaming addiction.

I know quite a few musicians and even graduate level math professors, who have totally broken families and finances because they can't explain anyone why they like doing it, and families don't get why they must remain broke.

[analog31]

I'm a physicist and musician, though I'm certainly not one of the greats in either area. Musicians have their reputation for dealing with addictions, though I've avoided them myself.

But I've read that the stereotype of the musician needing the junk in order to be creative, is a myth. When people study the actual timelines, they've found that the great artists did their best work when they were relatively clean, and that the addictions detracted from their work.

[sepositus]

I, for one, can do heavy bodily harm to myself if I attempt to live in this state for long periods. It turns out my mind is much stronger than my body. Perhaps the flow state removes the regular messages the body sends when it's had enough.

Either way, life without play is dangerous for me.

[hinkley]

One of my tricks is keeping a glass of water at my desk. Filling the glass is a break. So is emptying my bladder. The break lets you reflect, and decide if you’re chasing your tail or doing something questionable.

Drinking is also a work appropriate fidget. Sip of water instead of tapping a pen or bouncing your leg. And easier on your kidneys than overdosing on caffeine all day.