Dr Sue Jackson

Dr Sue Jackson Sue is an experienced psychologist and expert in flow and high performance.

Sue Jackson is a sport and exercise psychologist with a passion for Flow: the optimal psychological state popularly known as being in the zone. Sue has a background of researching the flow concept for over 25 years, and the combination of her research and her applied work has helped to make the flow state both understandable and accessible to all levels of performers, from weekend warriors to Olym

pic champions. You can find links to her first book on flow, Flow in Sports, plus to her recently released book, Experiencing Flow: Life Beyond Boredom and Anxiety, and to the self-report scales she has developed to assess flow, at www.drsuejackson.com

If you want to develop your ability to be totally present in what you are doing, contact Sue regarding her mindfulness workshops, performance psychology consulting, and mindfulness-meditation classes, all tailored to meet your individual or corporate goals.

If you want to develop your ability to be totally present in what you are doing, contact Sue regarding her mindfulness workshops, performance psychology consulting, and mindfulness-meditation classes, all tailored to meet your individual or corporate goals.

Self-consciousness doesn’t improve performance.It interferes with it.The moment attention turns inward— to how you look ...
27/04/2026

Self-consciousness doesn’t improve performance.
It interferes with it.

The moment attention turns inward
— to how you look or how you’re doing —
ex*****on starts to lose stability.

Not because you lack skill
but because attention is no longer on the task.

Performance is more reliable
when attention is directed outward
towards what the situation requires.

This is a core feature of flow.

Less self-focus. More task focus.

These ideas are explored further in my Insight Timer course: https://insighttimer.com/meditation-courses/course_finding-your-flow-for-optimal-performance

20/04/2026

We tend to associate flow with peak performance.

Big moments.
High stakes.
Extended immersion.

But one of the more overlooked ideas in flow research is this:

It doesn’t only happen at the top end of performance.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of micro-flow — brief, everyday moments where attention locks in and self-evaluation drops away.

Most people experience these moments.
They just don’t register them.

And that’s the missed opportunity.

Because the ability to notice and re-engage with these small attentional shifts
is what allows people to access flow more consistently — not just occasionally.

One of the central challenges in sport is maintaining focus on why you probably began your involvement in the first plac...
04/04/2026

One of the central challenges in sport is maintaining focus on why you probably began your involvement in the first place: enjoyment. This intrinsic motivation can take a back seat once external rewards enter the picture. Recognition, contracts, and visibility are real — and they can leverage hard.

One of the greatest NBA Coaches of all time, Phil Jackson, captured it precisely — the joy in sport comes from losing yourself completely in what you are doing. That self-forgetting, that total absorption, is what we recognise as a hallmark of the optimal experience of flow.

The most effective coaches are skilled at redirecting athletes back to what originally drew them to their sport: the experience itself. Not the outcome. Not the audience. The activity.

The ego wants to perform. Flow asks the “you" to disappear.

To learn more, check out the book I co-authored with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Flow in Sports”.

29/03/2026

When the stakes are high, it feels like you should think more.

But the brain doesn’t always work that way.

In highly trained individuals, optimal performance isn’t about adding more conscious control – it’s about reducing interference.

Research suggests that in flow there is:

Less self-monitoring and overthinking
More efficient coordination between task-relevant brain networks
Smoother ex*****on of well-learned skills
This may help explain the sensations in flow, where attention is complete, action feels automatic, and performance becomes precise.

Sometimes the goal isn’t to try harder…
It’s to get out of your own way.

In research I conducted in the 1990s, we found clear patterns in responses to the question, What disrupts flow? Understa...
26/03/2026

In research I conducted in the 1990s, we found clear patterns in responses to the question, What disrupts flow? Understanding these factors helps you identify potential disruptors to your optimal performances and experiences.

The two things that matter most for getting flow back: your focus and your trust in yourself.

Save this for when you need to find your way back. 👇

Learn more in my Amazon bestselling book "Experiencing Flow": https://drsuejackson.com/new-book-experiencing-flow/

24/03/2026

Flow is not something that is maintained perfectly from start to finish of an event.

In many performance environments, especially in sport, there are constant disruptions. You may lose focus. You may be under pressure. You may be responding to unexpected events.

In those moments, it is unlikely that you are in flow.

But that does not mean it is lost.

The next action you take, the way you respond, can allow you to re-enter that state.

