The Workplace Chameleon with Dr. Celina
This podcast is about the changing organization and our relationship to it -- how we enter, thrive and exit. Each episode is meant to be thoughtful, funny, and applicable. Stories, insight, and "words to say" come from Dr. Celina's experience with over two and a half decades of listening, learning from and leading conversations in hundreds of companies. Each episode will explore a new theme about life arriving in, interacting with and leaving the workplace.
The Workplace Chameleon with Dr. Celina
Episode 93: Flow On Demand
Flow is one of the best feelings at work — that magic zone where you’re so focused and immersed that time disappears, distractions fade, and the work feels almost effortless. But too often, we treat flow like a lucky accident instead of something we can actually design. In this episode of The Workplace Chameleon, Dr. Celina Peerman explores how leaders and teams can set up the conditions to enter flow more often, on demand. She breaks down what flow really feels like, why the modern workplace often makes it so rare, and how to invite it in by matching the right work to the right moment, setting clear goals, reducing distractions, and protecting time for deep focus. With practical strategies and examples, Dr. Celina shows how leaders can model and safeguard flow for their teams, creating an environment where high-quality work happens with less stress and more engagement. This week’s challenge: protect one uninterrupted block of time and see what happens when you give your brain the conditions it needs to do its best work.
For more leadership tools and resources, visit www.drcelinapeerman.com
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Welcome back to the Workplace Chameleon. This is where we explore how to adapt, align and lead with intention, especially during times of change. I'm Dr Selina and today I think we're talking about one of the best feelings, and while we're focused at work, it happens in different parts of our life. We're going to talk about flow F-L-O-W. I hope that you have felt it. I hope that you just in it. But here's the catch Most of us treat flow like a lucky accident let's call it that Like it only shows up once in a while, maybe when the stars align and the emails stop for like five minutes. We treat it as a gift instead of a skill. In this episode, I want to share some ideas with you for us to flip that.
Speaker 1:Flow is not random. You can actually design for it. You can create the conditions so it is more likely to happen more often, not just once in a blue moon, but almost on demand. Think about a time when you were completely absorbed in something in flow. Maybe it was solving a tough problem at work where the solution just clicked. You were writing something that you were genuinely excited about. You were building something with your hands, a project, a puzzle. In my family that's even a piece of furniture, or having a conversation where the ideas flowed so fast you didn't even notice the clock. That's flow In flow, distractions fade away.
Speaker 1:You're not thinking about the next meeting, you're not worrying about the inbox, you're not distracted by your phone phone. You're here, present, and the work feels good. And from a leadership perspective, flow isn't just a personal win, it's a performance advantage. Research shows that when people are in flow, they produce higher quality work in less time. I think that sounds fantastic and they do it with okay. This also sounds fantastic. Mental fatigue it's like turbo boost for productivity and satisfaction. So my work is better, my brain is less tired and I get more done, and it's better.
Speaker 1:When is the last time you lost track of time because you were so absorbed in your work? Absorbed in your work. Consider what you were doing. Now there are lots of experts out there who have identified this, maybe in your strengths that when you do something in your strength area, this is most likely to happen. I agree it doesn't happen more often because we're trying to get the stuff done, we need to get done or we've been asked to do that. Maybe isn't our favorite space to be, but if flow is so powerful. Could we figure out how to live there just a little more often? Could we figure out how to live there just a little more often? I am concerned.
Speaker 1:The modern workplace is not built for it. We have created cultures of interruption open calendars where anyone can drop in a meeting, instant messages that ping us potentially all day long, phones lighting up email notifications, a culture that celebrates multitasking, even though multitasking doesn't actually exist. Remember, I've covered that in a previous episode. It's really just task switching. Flow requires focus and focus requires space, and in most organizations, space is the first thing to get filled.
Speaker 1:I also think about another barrier we don't always match the right work to the right moment. Trying to do deep strategic thinking in the middle of a chaotic morning of interruptions is like trying to Meditate at a rock concert. Okay, I can get in the flow in the right concert, but the conditions may not support it. Leaders often assume well, if it's important, people will figure it out. But flow doesn't just happen because the work is important. It happens when the environment, the challenge and the person's energy line up just right. Here's the good news. I don't think you need to wait for it to show up. You can invite it in. Think of it like prepping a garden Seeds don't grow in concrete. They need the right soil, the right light, the right water. Your work is the seed, flow is the harvest, but you have to create the conditions first.
