Flow Theory – The Recipe Of True Workplace Happiness

Have you ever experienced joy while performing your tasks? When we are actively engaged in our favourite tasks, we think about nothing except the task itself. The love for work leads to intrinsic motivation.

Organizational success depends on the psychological health of the workforce. Companies that have satisfied employees outperform their competitors by 20%. When employees are highly focused on their work, it ultimately boosts their performance and productivity. The moments you are completely absorbed in an activity that stimulates your happiness, you are in a joyful mental state that flows. This is where flow theory comes into play.

Let’s discuss what it is and how it can help bring workplace happiness.

Understanding Flow Theory

According to Mahily Csikszentmihalyi;

“Flow is a jovial mind state when you are deeply focused on executing challenging tasks, and it gives you a sense of fulfilment.”

Flow theory explains that people get lost in work so intensely that nothing else matters to them. It provides them with an experience that is so amusing that they continue to accomplish their assignments at every cost.

Csikszentmihalyi describes the flow state as a driver of empoyee workplace happiness. He improvised a list of key factors that helps you to achieve the flow of work. Here is the listicle of these flow components that need to be in place.

Components of Flow Theory

Csikszentmihalyi did a lot of interviews and research about what workplace happiness actually is. He wants to acknowledge how people really feel during these experiences. Many people he interviewed explained the situations in which the work flowed out of their hands without great effort.

He coined the term “flow theory” to manifest the optimal performance states. Through his comprehensive research, he concludes that people are happy when they are in a state of flow. The factors he aggregates are discussed below.

• You must have clarity of goals and deep concentration on the tasks.
• Maintain an adequate balance between your personal skills and challenging activities.
• Have control over the activity.
• A feeling of intrinsic fulfilment and motivation
• Avoid distractions and thoughts of failure.
• Inputs are rewarded by immediate feedback.
• Highly focused on something that transforms the sense of time.
• Integrate the action with awareness and consciousness.

Who can Experience Flow?

Flow is accessible to all. But people with creative personalities tend to cultivate flow more intensely than others. Such individuals are more involved in what they do and are highly focused. They mostly perform tasks for their own sake and don't chase an external goal. So, some people are better at experiencing the flow state than others. Some personality traits decide who can do it productively. According to research, happy employees are 12% more productive than others.

People who are persistent, energized, fully involved, seldom anxious, self-motivated, and never bored tend to be in flow while performing their assignments.

Importance of Flow Theory

You love your work when you're in a state of flow. It boosts creativity and encourages learning and development. Do you ever notice that happy employees are more engaged in their tasks? Employee satisfaction and engagement is the key to better performance levels in the workplace.

Flow is related to employee engagement and happiness. A mindful state of flow induces a sense of contentment that is long-lasting. Thus, an organization that promotes flow in its workplace is more successful in achieving its targets.

Achieve Workplace Happiness Flow Theory

There are many ways to achieve true workplace happiness by experiencing flow. As a newbie, it might be quite challenging to be in the zone while working. But if you follow some tips, you can ultimately attain what you are looking for. After all, your ultimate goal is happiness. Right? So, let's have a look at some strategies to enter this state.

Set Clear and Specific Goals

Clarity of goals is pretty significant to be in a state of flow. When you are doing an assignment that has a vivid target, you are more engaged in your tasks and execute them fully. This sense of achievement is a spark to true happiness and job fulfilment. Employees who are intrinsically motivated are 32% more committed to the work.

Avoid Distractions

To become highly focused on your work, you need to eliminate everything that distracts you from your goal. You must clear away things in your surroundings competing for your attention. For instance, you can turn off your phone, wear headphones to avoid noise, and more. Also, you need to have control over your emotions and escape futile thoughts while working to be in the zone.

Choose Something that is Challenging

An element of challenge is quite helpful to test your skills and learn from new experiences. You should choose a challenging task that best suits your abilities. It keeps you more involved in your tasks. Therefore, try to choose an activity that requires your complete concentration. It helps you achieve a flow state and, ultimately, happiness while doing it.

Love the Pursuit you Choose

Suppose you don't like sports. Do you enjoy your game while doing it? Of course, not. Try to choose something that suits your taste and preferences. Do tasks you are passionate about. It is because when you devote your time to something that you enjoy, you cherish every moment while performing your activity. It leads you to get lost in the flow state.

Find your Peak Time

The peak time varies from person to person. It is the time when you are fully energized and highly attentive to execute your tasks in flow. Some people love to work in quiet mornings before the everyday hustle. Others are fully focused on serene nights. So, try to find your peak time and then pour out your energy and concentration to appreciate your work.

Wrapping Up 

In short, when you achieve a state of flow, you find your activities more engaging and joyful. It not only makes you perform better but also motivates you to learn more skills. If you want to connect with your dream job that best suits your skills, connect with TASC.

We are Middle East’s most trusted staffing and HR solution specialists that creates opportunities and impacts lives of many.

We provide varied range of services including recruitment (Contract & Perm), tech-hiring, corporate services and even outsourcing last mile delivery operations. We ensure your business is compliant and your employees are in their flow to yield better results for your business.