Are there different intensity levels of flow/"being in the zone"? Is there a high quality flow?

Question

There have been a few occasions where I experienced "the zone" in an uncommon intensity. During these occasions I simply do not lose any thinking power and do not tire over the course of a 12+ hour day.

How can I reliably get into the "ultra zone"--a heightened state of flow beyond the average state of flow? (Note: I just made up "ultra zone")

Or do you believe this does not exist? Thoughts?

I am currently reading Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience--it does not appear to talk about different levels of flow intensity (I am half way through the book but I am savoring the reading for an upcoming event where I will be unable to do other things.)

Answer 1

How can I reliably get into the "ultra zone"--a heightened state of flow?

Get off Stack Overflow and go design/code/test something awesome. :P

I'm only half-kidding, by the way. I can get seriously "in the zone" when I'm working on something. When this happens, I can sit and work on stuff for hours, forgetting to eat, etc. However, this only happens if I'm really, really interested in the project, and if I do my best to cut out as many distractions as possible. That's the hardest part for me. Listening to music on headphones helps sometimes, I've found.

Answer 2

• Have a life outside work
• Only work so many hours
• Sleep 9 hours a day (not kidding - My doctor has told me research backs this up)
• Get a good amount of exercise
• Stop smoking/drinking
• Take vitamins (B, and some people recommend fish oil)
• Have a fun project to work on
• On top of having a life outside work, code outside work - Work on your own projects, read up on the industry and new technologies (and investigate them), read books/whitepapers, practices your existing skills
• Have other hobbies/things to do to relax
• If you are so inclined, practice spirituality/philosophy

Talk to a doctor before you a lot of the stuff on this list.

Beyond this, you could look into prescription drugs. For example, I had a friend who had a problem getting into the flow at work, and happened to be going to a psychiatrist for a while. He later got diagnosed with ADD (or ADHD, I forget), was prescribed medication, and all has gone well since, flow-wise. Edit Check out the comments for a cautionary note about taking stimulants, and again, talk to a shrink and only get prescribed if it makes sense!

These all apply to base-flow, as well.

Edit: Mindfulness exercises (such as meditation or visualization) can also help, as can exercises for mental blocks (automatic writing, for example). For more on mental blocks, you can check out "The Artist's Way".