Finding Flow at Work

Can balancing creativity and productivity lead to a happier work life?

I love to sit and watch the river in front of our cabin, slowly flowing past. Time slows as I take in my special view. There is something magical about watching a river flow gently along with the occasional jumping fish and swooping bird.

Sunset over the Apple River. Photo by Victoria G. Christensen

By day I am a research hydrologist, a scientist who studies how water flows or moves across the landscape. But today I am talking about a different kind of flow, a mental state where you are fully immersed in what you are doing.

A lot of people find flow in leisure activities: dancing, creating music, gardening, running, solving puzzles. These activities require focused attention, allowing complete engagement and perfect balance between skill level and challenge.

I recently listened to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book, Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. The book conveys the idea that the more time you spend in a flow state, the happier you will be.

Finding a flowy activity—playing the piano, rock climbing, break dancing—to do in your leisure hours is a good way to relieve the stress of the day. But maybe we should think about the ways we are in flow during the workday and increase the amount of time we are in flow. We might all be happier.

Finding Flow made me think about what I get out of work (besides a paycheck). It also made me think about times during the workday I find flow and how I can be in flow more often.

Personally, I find flow in writing. I even love re-writing and editing. When I am writing or editing, I can lose myself and thoroughly enjoy the experience. It’s something about the rhythm of my fingers typing, the thoughts flowing from my head to the screen, and the challenge of saying something in a unique and different way.

Csikszentmihalyi states that in order for people to be in flow they must be both productive and creative. When I am writing, I am both. Just like a mountain climber is achieving something grand and creatively managing the different rocks and ledges, I am using my brain to (creatively) write about science and getting something done (productivity).

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CREATIVITY

Creativity and flow fascinate some scientists and artists—and those of us lucky to be both—as these intertwined concepts can impact our well-being and happiness. This is because when in a flow state, we’re more likely to tap into our creative potential. This can be symbiotic and synergistic, amplifying the benefits of both the creative and flowy experience. The heightened focus, enjoyment, and lack of self-consciousness during the flow state help us break away from rigid thought patterns. An openness to new perspectives and novel connections opens the door for more creative thinking and problem-solving—a good thing for both scientists and artists.

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PRODUCTIVITY

Productivity also plays a role in achieving flow. When we are productive, we make efficient progress towards our goals, eliminating distractions and feelings of pressure or stress. These are the ideal conditions for flow to occur, enhancing our creativity, motivation, and overall sense of fulfillment. Planning, prioritizing, removing distractions, breaking tasks into manageable chunks, and using a technique like the Pomodoro method, help us think deeply. These undisturbed periods allow us to fully engage in a task. Productivity increases as does likelihood of flow.

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Csikszentmihalyi notes that flow is somewhat of an individual thing. But interruptions that disturb flow are not only due to other people. We also interrupt our own processes by skipping over to check email or picking up our phones to see if there’s a text.

I think teams can find flow as well as individuals. I find flow working with a team on field activities like collecting water samples or doing an experiment. These activities usually take place at remote lake or reservoir, far from day-to-day distractions. When the team gets into the groove and everyone knows their role and things are going well, I feel this flowy state happening on a team level.

I believe that people that find flowy experiences in their work are bound to be happier people. And if there is no flow at work, a person can always try and find that flow in leisure. And although sitting on my deck takes no skill or challenge like typical flowy activities, I’ll be thinking creatively about flow (or my next post or story) as I view the sunset over the river.