All the planners, including me, were attending a 2-day training in Chicago last week when the subject of “flow” came up. Apparently psychologists have found that people tend to be happiest when at work, and the reason for their happiness was that the activities performed at work tend to have flow; a sense of connection and vitality. The researchers measured four different components to determine flow:
- Is the activity routine (regularly scheduled but not necessarily daily or weekly)?
- Is it social (interaction with others; some like you, some not)?
- Is it measureable (some way to measure progress, achievement, success)?
- Is it challenging (like learning something new, accomplishing goals, competing)?
The researchers found that people who regularly perform activities in which they can answer “yes” to all of the questions tended to report being happiest. Work tends to involve similar, repeated activities (routine), interaction with co-workers (social), tasks are completed and performance is measured (measureable) and most people in the survey found their work to be challenging as well.
I believe this same concept can easily be applied in the lives of the people that we touch through our work at TWC. Even if you do not work, these four questions can be used to evaluate the activities you perform. Think about the activities you perform and rate them in each area with a yes, no, or maybe. Do your activities meet the ingredients for flow? If yes, congratulations! If not, think about what you might be able to do to eliminate activities that provide little flow, add ones that do, and consider how you might adjust some activities, or your thinking about them, to provide more flow.
In the class, they used the example of a recently retired executive and his wife. The husband was having a hard time adjusting to retirement and when they asked him to describe his day, he said he walked the dog, played golf, went out for dinner, and spent a lot of time reading. Dog walking was routine but not really social, it was measureable (especially the change to his waistline if he didn’t do it), but it certainly wasn’t challenging. Golf was routine, it was social although he generally golfed with other retired executives like himself, it was measureable, and it was challenging. Dinners out with his wife varied days and places so were not routine, they usually went out by themselves so it wasn’t social, it isn’t measureable, and it wasn’t challenging. Reading was routine, not social, was measureable, and wasn’t really challenging.
In contrast, his wife’s activities were playing tennis in a league, taking cooking classes, taking classes at Home Depot and eating out. Tennis was routine, it was social; the league was competitive so it was measureable, and challenging, too. The cooking classes, and the Home Depot classes, were held on regular dates, were social, challenging, and were somewhat measureable (Did the recipe turn out OK? Is the home improvement project something you would show to friends?).
After reviewing their activities, the husband decided to take some classes with his wife and they began eating out on a regular schedule, and invited others to join them on occasion.
This section of our class really resonated with me. This seems to me to be a really simple and easy tool to help you evaluate activities and consider whether they drag your down or lift you up; bringing you a sense of joy and accomplishment . In studying your own activities, try to incorporate each of the four areas of flow and consider keeping a flow calendar until it becomes a routine part of your life. And keep in mind one of the key tips regarding flow; appreciate improvement–perfection may lead to frustration.