Watching fly-fishers in the River Test recently got me thinking about flow.
The term “flow” was first used by the positive psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Many of the people he interviewed during his research described flow like a river – where the current drives you and you are simply floating along. The state is characterised by being so absorbed in what you are doing that everything else falls away. There is a sense of effortless attention on the activity or task. Research shows that when working in this state, productivity and creativity increases significantly, and getting great work done feels easy and rewarding.
Certainly, the fly-fishers I was watching were totally absorbed in their sport of trying to land a good-sized trout or grayling.
So, what can we do to be more in flow?
Here are some of the conditions that Csikszentmihalyi identified to achieve flow:
The right balance of challenge and skill
The task needs to be a little more challenging than your skill level, so an element of stretch is required. If the task is too challenging, then you are likely to become stressed and if it is too easy you may become bored or distracted.
Clarity of Goals
Being clear on what you are trying to achieve. Whether that is trying to catch a fish or write a proposal. If the goal is too large or vague, then break it down into smaller tasks where each of them have a clear outcome that contributes to achieving the overall objective.
Concentration on the task in hand
Once you are In flow state, you will automatically filter out distractions as you become more absorbed in what you are doing. But constant distractions can disrupt you getting into the flow state in the first place.
Actions that will help include:
- Blocking out time in your calendar for uninterrupted work.
- Put your devices on do not disturb and put your phone out of sight and reach.
- Set specific times during the day to check emails.
- Find a different environment to work in.
Find ways to reward yourself
Being in the flow comes most naturally when you are intrinsically motivated – meaning that you want to do the activity or task because it is satisfying in its own right.
Find something that you like doing to get started and become immersed in the task.
You might also think of ways to make the activity more fun. Can you include an element of gamification? For example – setting mini challenges as part of the task that you can reward yourself with. Or an element of competition if you are working on a team project.
Final thoughts
It’s important to recognise that it is unrealistic to expect that we will be in flow all the time. Whilst the steps above will help you get into and stay in a state of flow, it is not something that can be forced. One day you might find it easy and the next day, whatever you do, you can’t create the same feeling. This is what Csikszentmihalyi called the paradox of control – the more you try to control something, the harder it is to control.
Also, not all our work is necessarily intrinsically rewarding. That doesn’t mean that you can’t still be productive and do great work. Reducing distractions will still significantly increase your productivity.