Entering ‘Flow’ Can Make Hard Exercise More Enjoyable

How to get into the zone

Illustration: Haein Jeong

Think back to the last time you felt utterly absorbed in an activity: a sport, hobby, book, task, or conversation. Colloquially, it’s known as being in the zone. Psychologists call the phenomenon “flow.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a professor of psychology at Claremont Graduate University, named the concept…