![]() It should be clear to your staff why they’re doing the work they’re doing. Flow state can exist when there is clarity of purpose. There are a few conditions that need to be met for your engineers to get into flow state in their work:ġ. But we should, however, create an environment where flow state can exist. How to help your engineers reach flow stateĭoes that mean a manager owes their employees flow state? Sort of.Īs managers, we can’t actually create flow state, that’s up to the individual. This goes back to the concern I hear around the passion argument: How do folks stick with it when it gets tough? In flow state, obstacles that would have otherwise caused anxiety and burden are perceived differently, and people have more resolve to push through a task. They experience a loss of a sense of self they aren't doing something for external validation, they’re doing it for the simple pleasure of being challenged and fully engaged.Īnother wonderful benefit of flow state is that frustration tolerance goes up. First, you may notice that this is the time any individual can do their best work. It’s clear that being in flow state is beneficial for our mental state, especially at work. Their capabilities grew in response to the task. These London cab drivers didn’t have a passion for driving, or particular passion for roads and spatial awareness. ![]() Brain change, once thought impossible, is now a well-known fact, one that is supported by some of the most rigorous and cutting-edge research in neuroscience’. ‘Who cares? While a larger hippocampus may not seem exciting to you, it forced scientists to confront the ‘myth’ of neuroplasticity, that brain change is possible depending on how you live your life… The answer is obvious and inescapable. ![]() In his book The Happiness Advantage, Shawn Achor refers to a study that showed that London cab drivers had larger hippocampi (the part of the brain that’s devoted to spatial memory) due to the complexity of London’s streets: Your brain can literally grow and adapt with challenges. There is no fixed state or prerequisite when it comes to mastery. In his book Flow, after discussing urban factory laborers who reach flow state both at work and at home, Csíkszentmihályi asserts: ‘In theory, any job can be changed so as to make it more enjoyable by following the prescriptions of the flow model.’ Indeed, Csíkszentmihályi encourages people to try to find flow in as many parts of their life as possible to strive to become a complex individual. It needn’t be something you were destined or designed for at a young age, or something linked to your identity. Perhaps surprisingly, you can reach flow state with any activity. You don’t feel self-conscious, and your sense of self emerges stronger.Your sense of time is altered time passes quickly or it is slowed in a good way.You’re singularly focused instead of focused on many things and distracted You’re absorbed, and it feels effortless.You receive immediate feedback on your progress.You can concentrate for an extended period of time.There are some characteristics of flow state: ![]() ![]() Many people report it is the happiest feeling in their lives. A person in flow state is no longer thinking of multiple things, or even their sense of self, but is singularly focused on a task or challenge. I’m going to unpack this today, outlining the characteristics and benefits of flow state, explaining why it is the manager’s responsibility to create an environment where flow is possible, and sharing some advice for how to do this, so that your people can do their best work, no matter their passion.Ĭoined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975 in his book Flow, flow state is the phenomenon in which a person is fully immersed in an activity that leads to focus, energized involvement, and enjoyment. Passion is not a requirement for flow state: Engineers can find flow in their work no matter their motivation, passion or otherwise. People don’t necessarily mean harm, but they are curious: How can someone who hasn’t designed their whole identity around programming keep working when challenged? The answer is that they are working in a flow state – the state of consciousness where individuals do their best work. At worst, this can be used as a form of gatekeeping, at a time when programmers are needed and salaries are high. Unfortunately, focusing on passion can create and permeate some toxic ideals: That your career must be your life that you can’t be a programmer for a paycheck and do good work and that the career itself is only meant for a few, select people. ![]()
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