PDF Summary:The Rise of Superman, by Steven Kotler

In recent decades, athletes have been shattering performance barriers at a faster rate than ever before—climbers scaling harder routes, surfers riding larger waves, and runners running faster races. In The Rise of Superman, journalist Steven Kotler argues that mastering flow, or a state of deep focus, is the secret to these, and other, seemingly superhuman feats. Whether you’re tackling a business plan, a coding contest, or a climbing route, you can unlock this flow state to perform at your best and achieve your most ambitious goals.

In this guide, we’ll examine the neuroscience behind flow, explore techniques to encourage deep focus in your life, and discuss the lasting positive impacts that flow can have on both your life and society.

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Kotler insists that these feelings of frustration and stress are not only normal, but necessary. Unlike other pleasurable mental states you might experience while, for instance, eating food or relaxing to music, flow only occurs when you’re pushing yourself to new limits.

(Shortform note: The authors of Make It Stick agree with Kotler on the importance of struggling with a challenge, explaining that the harder your brain works, the deeper it stores the information that it learns. They call these challenges “desirable difficulties” and argue that they’re much more effective for long-term learning than easy challenges.)

2) Pre-Flow: Take a Break

To move past the first struggle phase and progress toward flow, Kotler says that you must take a break and step away from the challenge. When you do this, you release the frustration you’ve been experiencing and make way for the five neurochemicals of flow to arrive. For example, if you’ve been stuck trying to debug your code for a while, do something unrelated that you enjoy such as baking cookies or taking a walk.

(Shortform note: According to other experts, you should take breaks because your brain continues working on a problem subconsciously when you divert your attention to another activity. In other words, your mind continues to piece together information without your conscious analytical problem-solving getting in the way. However, be sure to find a break activity that relaxes your central nervous system. While this type of activity might differ from person to person, experts advise you to avoid tasks that cause even low levels of stress, like sorting through your email or cleaning your room. Other activities, such as meditation or taking a walk outdoors, might be more restful for your nervous system.)

3) Flow: Refocus

Once you’ve relaxed your mind, refocus on your task, as doing so will often trigger your jump into flow. With your frustrations cleared away, your intuition can take over and your brain can release the neurotransmitters that allow you to be absorbed in accomplishing your task. You’ll experience a sense of control and fluidity while working.

For example, when you make a new attempt to debug your code, you might find yourself noticing mistakes in your code that you’d overlooked when your brain was overwhelmed and tired.

(Shortform note: Other experts offer insights into why you can refocus after clearing away your frustrations. They explain that when you’re stressed, your body produces cortisol hormones. You need a moderate level of stress hormones to achieve peak productivity, but too much cortisol can interfere with memory and increase anxiety, making it harder to solve problems under stress. However, when you clear away your frustrations and reduce your stress hormones to a moderate level, cortisol becomes beneficial and sharpens your memory and focus.)

4) Post-Flow: Rest and Repeat

After the flow state is over, Kotler recommends you take time to relax and process what you’ve learned. Maintaining a state of intense focus uses a lot of energy, and it’s important to recharge. If you don’t, you may find it harder to get into the flow again.

To continue the coding example, give your mind time to recover rather than launching immediately into another coding project. This allows your mind to process what you’ve learned in resolving the bug, ensuring that the information will stick with you and that you’ll be able to focus on your next challenge.

(Shortform note: In The 5 AM Club, Robin Sharma agrees with Kotler on the importance of rest, elaborating that mastery requires your mental, physical, and spiritual health to be operating at their best. Similar to Kotler’s flow cycle, Sharma views the path toward high achievement as a pendulum swinging between high performance and deep rest. Periods of rest are invaluable because they allow your brain to “supercompensate”: grow sharper and stronger by processing and integrating everything you’ve learned. He recommends several ways to rest, which include traveling, working on your hobbies, and spending time with positive people.)

Ways to Encourage Flow

Although learning to achieve more flow in your life is a process, there are strategies that make it easier to enter a flow state. Taking a break from a challenging task is one we've already talked about. Once you’re ready to return to the challenging task, try seeking engaging environments, setting focused challenges, developing a growth mindset, and finding a community.

