The Art of Monotasking: Is It Possible to Achieve Flow in the Workplace?

In June 2022, fresh out of college, I embarked on a new chapter as the Communications Specialist at a K-12 school. My role involves many responsibilities, including website and social media management, promoting fundraisers, graphic design, photography, and overseeing overall school communications. Initially, I had it easy – the quiet summer months felt serene, with only the hum of lawn mowers breaking the silence. I hadn’t yet grasped the whirlwind to come.

The first day of the school year was one I will remember. Nervous excitement buzzed through campus as students and teachers returned to school. With new faces came new responsibilities. I went from handling one or two tasks to juggling multiple projects simultaneously. My brain spun faster than an Olympic figure skater, like a tsunami of information crashing into my office. In an instant, I shifted from monotasking to multitasking.

I am currently reading Johann Hari’s novel Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention – and How to Think Deeply Again. Throughout his research, Hari discusses the fascinating findings of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Mihaly introduces the concept of a “flow,” a state of deep absorption where you lose all sense of self. To achieve flow, you must set a defined, meaningful goal that can only be achieved through monotasking. Our focus is easily stolen by external stimuli that eradicate this tranquil feeling. In a society that is described as the “Great Acceleration” by British writer Robert Colville, reaching flow feels increasingly elusive. We want instant results and crave surface-level answers, leaving little room for deep conversation and thought.

This raises the question: Is it possible to achieve flow in a professional setting? Have I reached this “flow state” in my workplace? The honest answer: I’m still working on it. Hari suggests that even though the path to flow is multilayered and takes time, we can start by controlling what is within our reach on a personal level. Can I control when teachers ask me to create a last-minute flyer? No. Can I control when a colleague assigns me a large project when I have other assignments to complete? No. But I can limit distractions, reducing what MIT Professor Earl Miller describes as the “switch cost effect.” Humans have limited cognitive capacity – we can only absorb so much information. By putting away my phone and silencing notifications, I can carve out mental space to deeply focus in my work setting.

I have learned that achieving flow is a continuous, long journey with highs and lows. Reaching flow is about focusing on what we can control, embracing monotasking by prioritizing projects and tackling each task one at a time. For me, finding this “flow state” is an ongoing undertaking, but each step I take to diminish distractions is progress in the right direction.