The Elusive State of Flow

I’m a sucker for online quizzes. Whether it’s one designed to determine my would-be porn-star name or just score my memory of 80s trivia, I find them completely irresistible.

Recently, I came across a quiz that measures Creative Flow. Defined as “the optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best,” I was fully confident that I would ace this. After all, I’m in a creative environment every day. I manage creative teams. I solve creative problems.

My result? Only 71%! How could that be?

Then I looked at my calendar. It showed that I’ve got four measly 15 minute wedges of “me-time” on my calendar today. And the meetings that occupy the rest will likely demand some level of multitasking. In short, I really haven’t set myself up for flow.

So I find myself wondering: When was the last time I felt even close to being in the flow?

A couple of weeks ago, I took my lunch break outside. It’s not really a break, mind you. More the time when I juggle food with one hand and my email in-box with the other. Working through the seemingly endless list of unread emails, I discovered that my 1pm meeting cancelled. So I stayed put.

I felt like I was scamming the system somehow. Rather than being inside, chasing down conference rooms, or having hallway conversations with peers and partners, I was outside enjoying the soft breezes and warmth of the Southern California sun. (Gasp!)

But I have to say, I got more done in that hour than I feel like I had accomplished all week. I felt connected — accessible via SameTime and just steps from my building, allowing me to rejoin the hustle at a minute’s notice. And I also felt productive — getting work that would have taken me hours of fragmented thinking completed in just minutes. It was absolute bliss. I’m feeling it again just thinking about it.

I’ll be adding a few more items to my calendar moving forward. At least once a week, I’m scheduling a meeting called “Creative Flow”. Inviting only myself. No conference room reservation required. I may not get that Creative Flow score up, but bliss is definitely back on my list of to-dos.

#creative #creativeflow #managingtime #balance #bliss