Episode 11 of the ClassicallyTrained podcast is based on the article I wrote for FastCompany- Inspiration From Video Games To Get Into A Flow State At Work – you can read it HERE.
Video games are often cited as one of the most quickly accessed sources of flow. Achieving a state of flow is part of what makes playing video games so enjoyable.
“The state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it,”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Here are five ways that you can engage flow at work:
- Minimize Visual Distractions
If you can see it, it should relate directly to what you are doing.
- Select The Soundtrack
The ideal works are sweeping orchestral pieces that fit the bill for being both pleasing to listen to and are noninvasive.
- Enforce Time Limits
The presence of a time-tracking system also allows for better management of time resources, and can help keep a project on track. The motivation produced is as important as the evasion of procrastination.
- Create Multiple Stages
Take the concept of breaking work into segments to the next level.
- Reward Yourself for Success
Another important key to productivity is recognition. Video games are especially good at rewarding and recognizing positive behaviors and results.
I hope you find this way of thinking about how to engage flow at work, or any task you face, helpful.
