Finding Flow at Work
Have you experienced the feeling of being so caught up and engrossed in a task that you’re not thinking about what you're doing and everything else seems to fade away? It’s in moments like these that time appears to stand still and becomes irrelevant. If you’ve experienced this sensation while playing a sport, an instrument or, if you’re lucky, at work, there’s nothing quite like it.
While conducting research at the University of Chicago, Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined the term “flow” to describe this state. Flow can be described as “the state where we feel in command of what we do, do it effortlessly, and perform at our best.” Being absorbed in this state not only feels great, but it helps us work at our peak ability. But flow can only be achieved once we become unconsciously competent at a task, no longer having to think about the steps or process involved in completing it. Like a pianist sitting down to play a piece perfectly from memory, flow can only be reached with dedication and practice over time.
Daniel Goleman, psychologist, blogger, and author of the bestseller Emotional Intelligence, recently wrote a post about achieving flow at work. Reaching a state of flow at work can be understandably challenging, with distractions, repetitiveness or unfulfilling tasks breaking focus. But, if we are able to find flow in the workplace, even some of the time, we are more likely to be productive and satisfied.
Goleman suggests three pathways by which you can achieve flow while working:
Match your tasks to your skillset
Find work that you love
Fully concentrate and focus on the task at hand
As Goleman points out, the first two pathways, finding meaningful and challenging work, involve external factors. The third pathway, however, challenges internal focus and inner strength to remain absorbed in the task. This is increasingly difficult in the workplace where disruptions, such as buzzing phones and email notifications can fill our days. But Goleman suggests that strong focus can lead to flow, no matter what the task is. He recommends techniques such as mindfulness and “focusing on the breath” to strengthen our ability to focus at work.
I am continually striving to find flow, and to remain present and focused in all aspects of my life. Gratefully, I find myself most engaged and comfortable when I'm mediating. With dedication, practice and love for what I do, I feel competent and at ease during the mediation process. Even during challenging and stressful moments, being immersed and absorbed enables me to effectively flow with the process, adapt to the needs of the parties and apply just the right tool or technique to move us forward. Now if I could only bottle that feeling and apply it to everything I do, I'd really be on to something!
A year ago, I wrote about the importance of being present. The ability to remain focused and absorbed in the moment takes practice, and some days it comes more easily than on others. With a new year upon us, staying present and finding flow is something I have recommitted to working on. So, whether you want to increase your focus at work, or elsewhere, I hope you will join me – not to go with the flow, but to find it and run with it.