Speaker 1:I want to be really realistic about this, though it's not going to happen all the time. Pick possibility, increase opportunity, get there a couple more times this next month. Here are some ways to do it. Number one know your triggers. What kind of work naturally pulls you in? Is it writing, designing, problem solving hands-on? Is it writing designing problem solving hands-on? When does your brain feel the sharpest? Morning, afternoon, evening? Pay attention to your patterns. They are your entry points to flow.
Speaker 1:Next, control the environment. Reduce noise, clear the clutter, close the extra tabs, silence notifications. Flow hates distractions. Create a space, even a small one, where focus feels natural. When I'm trying to do this in my office, I will actually A clear off my entire desk so nothing else is here, or, b go into a completely different room. I'll just go sit at a different space, at a different table just to clear my brain, and I control the environment that way. In that space, though, you need to set clear goals. Flow thrives when you know exactly what you're aiming to do.
Speaker 1:Not, I'll work on this project, instead I'll draft the outline. Not I'll do emails. Instead I will clear the 10 most important ones. Think about it Our brains love clarity. Two more Match challenge to skill. If the work is too easy, you get bored. Too hard, you feel anxious. Okay, well, I do. Flow lives in that sweet spot where it stretches you but does not overwhelm you. If you're hesitant, if you're nervous, if you're putting it off, it's not your flow potential. Something else is up.
Speaker 1:Lastly, I think for this section. I think about blocking time. It is really hard to dip into flow between back-to-back meetings. Protect an uninterrupted block if you can, even if it's just 15 minutes or 45 minutes, and treat it like the most important meeting on your calendar. Consider this If you had one flow block tomorrow, just 60 minutes of protected, high-quality time, what would you choose for it? Hmm, you know what If it was only all about you? Right? Because it's leaders, people leaders, project leaders, technical leaders, expertise leaders. We talk about leading through change. You had a plan for the day. It changed 10 times five minutes when you walked in the door. It's not about us. It's about also what we do with and through our team. So now let's talk about your team, because as leaders, we don't just design for our own flow. We create, or honestly crush it not in a good way, for others.
Speaker 1:Here are some things I want you to consider on how to protect your team's flow now. Don't interrupt deep work unless it's urgent. Just because something's quick for you doesn't mean it won't break their concentration. Two, be intentional about meetings. Schedule collaboration when it's most useful, but also respect solo focus time. Three, ask team members when they do their best work. Some are morning people, some do their best thinking in the afternoon. When you honor that, you multiply flow across the group, multiply flow across the group, multiply flow across the group, model it yourself. If you look frantic and overbooked, your team will think flow is a luxury, but if they see you protect focus, they'll believe it's allowed.
Speaker 1:I'm seeing a variety of organizations take on initiatives like Focus Fridays, no internal meetings, no unnecessary interruptions. I see the responses initially when people think there's no way we can afford to do that. Oh, it's amazing to me, though Even after some weeks they already see a difference. Couple of months, productivity skyrockets, teams finish projects faster. And, by the way, just saying, people feel less burned out and engagement goes up. Protecting flow pays off.
Speaker 1:Here are some team reflection questions you can borrow from me anytime you need them. Number one when do you personally find it easier to enter flow? Two what's one distraction we could remove to help ourselves or the team find flow more often? Three how can we adjust our schedules or habits to protect flow?
Speaker 1:Time Flow, f-l-o-w is not magic. It's something you might stumble into once in a while, but it's the result of the right work, the right challenge and the right conditions. So when you design for it, you stop waiting for great work just to happen and you start making it happen on demand. So here's your challenge for this week. So here's your challenge for this week Carve out that one block of time, protect it fiercely, set up conditions for flow and see what happens when you give yourself and your brain that gift. It is a gift and it is so worth doing.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Workplace Chameleon. I hope it inspired you to rethink your work rhythm and find a little more flow. If you get stuck, if there's a way I can help, please reach out. There's a way I can help. Please reach out. We want to support you any way we can so that you can lead with intention, protect your priorities, be as mentally healthy today as you can and do that for others, while we all just keep trying to learn something new. Today, such great opportunities, and I will always wish you well. Take care. I hope you tune in again.
