“Don’t disturb me, I am in the flow” is a common expression that originates from psychological science. It refers to the enjoyable sensation of being fully immersed in a task, losing track of time while maintaining a sense of control. This state of ‘flow,’ as defined by psychologist Csikzentmihalyi, is more likely to occur when the goal is clear, the task is challenging yet manageable, and there is prompt feedback on performance.
To increase experience or frequency of ‘flows’ in professional life, break down large, unstructured projects into smaller tasks that are well defined and have a clear goal, and that you can carry out without help or supervision.
- Think about the times you got completely immersed in a task and lost track of time.
- Which tasks did you do when you were in that state of flow?
- Try and replicate conditions as much as possible to increase chances of experiencing that flow more often.
- Tip: Set a timer while working on those activities so that you can completely lose track of time.
