The hill was called Jacob’s Ladder, and I'd been dreading it all morning. Notorious among Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, the Ladder is a section of the trail in western North Carolina that ascends ...

A new neuroimaging study reveals how the brain gets to the creative flow state. Effortless, enjoyable productivity is a state of consciousness prized and sought after by people in business, the arts, ...

In Pixar’s Soul, the richly imaginative 2020 film exploring life and purpose, jazz pianist Joe Gardner often loses himself in a rapturous piano solo. As his fingers dance across the keys, the world ...

Some days running just clicks. Running feels effortless and can go on forever with minimal strain. The same workout may be hard on some days, but today it is not. As a distance runner, no matter how ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

Peak performance is a state of consciousness where you’re in a rapt moment of attention, totally absorbed and focused on the task at hand. Everything else disappears, and time seems to pass quickly.

We’ve all witnessed someone performing at the peak of what is possible, and it’s an awe-inspiring sight. Maybe it’s a politician delivering a transcendent speech, a singer belting out a performance ...

Every founder, CEO or entrepreneur has heard and likely experienced “being in the zone,” where concentration, clarity and effortless productivity “flow.” It’s the opposite of stress or the daily grind ...

Effortless, enjoyable productivity is a state of consciousness prized and sought after by people in business, the arts, research, education and anyone else who wants to produce a stream of creative ...