You are fully engaged in what you are doing, your focus becomes so sharp that it transforms you into a state of consciousness called ‘Flow’ (term coined by Hungarian psychologist Csikszentmihalyi ). He describes it as “meditation in action”. You become absorbed in the activity, engaging your creativity and interest, losing track of time, losing a sense of self, heightening both performance and satisfaction levels, elevating you to both ‘peak experience’ and ‘peak performance.’ Being in this space optimizes both productivity and joy. You must have had a peak experience sometime in your life, reading a book, playing music, fixing a software glitch or waxing your car.
“We love what we do while doing it well” is the motto of SHARP leaders. People who are highly engaged at work are happier and fulfilled. They also raise the company’s level of performance and subsequent financial gain.
- Flow is an art that can be cultivated.
1. Set a clearly defined, specific goal.
2. Identify clear set of rules while pursuing the goal.
3. Set a goal that’s not too hard nor too easy; just challenging enough to be stimulating and manageable with a 50% chance of success. “Hit that sweet spot between boredom and anxiety”.
Learning to get into flow is one determinant of absorption. We will look at the other two determinants: mindfulness and interruptions, in the upcoming bulletin. In the meantime, keep noticing when you slip into flow. Whether you are all wired in, on fire, in the groove, on a roll, or in the zone, you are in flow.