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A Neuroscientist Explains the 3 Steps You Must Follow to Achieve a Flow State

4 min readJun 12, 2025

In his landmark 1990 book Flow, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described flow as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

Which sounds pretty sweet. Who wouldn’t want time to fly by while your mind effortlessly completes a task you find fascinating and rewarding?

But as most of us have learned by now, actually achieving a flow state at work, where meeting reminders constantly ping and our attention is pulled in nine different directions, can feel like mission impossible.

Is there a practical plan to follow if you want to leverage the flow state to reach peak performance and bring joy into your life? Anne Laure Le Cunff, a former Googler turned neuroscientist and founder, recently offered a simple three-step formula anyone can follow.

1. Pick the right task to achieve a flow state.

Le Cunff dug deeply into the science of cultivating flow during a long conversation on the “StudyTme” YouTube channel. While she has plenty of practical, research-backed advice to offer, Le Cunff kicks off with a warning…

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Jessica Stillman
Jessica Stillman

Written by Jessica Stillman

Top Inc.com columnist/ Editor/ Ghostwriter. Book lover. Travel fiend. Nap enthusiast. https://jessicastillman.com/

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