Have you ever felt the “little win” of a stolen moment at work, where a meeting was cancelled and you now have the bandwidth to simply focus on one task …. maybe even with the luxury of a closed door?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the importance of deep concentration at work, without distractions. Closing e-mails, turning off notifications, and finding a quiet space to work could provide the environment to enter into workplace Flow.

Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined the term Flow  as a state of complete absorption and intense focus on a challenge/activity. He called it Flow, because during his research many people described the state as “I was carried on by the flow”.

Athletes describe Flow as “in the zone” where they feel present, effortless and performing at their peak potential.

Flow’s core principle is the sweet spot of engaging in “optimal difficulty” invoked through focusing on a task that balances challenge, concentration, and competency. The task must capture your attention, challenge you, but not overwhelm you.

Not only is Flow conducive to increased productivity, it is also associated with increased wellbeing, engagement, enjoyment, and lower stress.

In addition, and fascinatingly, a recent research paper (Kotler, Mannino, Fox and Friston, 2026) is linking Flow to reduced anxiety by increasing the “metastability” and flexibility of the brain’s response patterns.

All this to say that engaging in deep concentration is good for your productivity and quality of your work, as well as your wellbeing.

While Flow can happen organically, it is also helpful to consider environmental aspects that can contribute to a Flow state. For example, when I see coaching clients experiencing work fatigue (possibly even approaching burnout), we will look at their calendars, specifically, do they schedule uninterrupted time to concentrate on their work?

It is easy for a work week to be shallowed by relentless meetings leaving little time to actually do one’s work. Research has shown that back-to-back meetings reduce productivity; even scheduling 15-minute breaks can help.

It is also helpful to reflect on your optimal “concentration time” in the day and to then schedule your deeper thinking work accordingly. While the majority of your meetings may be at the mercy of many other factors, being intentional in carving out some moments in your week is a good place to start, or maybe even a “no-meetings day”.

Additionally, examining your working environment for possible changes to reduce distractions might be helpful. If you are in an open office space, consider booking a quiet meeting room to work, or trying noise-cancelling earphones. However, everyone is unique, some people can concentrate easier in a busier environment.

How do you know when your in Flow?

One of the easiest predictors of a state of Flow is the distortion of time.

Have you ever “looked up” from a task such as working on a spreadsheet, writing a stellar e-mail, or mapping a new process, etc, and wondered … “where did the time go?”

After exiting the state of flow, you almost feel as though it was a dreamlike state; you are relaxed, but with a sense of accomplishment. While the state of Flow can occur with other people present such as public speaking, the experience of flow is an individual one.

Organisational adjustments helpful to Flow:

• Focus on cultures: a positive work environment that is non-toxic, with low anxiety.  Note: positive pressure/stress at work is not the same as an anxious workplace

• Increase autonomy: be mindful to not micromanage, instead focus on being a supportive leader

• Create “stretch goals and variety” for your team: challenge (not chaos) is an important part of flow, discuss with your team their preferred tasks, and map out the optimal meeting times

In a world full of distractions, finding moments of deep concentration can be helpful to one’s enjoyment at work, and effectiveness of output. Organisational coaching can help to restructure workflow, and reduce burnout.

• Jennifer Card, PsyD, of Coral Leadership, is an organisational psychologist, leadership consultant, executive coach, workplace stress and conflict specialist, team facilitator author and keynote speaker. Jennifer coaches primarily at the leadership, C-suite and board level, and provides leadership training organisation-wide