In the series of posts on the main challenges for the nomadic worker, this part focusses on the challenge to get work done for which concentration is needed. The constantly lurking distractions in an always connected world (combined with our information addiction) often prevent us from getting such tasks done. According to research by Csíkszentmihályi (1990), concentrated work requires a person to be “in flow“.

What is being “In Flow”?
Flow is a mental state in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity (Csíkszentmihályi, 1990).

Why is being “In Flow” important?
Flow is needed to get work done for which deep understanding or concentration are needed.

Our research hypotheses about being “In Flow”

• The ability to create flow is a special case of effective attention management.
• People can be trained to recognize the need for flow, and to create the right conditions for it.
• Proper tools and proper work environments can help to reach and maintain a state of flow.
• Reaching and maintaining a state of flow is more difficult in an always connected world.
• Reducing the number of interruptions and distracting stimuli helps to maintain flow.

Our research questions about “In Flow”

• For what kinds of tasks is flow needed?
• How can individuals be supported in their attention management?
• How can we train people to create the right conditions for flow?
• How can tools and work environments support an individual to reach and maintain a state of flow?

References

Csíkszentmihályi, Mihály (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience’. New York: Harper and Row. ISBN 0-06-092043-2. 

Tags: in flow, productivity

This entry was posted by Robert Slagter on Sunday, September 21st, 2008 at 18:25 and is filed under EN, knowledge base, research results, team blog. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.