'Being in the zone' between Homer and Dao

Combat of Achilles and Hector, 5th century BC mixing bowl, British Museum (1848,0801.1)

We know it when we feel it: that perfect state where action becomes effortless, where time seems to slow yet pass in a blur, where our capabilities expand beyond their normal boundaries.

In his groundbreaking work "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience," Mihaly C…