I wait tables, and I’m damn good at it. When everything goes just right on a really busy shift, it’s common for experienced waitresses to hit flow state and it’s one of many addictive patterns that keeps people, especially people with ADHD, in this job.
For those unfamiliar, flow state is a qualitative shift in consciousness that increases awareness of task-related stimuli and decreased awareness of irrelevant stimuli while speeding up reaction time, draining away uncertainty, and making every small success feel like it’s propelling you forward. It’s got some of the energy of an adrenaline rush without the comedown — flow state gracefully fades out without a crash. It’s like you just became more efficient, everything you need is right to hand, and triaging and prioritizing the subtasks in front of you becomes effortless.
It is the second-best part of my job, even better than the feeling of genuinely helping people.
Can’t believe no one has said “flow state” yet.
I wait tables, and I’m damn good at it. When everything goes just right on a really busy shift, it’s common for experienced waitresses to hit flow state and it’s one of many addictive patterns that keeps people, especially people with ADHD, in this job.
For those unfamiliar, flow state is a qualitative shift in consciousness that increases awareness of task-related stimuli and decreased awareness of irrelevant stimuli while speeding up reaction time, draining away uncertainty, and making every small success feel like it’s propelling you forward. It’s got some of the energy of an adrenaline rush without the comedown — flow state gracefully fades out without a crash. It’s like you just became more efficient, everything you need is right to hand, and triaging and prioritizing the subtasks in front of you becomes effortless.
It is the second-best part of my job, even better than the feeling of genuinely helping people.