Once upon a time — the process of working while the world slipped away was groovin, then it because in the zone and now its the flow.
Go with the flow has been a saying for a long while. It is not necessarily the same as achieving design flow. Honestly have no idea when the actual concept came to my realization, yet I can remember spending hours in my darkroom as a teen, surprised later to find several hours had passed. Then drafting or drawing elevations, again hours would zoom by. Sitting at the computer pushing elements around on the page the same feeling of the world slipping away occurs.
This tends to happen whenever I am engaged in the process of creation, particularly when it is going well. Or yoga. Sadly my running days never put me in the zone.
Sometimes work is not going well and it becomes harder to focus. The groove, the zone, the flow don’t come. The mind wonders aimlessly and nothing great accomplished. It is at those times that I have to fake the groove. Usually find time when the house is quiet (or as quiet as possible with a teen, two cats and a dog who barks at every leaf that drifts by the window). I light some candles, yellow for creativity. Make some tea or hot lemon water. And trick myself into relaxed mode. I reread the requirements and then set to focusing on the project.
Hadn’t thought of fitting it into my methodology because it organically happens once I am in the brainstorming or ideation stages. Yet the fake it till you make it zone could be inserted after analysis. Usually that is when the fight or flight wants to kick in and I need the flow most.