#171 The Psychology of Flow w/ Dr Megan Lee: Why You Can't Force Focus (And What To Do Instead)

#171 The Psychology of Flow w/ Dr Megan Lee: Why You Can't Force Focus (And What To Do Instead)

From Keegan and Company by Keegan Hipgrave

April 7, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

In this episode, Keegan Hipgrave and Dr Megan Lee discuss the psychology of flow and how to achieve focus in various tasks.

Why do some tasks feel effortless while others feel impossible? Why can I run for hours but can't sit down and write for 20 minutes? In this episode I sit down with psychologist and researcher Dr Megan Lee to break down the science of flow: the state where you lose track of time and perform at your best. We talk about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's research, Sue Jackson's nine dimensions of flow, why athletes access flow so easily, and how the rest of us can get there too. We also get into a really honest conversation about where we both struggle. Megan can't get to the gym. I can't sit at a laptop. We talk about the 30-minute timer technique, atomic habits, habit stacking, and why starting is always the hardest part. If you enjoyed this episode check our the other episodes we have done with Dr Megan Lee: #121 Dr Megan Lee: How to be Happy #169 The Psychology of Green & Blue Spaces #167 The Psychology of The Whimsical Era Follow Dr Megan Lee: Instagram   Website Follow the Podcast:  Podcast Instagram: @keeganandcompanypodcast Keegan's Instagram: @keeganhipgrave TikTok: @keeganandcompany See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Keegan Hipgrave

Guest: Dr Megan Lee

Topics covered

  • psychology
  • flow
  • focus
  • athletics
  • habits
  • performance

Keywords

  • flow
  • focus
  • psychology
  • habits
  • performance
  • Csikszentmihalyi
  • athletes

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