“To be able to concentrate for a considerable time is essential to difficult achievement.” Bertrand Russell

Have your ever lost yourself in your work, so much so that you lost track of time?

Being consumed by a task like that, while it can be rare for most people, is a state of being called Flow.

Experience tells us it’s one of the keys to happiness at work, and a nice side benefit that it not only reduces stress but increases your productivity. Not bad.  To read the full article on Zen habits click here  Post Written by Leo Babauta

Today we’ll take a look at what Flow is, why it’s important, and how to achieve it on a regular basis for increased productivity and happiness at work.

What is Flow?

Put simply, it’s a state of mind you achieve when you’re fully immersed in a task, forgetting about the outside world. It’s a concept proposed by positive psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, and these days you’re likely to read about it on blogs and in all kinds of magazines.

When you’re in the state of Flow;

• Completely focused on the task at hand;
• Forget about yourself, about others, about the world around you;
• Lose track of time;
• Feel happy and in control; and
• Become creative and productive.

One thing about Flow is that it takes the very Zen concept of being completely in the moment, and applies it to work tasks. Being in the moment, focusing completely on a single task, and finding a sense of calm and happiness in your work. Flow is exactly that.

Why is Flow Important at work?

I believe the ability to single-task (as opposed to multi-task) is one of the keys to true productivity. Not the kind of productivity where you knock off 20 items from your to-do list (although that can be satisfying), where you’re switching between tasks all day long and keep busy all the time.

The true productivity I mean is the kind where you actually achieve your goals, where you accomplish important and long-lasting things. As a writer, that might mean writing one or two important and memorable articles rather than 20 or 50 unimportant ones that people will forget 5 minutes after reading them. It means getting key projects done rather than answering a bunch of emails, making a lot of phone calls, attending a bunch of meetings, and shuffling paperwork all day long. It means closing key deals. It means quality instead of quantity.

And once you’ve learned to focus on those kinds of important projects and tasks, Flow is how you get them done. You lose yourself in those important and challenging tasks, and instead of being constantly interrupted by minor things (calls, emails, IMs, coworkers, etc.), you are able to focus on the tasks long enough to actually complete them.

And by losing yourself in them, you enjoy yourself more. You reduce stress while increasing quality output. You get important stuff done instead of just getting things done. You achieve things rather than just keeping busy.