The Visual Agile Coach Finding Your Flow

What is Flow?

“A state of complete absorption in an activity, where the challenges of the task match the individual's skills and abilities”. Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, Psycholigist, 1970s.

Flow is our personal superpower, a cognitive state – it exists within all of us – we just have to unlock it.  Flow can be thought of as a phenomenon or naturally occurring by chance rather than intent – it isn’t something that can be forced.

Flow is often described as a feeling – focused, effortless, energising, enjoyable. Sounds great – where do I buy it?

The Visual Agile Coach found their Flow with the help of the following sum:

Purpose (Why + Motivation + Vision + Mission + Ikigai) = Flow 

And Flow = Outcomes

How to Use

1. Find your Why. Clue: Why is your purpose, your beliefs, the reason you exist, your drivers and passions.

2. What is your Motivation? There are 2 types of motivation – state your motivators?

• External: reward led i.e. salary, no reward no motivation no performance

• Intrinsic: purpose led i.e. no salary required, you do it for your personal satisfaction

3. Make a Statement. A target and a direction can be expressed in both a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement.

• Vision Statement: Goals, aspirations, ambitions, hopes and dreams. Sometimes referred to as a North Star.

• Mission Statement: More practical and actionable, the How and the What of the Golden Circle. Less broad, more descriptive, functional and time-bound.

4. Try Ikigai. Roughly translated “a reason for being”. In Japan Ikigai is seen as the way to a long, happy and fulfilled life.

Ikigai is a 4-circle Venn diagram. What you love. What the world needs. What you are good at. What you can be paid for.

5. Put it all together: You have your personal conditions for Flow

This tool and many more are available in the Visual Agile Coach Playbook available from online bookshops and at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visual-Agile-Coach-Playbook-communication/dp/1780176619