What Does It Mean to “Reach a Flow State” on TikTok?

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Meme content creator Tobi Nwodo explains what a flow state is & how it relates to the TikTok meme

Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA Reviewed by Tobi Nwodo

Last Updated: December 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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“Flow State” Meaning

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Meme Origin & Spread

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More TikTok Memes

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Video

Ever clicked into one wikiHow personality quiz and suddenly found yourself 20 quizzes in and reaching a flow state? Have no idea what we’re talking about? We’ll tell you! That was our attempt at the “flow state” meme that’s been trending on TikTok, where users describe themselves getting hyper-focused on a task (or tasks) that are silly, mundane, or unimportant. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about this viral TikTok trend—just keep reading!

What is the “flow state” on TikTok?

Meme content creator Tobi Nwodo says “flow state” is a meme where people talk about doing a mundane task that they get super focused on and get into a flow state (or in the zone). For example, one notable TikTok reads, “when I’m already crying and start stacking more reasons to cry and I genuinely reach flow state.”

Section 1 of 3:

“Reach a Flow State” TikTok Meaning

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TikTokers use “reach a flow state” to jokingly brag about completing an unimportant task. According to Nwodo, being in a flow state “means doing something to such a high and efficient rate that you feel as though you don't have to think about it anymore. It's almost like your body is moving on its own and in tune perfectly with whatever you're doing.” He says, “In that zone, everything feels effortless.” On TikTok, the “flow state” has been meme-ified to talk about successfully completing one or more mundane tasks. Nwodo notes that the meme “shows people performing a task and then 'genuinely hitting flow state' because it's going so perfectly.”^{[1]
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Tobi Nwodo
Meme, Brainrot, and Slang Content Creator

Expert Interview}
- Nwodo explains that “flow state” is actually a common term used in sports, but it can be applied to many other things, like this meme.^{[2]
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  Tobi Nwodo
  Meme, Brainrot, and Slang Content Creator
  
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- To create this TikTok meme, social media users post a video of themselves doing their “unimportant” task(s) alongside a caption describing how the task led them to “reach a flow state.”
- All of the “Flow State” TikTok memes are set to an audio clip saying “Whoa, whoa.” This comes from a clip of YouTuber Shane Dawson, who said these words while fellow YouTuber Jeffree Star rearranged components of their makeup palettes.^{[3]
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- Here are some examples of TikTok’s “Flow State” meme:
  - This video by @realgriddyjones reads, “when I’m eating turbos while drinking cold water and watching youtube and I seriously reach a flow state.”
  - This video by @openmind.lessly reads, “when I’m already crying and start stacking more reasons to cry and I genuinely reach flow state.”
  - This video by @blessjess reads, “when I’m knocking out assignments back to back for different classes without touching my phone once and genuinely reach a flow state.”
  - This video by @stitchedbylee reads, “when the sidewalk has the perfect amount of steps in between each crack and you lowkey reach flow state.”

Section 2 of 3:

“Flow State” Meme Origin & Spread

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The meme audio comes from a YouTube video of Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star. All the “flow state” memes use an audio clip of Shane Dawson saying, “Whoa, whoa,” which comes from a YouTube video he did with Jeffree Star. In the clip, Star is rearranging eyeshadow test shades into a palette. Dawson, shocked by Star’s skill and efficiency with this task, says, “Whoa, whoa, you’re a machine.”^{[4]
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Research source} While this video was posted in 2019, it resurfaced in July 2025 when TikToker @jenniferlaz_1 reposted the clip with the caption, “To me this was neuroscience.” This TikTok got over 3.5 million views in three months.
- In November 2025, TikToker @realgriddyjones posted a video using the same audio as @jenniferlaz_1. The video showed her eating a spicy snack, drinking water, and watching YouTube.
- The caption to the video reads, “when I’m eating turbos while drinking cold water and watching youtube and I seriously reach a flow state.” This video received over 3.7 million views in six days, and it was the first known instance of the “flow state” meme with this audio.
The meme quickly gained traction on the social media app, with many users copying the original video’s style and doing lip dubs about entering a flow state. For example, a video by TikToker @larataz read, “when me and my hg [homegirl] are debriefing and we are both typing so fast our texts start overlapping each other and we genuinely reach flow state.” This video received over 18 million views in 4 days.^{[5]
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Section 3 of 3:

Other Viral TikTok Trends & Memes

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Keep scrolling with even more TikTok trends! TikTok has no shortage of memes, trends, and memorable sounds. Here are just a few of our favorite viral TikTok trends that you should check out:
- My Shayla: Users post a thing or person that they find adorable, like a pet, animal, or partner (especially when that adorable thing is doing something annoying but still cute).
- If Not Friend, Why Friend Shaped: Users post videos of wild animals that they find cute but that they can’t safely get close to.
- Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday: Users post amusing travel or vacation fails alongside a commercial jingle used by Jet2 Airlines.
- Bombastic Side Eye: Users use this audio to react to situations that they find uncomfortable or cringe-worthy.
- Unfortunately, I Do Love: Users pair this prompt with a list of things that are their guilty pleasures, or things that they love…but maybe shouldn’t.