Music provides a known gateway to flow— and last night was a good reminder of why. I attended an outdoor rock concert ce...
22/03/2026

Music provides a known gateway to flow— and last night was a good reminder of why. I attended an outdoor rock concert celebrating 40 years since Jimmy Barnes released For the Working Class Man. A #1 album on debut in late 1985 and still one of Australia’s top 100, its legacy was alive and well on stage.
Rock music doesn’t ask for perfection—it demands presence. For a few hours, nothing else mattered but the sound, the movement, and the moment 🎶
Joining Barnsey were fellow Aussie icons Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss, and Icehouse. With ages ranging from 59 to 71, what stood out wasn’t nostalgia — it was mastery. These performers were completely in their element, fully present, and clearly loving being there.
Early in the night, Ceberano said it best: “I love live music. You have to show up.”
And show up they did. Their enthusiasm was shared by their bandmates and felt right through the crowd.
It’s hard not to wonder if this is part of the secret to their longevity. When you find something you’re passionate about, commit to developing your craft, and stay present in your process, you create a lifelong source of meaning, growth, and joy — for yourself and others.
A great reminder that flow isn’t just a moment—it can be a way of life. 🎸

Most people remember Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon for the result.1:59:40.But what’s often overlooked is how de...
19/03/2026

Most people remember Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon for the result.

1:59:40.

But what’s often overlooked is how deliberately the environment was designed.

The INEOS 1:59 Challenge wasn’t just a test of physiology.
It was a carefully constructed performance setting aligned with what we know about flow.

Decades of research have shown that flow is more likely to occur when three conditions are present:

• clear goals
• immediate feedback
• a balance between challenge and skill

What makes this event so compelling is how precisely those elements were built into the attempt.

The goal was unambiguous.
The feedback was continuous.
The challenge sat just beyond what had been achieved before.

Flow can’t be forced.

But this is a powerful example of how environments can be designed to support it.

Stillness doesn’t require silence — just awareness. Awareness of the breath, including the natural pause between in brea...
18/03/2026

Stillness doesn’t require silence — just awareness. Awareness of the breath, including the natural pause between in breath and out breath. Flow can begin when we notice the pause and choose to stay present.

📘 Learn about breathing practices to enhance flow in my book, Experiencing Flow

When I began co-authoring Flow in Sports with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it felt slightly beyond my comfort zone.Mike was ...
15/03/2026

When I began co-authoring Flow in Sports with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, it felt slightly beyond my comfort zone.

Mike was the founder of the flow concept, whose work I had long admired. I was writing from Australia while he was in Chicago, and the responsibility of contributing to that body of work felt significant.

What surprised me most was how the writing process itself became an example of flow in action.

By structuring the work clearly, setting goals, receiving ongoing feedback, and learning to let go of self-consciousness, the project gradually shifted from something daunting to something deeply engaging.

Looking back, the experience strengthened my appreciation for flow not just as a theoretical framework, but as something that emerges when we lean into meaningful challenges.

As David Bowie famously said:
“When you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

In the late 1980s, I was a grad student who had just discovered the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — the psychologist w...
11/03/2026

In the late 1980s, I was a grad student who had just discovered the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — the psychologist who first identified and named the flow state.

What happened next shaped the entire direction of my research. ➡️

What do Olympic athletes teach us about peak performance? 🏂Preparation builds trust.Trust enables focus.Joy sustains exc...
09/03/2026

What do Olympic athletes teach us about peak performance? 🏂

Preparation builds trust.
Trust enables focus.
Joy sustains excellence.

Research on flow shows that when skill, challenge, and intrinsic motivation align, extraordinary performance becomes possible. The Winter Olympics offer a powerful reminder that excellence is not driven by pressure alone.

Often, it emerges when performers are fully immersed in the activity itself.

🔗What do Olympic athletes teach us about peak performance? 🏂

Preparation builds trust.
Trust enables focus.
Joy sustains excellence.

Research on flow shows that when skill, challenge, and intrinsic motivation align, extraordinary performance becomes possible. The Winter Olympics offer a powerful reminder that excellence is not driven by pressure alone.

Often, it emerges when performers are fully immersed in the activity itself.

🔗 https://drsuejackson.com/preparation-trust-and-joy-what-the-milan-cortina-winter-olympics-revealed-about-flow-and-high-performance/



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