Finding Flow At Work: 20 Tips To Overcoming Overwhelm & Eliminating Boredom

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed or, the reverse, bored at work? Do you find that time goes slower when this happens and that everything becomes a struggle?

We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t feel like this from time to time. But, while a bit of stress can be a motivator, ongoing overwhelm or boredom can rob us of the feeling that we’re living and working towards our full potential.

As a young graduate I remember feeling like that.  So I created some simple techniques to move myself closer to having great experiences at work, more often, and being all the more fulfilled for it.

One of the most valuable books I’ve ever read is ‘Finding Flow’ by Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In this book, the Professor reveals his research on what he believes makes people happy. He uncovers the characteristics of ‘peak experiences’ – those times when we feel most energised, fulfilled and alive.

What ‘finding flow’ feels like

According to the Professor, the characteristics of ‘peak’ or ‘flow’ experiences are:

■ an intense and focused concentration on the present moment
■ a merging of action and awareness
■ a loss of reflective self-consciousness
■ a sense of personal control or agency over the situation or activity
■ a distortion of temporal experience – in other words one’s subjective experience of time is altered
■ an experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding

Have you experienced some or all of these feelings? If you have, that’s flow!

Perhaps it was a time where you were playing sport, where you were fully engaged, such that the match seemingly passed by in minutes? Or perhaps at work when your entire team was engaged, and your colleague noticed that you were ‘blazing through the work!’.  Flow is what dancers, musicians, martial artists and great leaders are able to find on a consistent basis.

How to find flow by avoiding the red zones

We have the best chance of finding flow and living to our fullest when….

1. Goals are clear
2. Feedback is immediate
3. There is a balance between challenge (the opportunity or task in front of you) and your skills (capacity to complete the task).

As you can guess, when the challenge is too high for our skill level for a prolonged period, we feel overwhelmed.  And on the flip-side, when our skill and talent far exceeds the task, that’s when we’ll grow easily bored.

So the key to having incredible experiences is to pursue tasks that are challenging, and a stretch (but within ‘possibility’), for your current skill base.

20 tips to finding flow in your career

The key to feeling energised in your career and fulfilling your life purpose is to recognise when you’re out of the flow channel and take massive action to put yourself back into flow.

Here are 20 techniques (10 to crush overwhelm, and 10 to eliminate boredom) to return to flow and an energetic state where you can reach your full potential.

Crush overwhelm

We feel overwhelmed when there’s too much on our plate.  At these times, we feel like we can’t get through it, that there’s way too much on our shoulders.  When this happens….

1. Set clear goals: Gaining clarity about what you’re there to do has an amazing way of ‘sharpening the saw’.  When you have clarity on your goals, you can evaluate everything you’re up to, and start removing any actions or tasks which do not support your ultimate purpose. A useful goal setting framework is HARD and SMART goals.
2. Set pace: When we’re overwhelmed, it can feel like everything’s moving too fast and we’re caught in a whirlwind.  Take a deep breath, slow things down, and put yourself into a more resourceful state to assess what is essential to get done.
3. Prioritise: Take a look at what you could drop, what can wait, and what could be produced to a good outcome with less effort.
4. Delegate: Asking another member of your team (or a completely different team) to help you with a task is a great way to get support and also build relationships with other people.
5. Seek coaching from a peer or your manager: Why are we sometimes too bashful or proud to ask for advice?  Asking other people for their guidance is how I’ve developed great relationships with some incredible mentors. I regularly ask for coaching to get better clarity on how I can be more effective, and I believe this has saved me a lot of heartache and headache over the years. If you’re interesting in seeking guidance, consider the role of a mentor, advisor or coach in your activities.
6. Remove the non-essential from your calendar: Stuck in meetings too often to get anything done?  Try going through your calendar and clearing out the non-essential. Of every meeting ask: will I add value to this meeting, is the objective clear to me, is the time allocated the minimum that is needed to reach the objective.
7. Do something completely different or get away: Often we get so deep in a problem we can’t see its solution.  When I feel overwhelmed like this, I get up, go for a walk and get some fresh air.  Whatever it is that you do, just doing something different can freshen your perspective so you’re ready to tackle the problem in new ways.
8. Get the big picture, or get into the detail: If you’re in the detail of an initiative, and you find there is too much complexity, take it up a level and seek out the bigger picture.  By contrast, if you only have the big picture, and feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, then get into the detail and start there.  This process (also called ‘chunking up’ and ‘chunking down’) has been a secret of high performers through the ages.
9. When else have you been in a similar situation and won?: In the heat of the moment, we can forget our prior successes. Consider if you’ve been in a similar situation previously, and think about what resources you used in the past.
10. Interview a customer (or 10!): I’ve always found customers to be a great source of inspiration.  Having a conversation with a customer (and understanding what we can improve for them through our work) is a great way to connect with one’s purpose at work and get inspired.

Eliminating boredom

We all know the feeling.  You’re at your desk and watching the clock and time is ticking by way too slowly.  When you feel like this you need some inspiration to recharge your batteries, so give this a try….

1. Take on something new: They say a change is as good as a holiday, so give something new a go to add variety to your day.
2. Read that book you’ve been waiting to read: There’s always one book I’ve been planning to read but have never had the time for.  The writing of others literally opens up new doors for action, and reading something new is the perfect way to remove boredom.
3. Revisit your career goals: Consider your career goals and ask the question ‘what else could I do this week which will take me closer to them?’
4. Setup a new experiment: I find a experiments a perfect way to regain energy and inspiration.  To find out more, check this guide.
5. Share what you’ve learnt with others: Often we forget the many lessons we’ve learnt over the last week, month or year. Pick one thing you’ve learnt and share it with a colleague, and ask them to do the same.  This simple act will give you both inspiration.
6. Ask someone how you’ve helped them: We don’t always realise the positive affect we’ve had on others. By asking a peer or a friend if they could share with us one way we’ve helped them, it reminds us of the positive impact we have every day.
7. Book a regular ‘high velocity’ meeting: Regular team meetings where everyone is focused toward a common goal create fantastic momentum.
8. Take on something that stretches you: If you’re feeling bored, chances are you need to stretch yourself more.  The best way to do this is to pick something that will stretch you in new ways and reflects your larger ambitions.
9. Mentor a high performer: Mentoring is one of the most rewarding ways to contribute to others. Whenever I mentor someone, I am never bored and am always reminded of the value of being generous with knowledge.
10. Reserve 15 mins to do something you love: Often when we’re bored we feel flat and lethargic.  It can be impossible to restore energy from this state,  So, try spending 15 mins on something you love (whether it’s reading a book, watching part of a TV series, or calling a friend).  This simple action of connecting with something you’re passionate about will restore your enthusiasm, so when you return to your task, you’ll be alert and awake.

Question:

What other techniques do you use to find flow and manage overwhelm and eliminate boredom? You can leave a comment by clicking here.