Achieving Flow: Unlocking Optimal Productivity in the Workplace
Have you ever experienced a moment in your life where you were so engrossed in a task that time seemed to fly by before your very eyes? If so, you may have been experiencing a state known as flow. Flow is a mental state in which someone is fully absorbed and focused on a task or activity that is challenging but enjoyable. Individuals who experience flow often describe that feeling as being “in the zone.” There are numerous advantages to experiencing flow, making it a desirable state for organizations to help their employees achieve. Research has demonstrated that flow can enhance engagement and performance. This is because individuals that experience flow feel fully immersed and committed to the task at hand. Moreover, individuals experiencing flow actually enjoy the task they are working on more, meaning they are more likely to feel fulfilled and find their work rewarding. Research suggests that individuals in a flow state may experience increased creativity, satisfaction, and happiness. Although there are many benefits associated with the state of flow, achieving the state of flow can feel elusive. Below, I share a few strategies for helping your employees experience flow in their work.
Flow is a mental state in which someone is fully absorbed and focused on a task or activity that is challenging but enjoyable.
Encourage your employees to set clear and specific goals. Individuals are more likely to experience flow when faced with a task that has clearly outlined objectives. This is because specific goals provide us with clear direction and focus, allowing us to channel our efforts and attention toward the task at hand. Setting clear goals also helps to reduce any ambiguity that may be preventing you from fully immersing yourself into the task. Specific goals also help to increase engagement and motivation, providing a target for you to strive for and a sense of progress and achievement once those goals are complete.
Identify and eliminate potential distractions. It will be more difficult for your employees to enter a state of flow if there are other things in their environment competing for their attention. Reducing potential distractions will allow your employees to be able to fully focus on the task at hand. There are many ways this can be done. For example, employees may want to silence their notifications on their phone or computer, or wear noise cancelling headphones while working on their tasks. You may also want to consider asking your employees to indicate when they plan on working on their task so that everyone can take steps to minimize interruptions. If you have access to each other’s calendars, it may be beneficial to have them set up times on their calendars for when they intend to work on their task to ensure everyone is on the same page. Eliminating distractions also means avoiding multitasking. For those of us who consider ourselves multitasker extraordinaires, this ask may seem off-putting. However, if we are spending cognitive resources on more than one task at a time, we are distracting ourselves from entering a flow state as our cognitive resources need to be wholly focused on one task.
Ensure the task is challenging but not overly complex. Flow is more likely to happen when a task’s difficulty is equally matched with an individual’s ability. Tasks that are challenging are more engaging and encourage you to learn new skills and engage more deeply in task completion. If a task is simple, employees may experience boredom, preventing them from entering a flow state. Identify ways that the simple task can be automated so that your employees can put their efforts towards other important, more challenging objectives. For tasks that are difficult, employees may experience anxiety and stress, which can also prevent them from experiencing flow. Encourage them to ask for help, support, and clarity from their colleagues in order to reduce their stress and make the task more manageable.
Entering a state of flow is a rewarding experience that can help boost intrinsic motivation, productivity, satisfaction, and performance. I hope this blog post inspires you to seek out flow and help your employees experience it in their work. If you would like to learn more about increasing productivity and job satisfaction in your organization, feel free to reach out!