Finding your flow

In a rustic office with exposed red brick walls and vintage pallet wood paneling, Gemma stands in front of a work desk with a laptop. Have you ever felt so absorbed in an activity that time passes without you even noticing? Maybe you became really engrossed in playing a sports or you've got laser focus when you're working on a particular task, like creating new products or processes or writing articles. Perhaps there are parts of your work that you get so absorbed in. Hours pass and you don't even notice. When we talk about developing emotional intelligence, often we focus on what you need to develop to get better. How you manage your emotions and how you interact with others. There are, however, many positive aspects associated with developing emotional intelligence. And one of these is finding what we call your flow. Over a white background, the title reads flow. Below it text reads complete immersion in an activity. A small illustration depicts a bar graph. Firstly, what exactly is a flow? The best way to describe it is being in the zone. It's the practice of taking part in an activity that requires focus and distractions just fade into the background. We return to the instructor. Activities that give you that sense of flow will stretch you and there'll be activities you enjoy so much that time stands still. Working your flow should feel effortless and rewarding. A white slide appears with the title Benefits of Flow. A bullet point appears underneath. Point one, achieve peak performance. Working in a state of flow will help you to reach a level of peak performance, and it will help you to stretch yourself to achieve more. We return to the instructor. The good thing about working in a state of flow is often it won't feel like work at all, and you'll be taking part in activities that are interesting for you. The chances are you're good at your flow activities, so it makes sense to focus on what you're good at and capitalize on that. The previous slide appears again. A second bullet point reads have a positive mental experience. Emotionally working in a state of flow is a positive experience. Working in this way will also mitigate against some of the triggers you experience that hijack your performance. Point three, decrease emotional triggers. Increasing your chances of reaching your potential and achieving the most favorable outcome even in challenging situations. An illustration depicts a black woman with long flowing hair and a blue tank top and a white man with greying hair. A dress shirt, rolled up sleeves and a tie. They both sit at a desk. Stacks of books and papers fill their workspace. Think about two people who carry out the same role. One person finds their daily activities to create a sense of flow. They are challenging but enjoyable. Whereas someone else may find the exact same activities overwhelming, stressful and demotivating. A white slide appears with the sentence clarify your flow and weave it into your working life. That's why it's important to get really clear on what flow is for you as an individual and weave that into your working life, helping you to face challenges with confidence. We return to the instructor. When you're feeling confident. After working in a state of flow, that will help you to view challenges positively. Whereas if you're feeling stressed, for example, and you have a challenge to deal with on top of this, so not so likely to react in a way that will help you tackle the situation effectively and efficiently. Finding your flow and working with flow will help you build your emotional intelligence and reframe how you think about and react to challenges, getting the most out of the situation. So think about your personal or working life. What activities create a sense of flow for you? And could you add more of this to your working life?