Method 1: Seek Engaging Environments

Seek an environment that activates your senses—one that is new, unpredictable, and stimulating. Kotler explains that when you’re in an unfamiliar environment, you naturally pay more attention to your surroundings because new situations contain more risks to your well-being. We’ve evolved to be highly attuned to such threats, which prompt our brains to release neurotransmitters that give us energy and focus. This means that when your surroundings are new and uncertain, focus comes more readily.

For example, if you’re a student, consider doing schoolwork in a library you rarely go to. The unfamiliar people and surroundings might make you feel more energized and focused than your usual study spot.

(Shortform note: Other experts agree with Kotler’s suggestion to strengthen focus by working in engaging environments, elaborating that working in new environments energizes your mind in a similar way to meditating or taking a break. They explain that your brain has billions of neural pathways connecting different neurons. When you engage with new sights and sounds, your brain forms new connections while resting old ones, which allows you to feel more energized and refreshed.)

Kotler suggests you also seek out stimulating environments by varying your routines. For example, try eating your lunch in a park or biking to work instead of driving.

(Shortform note: Psychologists argue that there’s another reason to take up Kotler’s advice to vary your routines: While habits can make you more productive and save mental energy, occasionally breaking free from them can help you live a more fulfilling life. They explain that when you do things without thinking, you become disconnected from your present moment. By changing up your routine, you can connect more deeply with your surroundings and fully appreciate the people around you.)

Method 2: Set Appropriate Goals

The type of task you set out to accomplish also factors into your ability to focus. Kotler gives two suggestions for setting goals that allow for deep concentration:

1. Find something you’re passionate about. Since enjoyment is necessary to find flow, Kotler suggests that you find something you want to achieve because you’re internally motivated to do so rather than because of outside influence. If you’re internally motivated to do something, you’ll find it easier to be more focused. On the other hand, if you’re motivated by external forces, like receiving money or avoiding punishment, you might be tempted to find distractions such as checking your phone every few minutes.

(Shortform note: Several experts weigh in with suggestions for identifying your passions. In Minimalism, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus suggest you consider the past experiences in your life that excited you the most. In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin recommends you think about what you spent your time doing during your childhood or what you spend your free time on now to pinpoint your passions.)

2. Separate your goal into small yet challenging chunks. First, your goal must be clear enough for you to know what actions to take to achieve it and determine whether you’ve been successful. Additionally, ensure your goal is manageable so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the challenge.

For example, if your goal is to become fluent in French, you might become so overwhelmed by all you must learn that you fail to make progress. Instead, break up this big goal into smaller, measurable tasks, such as learning the alphabet or learning how to conjugate verbs.

(Shortform note: In 1981, psychologists Albert Bandura and Dale Schunk conducted a study with groups of children to compare the effects of setting smaller goals versus one large goal. They gave one group the goal of completing 42 pages of math problems in seven sessions. For another, they suggested the children try to complete six pages of math problems in each session. Ultimately, they found that working toward subgoals resulted in faster completion and better performance than working with one large goal.)

Kotler says that the difficulty level of your goal matters, too. If your task is too easy, you can lose interest and become distracted. Kotler recommends setting challenges that are 4% more advanced than your current skill level. Such challenges help you focus but don’t overwhelm you.

(Shortform note: In Atomic Habits, James Clear agrees with Kotler on the importance of setting appropriately challenging goals, adding that boredom is one of the biggest obstacles to motivation. He refers to finding the right challenge-to-skill-level ratio as the Goldilocks Rule and suggests you set goals where there’s a 50/50 chance of succeeding. With a nearly equal risk of failure and hope of success, this approach keeps you focused and ensures you’ll feel more satisfied when you accomplish your goal.)

Why You Should Set Achievable yet Challenging Goals

Setting achievable yet challenging goals helps you find focus and improve your skills by allowing you to:

1. Adjust your performance. When you break your objective into smaller tasks, you can assess and adjust your performance at each step of the way rather than at the very end. Kotler says that for extreme athletes, this automatic feedback is built into their sports. Take rock climbing, for example: When you fall, you immediately recognize what mistake led to that result. This allows you to focus on what you need to readjust for your next attempt.

