Finding Your Flow. Personal Story and Strategies Survey

Introduction

Finding Your Flow Survey

Thank you for participating. The purpose of this survey is to identify if and how you enter into “flow” or “the zone.”

Some examples of the experience of flow are listed below:

“My mind wasn’t wandering. I was not thinking of something else. I was totally involved in what I was doing. My body felt good. I didn’t seem to hear anything. The world seemed to be cut off from me. I was less aware of my problems and myself.”

“My concentration was like breathing. I never thought of it. I was really quite oblivious to my surroundings after I really got going. I thought that the phone could ring, and the doorbell could ring, or the house could burn down or something like that. When I started, I really did shut out the whole world. Once I stopped, I could let it back in again.”

“I was so involved in what I was doing. I didn’t see myself as separate from what I was doing.”
(Taken from Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, Optimal Experience, 1988. (pp. 139-140)

Additional words or phrases that describe flow might be:

• In the groove
• In the zone
• Effortless
• Total absorption
• Positive moods
• Interested in the activity for its own sake
• Losing yourself or being totally engrossed in the experience

Through this survey we will ask you several questions about your experience(s) with flow—even your strategies for replicating this experience in some or many arenas of your life. These questions will help you think deeper about those experiences as well as your process(es) for replicating them.

I thank you for your willingness to participate in this study and hope it will be an educational experience for you.

Let us begin.

Question Title

* 1. Tell us about yourself

Name:

Organization:

Country:

Email Address:

Phone Number:

Question Title

* 2. Prior to this survey had you ever heard of the concept known as “FLOW” or being “in the zone?

Yes

Question Title

* 3. Have you ever had an experience as explained in the descriptions above?

Yes

Question Title

* 4. Can you describe one or more Meaningful Life Arenas (i.e., sports, school, social settings, hobbies, etc…) where you currently experience flow? In essence, in what circumstances or in what activities do you find yourself in flow?

Meaningful LIfe Arena (MLA 1)

MLA 2

MLA 3

MLA 4

MLA 5

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* 5. I'd like to hear about your most recent or memorable flow experience. Please describe it as clearly and with as much detail as you can.

Question Title

* 6. Within these life arenas can you rate the percentage of your flow experiences that take place when you are alone?

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Question Title

* 7. Within these life arenas can you rate the percentage of your flow experiences that take place when you are with others?

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Question Title

* 8. Currently, can you estimate how often you enter flow?

Hourly

Daily

Semi-Weekly

Weekly

Semi-Monthly

Monthly

Semi-Yearly

Yearly

Almost Never

Question Title

* 9. Currently, how short or long do you perceive your typical flow experience to last?

Seconds

Minutes

Hours

Days

Other

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* 10. Please complete the following sentence (answer as many times as you wish. For example: "When I am in flow, I feel completely absorbed in the moment.")

When I am in flow...

...

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* 11. After experiencing flow, do you feel that...

Your performance increased

There was no change in your performance

Your performance decreased

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* 12. How do your current flow experiences typically get started? Or, what was taking place prior to your flow experiences?

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* 13. Currently, what keeps flow going once it starts?

Question Title

* 14. Currently, what types of things take you out of your flow?

Question Title

* 15. Given your flow experiences, do you feel that you have developed any personal strategies or ways that help you get into your flow?

Yes

Question Title

* 16. In the following boxes, please list and discuss these current strategies.

In Box A, please identify the strategy. For example, do you use goal-setting, visualization, meditation, self-talk, focus, music, etc…

In Box B, give as much detail as you can about each strategy that you use. Describe how you go about or “do” each strategy.

In Box C, please tell us how you came up with these strategies (chance, trial & error, learned it from someone, life experience, etc…).

Flow Strategy #1:

How do you "do" this strategy?

How did you come up with this strategy?

Flow Strategy #2:

How do you "do" this strategy?

How did you come up with this strategy?

Flow Strategy #3:

How do you "do" this strategy?

How did you come up with this strategy?

Thank you for taking the Finding Your Flow survey. We hope this survey helps you dive deeper into your flow experiences while giving you new and important insights about Finding Your Flow in the future.

To continue to achieve greater levels of focus and deeper levels of engagement, sign up for our 60 Free Flow Tools here.

Also, for taking this survey I would like to gift you a free PDF of the Finding Your Flow book. Simply email me bruce@attentionalleadership.com and I will be happy to send it to you.

Again, thank you for your participation.

Sincerely,

Bruce H. Jackson, Ph.D., MBA/MPA

P.S. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the use of Finding Your Flow in your organization or school please email: bruce@attentionalleadership.com

Get more information about Finding Your Flow and other leadership resources,
services, and adventures at AttentionalLeadership.com

Question Title

* 1. Tell us about yourself

Question Title

* 2. Prior to this survey had you ever heard of the concept known as “FLOW” or being “in the zone?

Question Title

* 3. Have you ever had an experience as explained in the descriptions above?

Question Title

* 4. Can you describe one or more Meaningful Life Arenas (i.e., sports, school, social settings, hobbies, etc…) where you currently experience flow? In essence, in what circumstances or in what activities do you find yourself in flow?

Question Title

* 5. I'd like to hear about your most recent or memorable flow experience. Please describe it as clearly and with as much detail as you can.

Question Title

* 6. Within these life arenas can you rate the percentage of your flow experiences that take place when you are alone?

Question Title

* 7. Within these life arenas can you rate the percentage of your flow experiences that take place when you are with others?

Question Title

* 8. Currently, can you estimate how often you enter flow?

Question Title

* 9. Currently, how short or long do you perceive your typical flow experience to last?

Question Title

* 10. Please complete the following sentence (answer as many times as you wish. For example: "When I am in flow, I feel completely absorbed in the moment.")When I am in flow...

Question Title

* 11. After experiencing flow, do you feel that...

Question Title

* 12. How do your current flow experiences typically get started? Or, what was taking place prior to your flow experiences?

Question Title

* 13. Currently, what keeps flow going once it starts?

Question Title

* 14. Currently, what types of things take you out of your flow?

Question Title

* 15. Given your flow experiences, do you feel that you have developed any personal strategies or ways that help you get into your flow?

Question Title

* 10. Please complete the following sentence (answer as many times as you wish. For example: "When I am in flow, I feel completely absorbed in the moment.")

When I am in flow...