How to Be in a State of Flow

So I was thinking the other day how I lose track of time when I'm at work sometimes. Weirdly, just the next day YouTube recommended a TedX talk on Flow, the Secret to Happiness by a guy named Mihaly. And it all became clear. I had achieved a state of flow without even knowing it. 

So I came up with some ways by which you too can achieve being in a state of flow while working on a task that is important to you. This could be anything; it could be stitching, painting, playing a musical instrument, exercising, gardening, anything. For me, this is editing and working on DIY projects.

1. Discover where your interests lie. These are usually things you lose track of time doing and are so engrossed in that you forget about yourself and the world around you.
2. Pay close attention to the task at hand keeping distractions aside. Find a quiet time to work or (and this is my favorite tip) put on your headphones and play some instrumental music.
3. Focusing on one task also means that you can't multi-task. Multi-tasking is the enemy of flow.
4. Ensure that the task is not too challenging or you'll simply give up or be focusing so much energy on how to do it that you'll lose your state of flow.
5. Challenge yourself to focus on that task for as long as possible. Like with meditation you'll find yourself flitting between various thoughts or may want to multi-task. Catch yourself when you do this and gently bring your attention back to your primary task.
6. No matter where your thoughts may take you, you need to be grounded in reality. Remember the quote 'No matter where I go, here I am'.
7. Practice doing this task again and again.

Leo Babauta from the Zen Habits website has covered this in more detail. Do check out his website as well.

Those are some of the ways in which I achieve a state of flow while working on my passion. What are your passions? Let me know in the comments down below.