However, some tasks have less feedback. For example, if you’re developing an online game, you won’t know whether you’re doing something well until you release it for others to play. In this case, Kotler suggests you ask for input at each step. If you’ve completed the first level of a platform game, ask people to try it out and offer feedback. This allows you to identify any flaws to your approach when everything’s still fresh in your mind.

(Shortform note: In Ultralearning, Scott Young agrees with Kotler’s suggestion of receiving feedback quickly, adding that your abilities increase with more immediate feedback, while delayed feedback might result in even worse performance. However, he warns that getting feedback too quickly, such as interrupting yourself every few minutes to evaluate, prevents you from absorbing the knowledge and applying it to your next attempt. For example, if you’re practicing phrases to learn a foreign language and forget a few words, don’t consult the answers immediately. Try to reflect on it longer so that your brain can better process the information.)

2. Visualize what’s possible. According to Kotler, having clear goals makes it easier to visualize yourself accomplishing them, which improves your focus and performance. Kotler cites research demonstrating that when you imagine yourself doing something, you’re activating the same neurons that fire when you’re physically performing the action. Essentially, by visualizing yourself doing something, you’re increasing your ability to achieve it.

(Shortform note: In The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod provides three steps to help you visualize your goals. First, prepare by sitting comfortably, clearing your mind, and possibly playing instrumental music. Next, use your five senses to imagine yourself accomplishing your goal and the feeling of satisfaction after you’ve achieved it. Finally, turn your focus inward and picture the type of person you’ll need to be to accomplish that goal. To aid your visualization, you can even consider creating a poster board with images that inspire you.)

Method 3: Develop the Right Mindset

Kotler explains that many people feel overwhelmed and get stuck at the first stage of finding flow, when they’re initially struggling with a challenge. Kotler says that developing a growth mindset is key to progressing beyond early frustrations. When you have a growth mindset, you believe your abilities can be improved with time and work. Kotler says that only when you believe you can improve can you push your performance limits.

(Shortform note: Kotler mentions the importance of developing a growth mindset, but what exactly is a mindset? In Mindset, Carol S. Dweck defines it as your attitudes about yourself, such as your skills and your intelligence, that shape the way you think and act throughout the course of your life. She explains that you start developing these beliefs at an early age based on the influence of people around you, such as your parents or teachers.)

To develop a growth mindset, Kotler suggests you seek inspiration by watching and interacting with others online. When you witness the feats others can accomplish and how they accomplish them, you adjust the frontier of what’s possible in your mind. This is known as the Roger Bannister Effect, named after the British runner who ran a mile in under four minutes—a feat many had believed to be physically impossible. Two months after Bannister proved a sub-four-minute mile was possible, another athlete ran an even faster time.

(Shortform note: Psychologists view Roger Bannister as a valuable illustration of the importance of breaking mental barriers to achieve results not just in sports, but in other areas like therapy. They argue that believing in your ability to succeed is a key factor to breakthroughs for clients in therapy who may be struggling with issues such as anxiety or substance abuse.)

Additionally, practice openness to develop your growth mindset. For Kotler, this means paying more attention to your surroundings and exercising humility. By being more in tune with your body and your environment, you become more conscious of your skills and ways that you can improve. Humility also allows you to be receptive to feedback, which drives progress. Kotler says you can practice openness through meditation, yoga, or even playing video games.

(Shortform note: While, as Kotler suggests, video games can train your attention and encourage flow, other researchers are exploring more direct connections between flow and video games. The Virtual Times project, for instance, seeks to use the Metaverse as a tool to encourage flow states and relieve certain symptoms of mental health conditions such as a distorted sense of time. The project works on the notion that virtual reality has the power to alter our perceptions of time, which can naturally encourage experiences of high concentration, immersion, and timelessness associated with flow states.)

Method 4: Find a Community

Kotler says that surrounding yourself with a community of like-minded people can help you achieve flow and perform better. He explains that interacting with a group naturally satisfies several conditions that encourage flow. Since humans are social creatures, we tend to be more attentive when others are around. For instance, you might naturally perk up from a slouch when your work partners walk into the room.

If getting in a flow state helps you perform at your best, being in a group accelerates how quickly this happens. When someone in your group does something amazing, suddenly it seems possible for everyone else.

