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Flow
Sustaining Focus at Work in the Age of Distraction

Matthew Dubin

The ability to focus attention on a single endeavor at work is becoming a more elusive experience as individuals grapple with the effects of a digitally-driven society. Digital devices have become a ubiquitous feature of the modern workplace, with 96% of US workers having access to a computer, smartphone, or tablet (Harter, Agrawal, & Sorenson, 2014). Having consistent access to smartphones has also blurred the traditional separation between work and one's personal life, since individuals are now able to perform work-related tasks from any location at any time (Kossek & Lautsch, 2012; Kreiner et al., 2009; Major & Germano, 2006, as cited in Derks et al., 2015).

This rise of digital technology has had a profound impact on people's ability to focus their attention. The human attention span has decreased to eight seconds according to a study by Microsoft Corporation of 2,000 Canadians over 18 years of age (as cited in Borreli, 2015), which is four seconds less than the 12-second attention span found in the year 2000. Additionally, open-office workspaces, where individuals work with no physical barriers from their coworkers and there are very few closed-off offices, have increased the possibility of distraction throughout the day, where individuals can easily interrupt each other's focus due to enhanced accessibility.

The inability to focus one's attention is in direct contrast to the experience of flow; the subjective optimal experience of being completely immersed in an activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1990). With the average US working adult now working 47 hours per week (according to Gallup, as cited in Saad, 2014), there is ample opportunity for individuals to experience flow at work. However, Gallup reports that only 32.5% of Americans are engaged at work, which they define as those "who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace" (Gallup, 2017). Although flow and Gallup's operationalization of employee engagement are not the same, they share the overlapping element of involvement with work, and Csikszentmihalyi (2003) has suggested that experiencing flow on the job is an essential element of employee engagement. This intervention is designed to provide individuals and teams with the knowledge, resources, strategies, and support to experience flow consistently both individually and collectively, and ultimately lead more fulfilling, focused, and satisfying work lives. Through a combination of discovery, assessments, workshops, and coaching, this intervention will provide participants with a comprehensive framework to experience flow more consistently as an individual and create a more flow-conducive culture for their team members.

The Theory of Flow

Csikszentmihalyi (1975) first thought of the preliminary flow concept when observing artists (mainly painters) work. He noticed that when these artists were absorbed in their work, they no longer seemed to require survival necessities such as sleep or food; they were completely and totally engrossed in the task at hand. Interestingly, Csikszentmihalyi noticed that when the painting was complete, the project no longer seemed to be of interest and they merely moved on to the next project. In subsequent research, Csikszentmihalyi observed individuals engaged in tasks in other domains, such as dancers, rock climbers, and surgeons. He noticed that, regardless of domain, they all seemed to have similar optimal experiences of complete involvement in what they were doing. They all seemed to engage in the activity for its own sake, what Csikszentmihalyi calls an autotelic experience (auto means self; telos means goal; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Csikszentmihalyi (1990) conceptualized flow to be an authentically enjoyable experience; one that increases an individual's complexity and strengthens the self, transcending activities solely focused on providing pleasure or done only for financial benefit. Any activity, such as work, listening to music, having a conversation with someone, or thinking, can provide a flow experience if it contains a certain set of parameters and characteristics, which are as follows.

The Balance Between Perceived Skill and Challenge

When one is in flow, her skills matches the opportunity for action (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Moneta & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Nakamura & Dubin, 2015). If one's level of skill exceeds the opportunity for action, boredom will be the likely result. However, if the challenge exceeds one's capacity for action, this will likely lead to anxiety. For example, if an individual who has no experience in public speaking is asked to give a presentation in front of the entire company without rehearsing beforehand, this will likely be an intensely anxiety-provoking experience.

When an individual engages in a flow task, her skills will inevitably increase, which will lead them to seek increasingly complex challenges to maintain the flow experience in that given activity. For example, if public speaking became a flow activity for the individual in the example above, they may pursue more complex challenges such as speaking in front of larger audiences or speaking on a more diverse set of topics without the aid of PowerPoint slides.

Clear Goals and Immediate Feedback

In flow, there is most likely a well-defined goal accompanied by immediate feedback, which informs individuals of their progress in pursuit of that goal (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Nakamura & Dubin, 2015). When feedback is instant, flow is more likely to occur since they are more likely to stay engaged in the task without external thoughts flooding the mind (Linsner, 2009).

The nature of goals and feedback can vary widely. While some short-term goals take days or weeks, goals can often take months or years to accomplish. This does not necessarily inhibit the flow experience. On the contrary, a clear long-term goal can provide an avenue for one to experience flow on an enduring basis.

Concentration

A hallmark of flow is complete concentration in the flow activity; intense absorption and involvement in the task at hand. In Csikszentmihalyi's (1975, 1990) research he discovered that when individuals experience flow, they forget about potential negative thoughts and distractions and are able to invest all of their psychic attention in the flow task. This sense of intense concentration ideally eliminates the psychic entropy one often feels when unable to devote their attention to external stimuli (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988). While concentrating fully on any external stimuli can temporarily reduce psychic entropy, what differentiates the flow task from other activities is that it builds complexity and ultimately strengthens and completes the self (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).

The Merging of Action and Awareness

When one is in flow, there is a merging of action and awareness. All of one's attention is given to the activity, and actions feel automatic. Even when the task requires considerable mental or physical effort, during flow it feels effortless, as if the individual is part of the activity (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002).

Loss of Self-Consciousness

With deep concentration and the merging of action and awareness, one's attention is fully invested in the task. As a result of this, one no longer gives attention to the self, and instead individuals often report feeling unified with the environment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). A considerable amount of psychic energy is given to the self in daily life, whether one is protecting the self from social and environmental threats or worrying about how one is coming across to other people. When the other flow parameters are met and one can completely invest attention in the task, any threat, worry, or concern comes directly from the activity itself, for that is all that matters in the moment (Csikszentmihalyi, 1985).

Sense of Control

When in the midst of a flow experience, individuals feel a sense of control over their actions and can instinctively react to what comes next during the task (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). This sense of control is not necessarily the same as actual control. Nevertheless, the individual perceives that they are in control throughout the flow activity and does not fear losing control like individuals often do in daily life (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Although control is perceived, one's sense of actual control over a flow activity grows considerably as they builds their skills.

Losing Track of Time

In most cases, according to Csikszentmihalyi's (1975, 1990) research, time seems to move much faster than usual, with hours passing in what feels like minutes. The activity itself has its own rhythm and mechanisms to convey progress that usually does not conform to a specific time sequence. For example, when a doctor experiences flow while performing a surgery, they have a clear goal, mechanisms for feedback, and feel total involvement in the task. With these flow parameters in place, it is likely she will lose track of time during the surgery and will know when the surgery is complete without the assistance of a clock.

Intrinsic Motivation

While the above components are key aspects of the flow experience, a vital condition for individuals to experience flow in any capacity is that they are intrinsically motivated to pursue the flow activity (Abuhamdeh & Csikszentmihalyi, 2009; Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi...