Finding Flow

Most of us have a natural flow and rhythm to the way we work best. Often, it's easy to drift away from that pattern into a way of working that is dictated by temporary circumstances and becomes habit, or we just get so busy that we stop consciously paying attention to how we shape our day.

Photo by Ulisse Albiati

What, When

Under what conditions do you work best at what kinds of tasks? Think about how you work most effectively on a) creative projects, b) projects involving people interaction, and c) projects that require intense attention to detail. Plan your days accordingly whenever possible.

If you are not sure, experiment for a while and notice whether there's any correlation between the type of task and how easily you are working. Pay attention also to the circumstances around you: time of day, setting, sounds, how often you take breaks, how often you eat and so on.

My Flow: An Example

For me, I know that I do my best creative work in the mid-morning and the late afternoon, with occasional intense bursts of inspiration that happen once in a while late at night. I tend to be kind of hazy for the first three hours I'm awake, and a bit restless in the late morning and early afternoon.

I also know that it's important for me to take short breaks to stretch at least every hour, and a 10-30 minutes break every couple of hours. If I'm having trouble concentrating or feeling stressed, choosing calming or energizing music to play in the background helps.

I work best if I get outside at least once a day, if I chat with someone I like during the course of a workday, and if I get to do at least one creative project such as writing and help at least one person with a problem.

Meshing Flow with External Structure

Based on my own natural flow, when I have work to do that I can choose the timing for, I plan to do routine easy tasks in the morning and creative or challenging work in the mid-morning or early afternoon. I spend time before and after lunch organizing things, doing chores around the house if I'm home, processing email and so on. I try to make sure I get outside a bit around lunchtime as it helps me concentrate a lot better. And so on.

Of course, in most jobs or other life circumstances, we can't control every aspect of our work style all the time. In some highly structured settings very little of it can be changed to suit us. In this case, it becomes a matter of being flexible, creatively working within the existing structures, negotiating changes to them, or in some cases changing work environments.

Most of the time, though, even small incremental changes to make a work environment closer to your ideal flow can make you hugely more productive. And if you're lucky enough to have a lot of control over when and how you work, it's important to take full advantage of that and consciously design your work structures around your natural flow.

Ebbing and Changing

Now that I'm a new mom doing full-time infant care for these first month of my baby's life instead of working in the corporate world or focusing primarily on my own business, I'm having to learn how I flow best in this new type of life... as well as how my son's rhythm looks (though that changes rapidly).

As I pick up work again and take on new coaching clients once more this fall, I'll have to learn myself anew yet again. This kind of introspection into what works best is an ongoing process as life evolves, and every one must find unique, ever-changing answers for themselves.

Knowing, Remembering and Doing

It's important not just to become self-aware about how you work best, but to remain mindful of that awareness, notice if your ideal work style changes, and actually put what you know about yourself into practice. Check in with yourself periodically to see whether you are optimizing how you work, especially during and just after a particularly busy or stressful time.

What does your optimal workflow look like? How do you stay mindful of it and how do you implement it into your life?

Comments

[Inanna]

Thank you for another make-me-think article.

[Ishan]

My workflow is not very optimized and not regular at all{I am trying to optimize a bit these days, however!}
I usually get my creative burst at unusual times when I am not supposed to do but I somewhat enjoy the process. I mean, it's a bit surprising as well as strange to wake with first thing in your mind being a new post idea!