(Shortform note: Psychologists describe the phenomenon of enhanced performance in groups as social facilitation, a term coined by psychologist Norman Triplett in 1898. When studying bicycle races, Triplett found that cyclists achieved faster times when competing against others than when racing alone. While having other people present can improve performance on many tasks, experts point out that groups can also trigger evaluation apprehension, which is a fear of being judged negatively that can distract you and hinder your performance, especially when you’re doing a task that requires more cognitive effort.)

We also tend to be happier and more motivated when working toward a goal with a group. Kotler cites a study done by psychologist Charles Walker that revealed that people enjoyed the experience of flow more when interacting with others than when alone. However, not all groups can achieve deep focus and productivity. They must be supportive, share a sense of familiarity, and work toward a common goal.

(Shortform note: Other experts agree with Kotler’s argument that group environments can be powerful for performance as long as they’re supportive. In The Fearless Organization, Amy Edmonson writes that performance-encouraging environments offer psychological safety, which enables trust, creativity, and growth. Although she focuses on the workplace, her suggestions for cultivating psychological safety can give us insights into how to foster any kind of high performance-driving group environment. To encourage support in your group, practice active listening, share your mistakes or uncertainties, and recognize what challenges you share as a group.)

The Impact of Flow

Now that you understand how flow works and how you can unlock this state of mind, let’s discuss the broader implications of pursuing flow.

According to Kotler, while flow is a powerful tool for growth and improvement, it has its downsides as well. By enhancing your ability to perform, flow encourages you to work at and push beyond your limits. Then, when you’ve achieved your most ambitious goal, you’re likely going to set even more ambitious ones.

(Shortform note: While setting ambitious goals may sound like a good thing, psychologists warn that pursuing extremely ambitious goals can also be risky. One study suggests that flow reduces your awareness of risk in the pursuit of goals. This can be especially dangerous for people who are new to an activity, as they might underestimate risks and lack the expert skills to overcome them.)

When this happens, Kotler warns that there’s a risk of burning out or raising expectations so high that they become unwise or even dangerous to pursue. The world of extreme sports is full of such examples, with many athletes pushing themselves past their limits to the point of injury and even death. Additionally, the pleasurable feeling of being in flow can become addictive. Kotler states that people can be frustrated or depressed if they’re unable to get in a flow state for a long time.

(Shortform note: Kotler writes that pushing yourself too hard can result in burnout. In Flow, Csikszentmihalyi explains why pursuing flow can have this effect: A flow-inducing activity is an autotelic activity, which is something that you do just because you enjoy it. When you continually pursue these activities, you might overcommit to enjoyable yet ambitious goals and experience burnout. In Burnout, Amelia and Emily Nagoski list several ways you can recover from burnout: First, build self-compassion by distancing yourself from your negative inner thoughts. Next, build resilience to burnout by finding a larger purpose in your life. Lastly, recover from burnout by finding a support system and getting adequate rest.)

When we’re mindful of the risks, however, flow can be a powerful learning tool to improve your personal life as well as society as a whole. On an individual level, as you experience more flow in your life, you’ll naturally become more creative and innovative, allowing you to handle harder challenges and progress more rapidly toward your goals.

(Shortform note: Csikszentmihalyi elaborates that frequently entering a flow state allows you to gain self-confidence, enjoy life more fully, and achieve personal growth. Other experts add that practicing flow and becoming more creative can increase your happiness and well-being by improving your immune system functioning, cognitive functioning, and reducing feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.)

On a societal level, institutions that embrace flow find more success. Employees and team members who are frequently in flow are more productive and generate more innovative solutions than their counterparts. Schools with environments that encourage flow, such as Montessori schools, can teach more effectively and cultivate higher-performing students.

(Shortform note: As Kotler mentions, the concept of flow has caught the attention of the corporate world, but what kind of environments are these businesses creating to encourage flow? Experts say that the optimal working environment has different spaces for different types of work, allows workers to focus intently without distractions, and gives employees more freedom to structure how they work. One Swedish company, Green Cargo, profited for the first time in 120 years after implementing a flow-based management approach that involved more frequent performance reviews and more quality time between managers and their employees.)