Getting into Flow

We’ve been discussing focus and flow as a team the last couple of weeks and it was interesting to hear different thoughts on this.

A couple of the team have been really struggling with keeping focussed. They’ve shared how they turn on their laptop to do some work and before they know it, they are checking out the price of a new BBQ or reading up on the flowering season of a clematis!

However, working from home, some of the team are finding that they are in flow for long periods of time as they are getting no distractions. The day has gone by, work has flown out the door like there is no tomorrow. This is what we refer to as ‘in the zone’ and it is also known as the ‘flow state’.

How to get into the flow state…

Find a quiet environment

Hilarious we hear you cry. Well yes, undoubtably hard if you are working from home – particularly with kids around in the school holidays, but not impossible. Just remember, the office environment is often full of hustle and bustle too, so it is difficult to find the right environment – but if you need to concentrate, you may just have to be a little creative to find it!

Avoid distractions

With teenagers at home, the number of times the Amazon delivery person has distracted us is ridiculous, so maybe we can’t avoid that one (unless they stop ordering things). However, we can turn off email alerts (annoying things that they are), hide our phone so social media doesn’t tempt us, empty our heads using a mind map so when other thoughts enter our head, we know we have it captured to deal with another time.

Do something that you are interested in and relatively good at

Lets be honest, when faced with a task that is as dull as dishwater, we are not going to be motivated, or if it’s something that isn’t our strength, well we may have to accept that getting into the flow state may not happen. Think about strengths in your team and moving tasks around accordingly so we are doing more of the things we like and are good at.

Make sure the task has sufficient challenge for you

Do something that is achievable but challenging. If its too easy we can become bored, disinterested, resentful even. If is too hard we can become stressed, anxious and can give up. We all want to develop but only in a way that is healthy. Being pushed out of our comfort zone into the danger zone is a step too far, aim for the learning zone.

If you would like some help finding your focus or helping the team re-energise, contact us at info@1245881.eu11.myftpupload.com and click here to find more about how Pro-Development can help you and your team develop.