This Is Where You’ll Find Your Best Ideas. Not in Your Calendar.

There are these moments in life where the totalitarian nature of the mind is completely focused. Effortless. A sense of psychic energy flowing through the brain. Fully present in the moment.

People often ask me what my favorite activities are in the city. Chicago is the best city in the world for three months, hands down. Quite literally, no other city beats Chicago from June to August. I’ve done it all. Diehard Chicago fan.

But there are only two activities that truly stand out.

Imagine this: it’s a warm summer morning around 9 - 11a.m., and the lake is calm like glass. The city skyline reflects off the water. The air is peaceful. Few people are out. Chicago has a strict lakefront protection policy, which preserves its shoreline from commercial development. Because of that, it boasts one of the most beautiful and uninterrupted skylines in the world. When I’m jet skiing at 40-60 MPH, everything fades away. Thoughts, positive or negative, just disappear. It’s complete harmony. No stress, no tasks, no calls, no startup worries. Just presence. That’s flow.

Now picture this: running through the empty streets of the Loop at 4:30 a.m. in the summer, the heart of downtown Chicago, encircled by elevated train tracks. Normally crowded and loud, it’s silent at that hour. The city feels otherworldly. The streets glow under the streetlights. The buildings feel alive. It’s a feeling of ownership over the city. I often hop the fence into Millennium Park at that hour while cops nap in their cruisers. Sometimes I run with music. Sometimes without. This is when I become a tourist again, jogging down the middle of Wacker Drive because no cars are out, hitting the Riverwalk, then veering left toward North Avenue Beach for a full skyline view. It’s pitch black, but the city lights reflect off the lake with breathtaking clarity. I’ll usually head down to the pier and run to the end.

The world narrows. No buzzing thoughts. Just pure motion. Aaron Hibell in my ears. Epic. Cinematic.

What ties these two moments together is flow. On the surface, jet skiing and running are opposites; one is fast and loud, the other quiet and reflective. But both are immersive.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who coined the term "flow," found that during these states, the prefrontal cortex downregulates, a phenomenon called transient hypofrontality. Neuroscientist Arne Dietrich described this mechanism, showing that flow and meditative states can only occur when this brain region, responsible for self-awareness, critical thinking, and time perception, deactivates. When that part of the brain fades, immersion and performance deepen.

Flow also floods the brain with dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters that drive focus and motivation. Dopamine, tied to pleasure and reward, reinforces behaviors and keeps us engaged (Wise, 2004). Norepinephrine boosts attention and energy, sharpening awareness (Aston-Jones & Cohen, 2005). These chemicals explain why flow feels so good and how it supports deep concentration.

Understanding the brain’s chemistry is powerful, but it doesn’t guarantee access. I’ve had seasons where flow felt out of reach. There were periods when I ran multiple startups at once, bouncing between tasks, trapped in decision fatigue. I got things done, but I felt awful. My focus was shattered. My clarity vanished. I was reacting, not creating. I was busy, not productive.

Then there were the early morning runs or jet ski rides. Each time I stepped away, clarity followed. Ideas surfaced. Problems unraveled. These moments led to the most valuable solutions, journal entries, new strategies, or even just a deep breath that reset my mind. The contrast was obvious, forced effort versus inspired momentum.

These rituals aren’t just physical. They’re about connection to self, to the environment, and to the present moment. These flow states are where I find clarity, calm, and direction. And if we’re being honest, that’s what everyone is chasing: the ability to live more of life in that state of effortless immersion. Because when you’re in flow, you’re not just more productive—you’re more alive. 

But here’s the truth, most people can’t reach this state, not because they’re incapable, but because they’re overwhelmed. Notifications, logistics, to-do lists, admin, scheduling, endless tabs open—mentally and digitally. That is me. That’s where AI comes in.

AI isn’t just a productivity tool. It’s a friction removal system. The right AI systems automate the noise that clutters your bandwidth, calendar management, email filtering, daily planning, and even prioritizing your to-do list. With the right setup, AI becomes a force multiplier for your focus. It’s like clearing the digital brush so your mind can move freely again and build.

Imagine waking up, and your AI assistant has already summarized what actually matters today, moved the rest, prepped the briefs, reminded you to hydrate, silenced distractions, and aligned your tools. Instead of starting the day in chaos, you start with clarity.

AI allows more people to enter the zone, not just elite performers or people with perfectly structured routines. Flow becomes more accessible when the mundane is offloaded and the mental pathways are cleared. It’s not about outsourcing thinking. It’s about giving your mind space to do the real thinking.

So, whether you’re running a company, writing a book, designing a product, or just trying to get through the day with your sanity intact, AI, when used intentionally, becomes the scaffolding that supports deeper presence. It’s a silent co-pilot designed to help you feel that moment again. That glassy lake. That empty city street. That clarity we all crave.

If you don’t yet know what puts you in a state of flow, that’s your next task. Start small. Observe the moments where you feel most alive, most focused, most present. Then ask, how do I repeat that? How do I make space for more of it? And what systems, what support, what technology—like AI—can help me carve out room for it?

You don’t find flow by accident. You find it by design.

If you’re ready to uncover your own flow blueprint, try prompting GPT, Grok, or Gemini with this…

"I want you to act as a flow coach and mental clarity advisor. Help me understand what flow really is—scientifically and experientially—and guide me to identify the activities, times, and environments where I’m most likely to enter a flow state.

Ask me a few reflective questions to surface past flow experiences. Then analyze those answers to find patterns. Based on that, recommend how I can structure my day and digital tools (including AI) to trigger flow more often.

Your goal is to help me design a lifestyle where flow isn’t rare—it’s built in."

-Nikhil Mohanty