The State of Flow: The Delicate Balance Between Boredom and Burnout
A Simple Framework to Build High-Performing, Happy Teams
In this issue:
The Zone of Anxiety
The Zone of Boredom
The State of Flow
Achieving the State of Flow at Work
Real-Life Leadership Scenarios
The State of Flow Worksheet
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Complementary Frameworks
Recommended Resources
Final Takeaway
✨
Let me tell you a story from a few years ago.
I had just taken over a new team of smart and energetic engineers. We had a high-stakes project to deliver within tight timelines. On paper, everything should’ve worked.
But within a few weeks, things started to slip. We started missing deadlines, and the team began to burn out. Their energy started to drain, and the quality of work took a dip.
I did what most managers do. I doubled down. More meetings. More pressure. More "checking in."
And it backfired.
The team was spiraling into anxiety. They had no shortage of talent - they were drowning in pressure. Ironically, in another team I was coaching at the time, things were just as bad, but in a different way. That team was on autopilot. No urgency. No excitement. People were disengaged, checking boxes and logging off at 5.
Quite the contrast.
Just like those teams, most teams are stuck in one of two places: anxiety or boredom. Your job as a leader is to get them into the third zone - the one where the magic happens.
Let’s find out how!
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The Zone of Anxiety
Have you worked in a startup? Many startups promote the culture of getting shit done under tight deadlines without many resources or support. They hire inexperienced people, hand them big jobs, and expect them to deliver and kill the competition. Even in many large companies, there is a dog-eat-dog culture that promotes cutthroat competition and leaves no time to breathe.
This is the zone of anxiety, and here are some telltale signs of such a culture:
There are tight deadlines and pressure to deliver early to the customers
The leadership team is regularly breathing down the neck of the teams by checking on progress on a frequent basis, scrutinizing every single slip or delay
Many of the team members do not have the required skills to get the job done
There is little to no formal training or resources available to the team. They are expected to figure it out on their own
The culture highlighted above is not necessarily spread across the company. In many cases, this exists in pockets — within individual divisions, groups, or teams — and is influenced by the respective leaders of those teams.
The Zone of Boredom
On the other extreme is a culture where nobody seems to care about the goals or the customer. You may have heard about government or state institutions and how lethargic their work ethics are. This is also prevalent in many large private companies.
This is the zone of boredom, and some telltale signs of such a culture are:
The deadlines are flexible, and there is very little to no pressure to deliver and meet the expectations of the customers.
There is a general attitude of complacency and a lack of commitment among the teams.
Leadership is clueless, and there is a lack of direction and vision.
The culture lacks accountability, and you can see many employees coasting and stagnating.
Again, the culture may exist in pockets, heavily influenced by the respective leaders of those teams.
The State of Flow
Flow is a mental state first described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. It’s the feeling of being “in the zone.”
Remember the time when you felt fully immersed in a task, energized, focused, and you almost lost track of time? You accomplished so much, but it felt effortless?
That’s the state of flow.
In the workplace, it’s the sweet spot where people are challenged—but not overwhelmed. Confident—but not complacent.
They’re doing work that matters, using skills they’ve mastered (or are eager to master), with just enough pressure to keep it exciting.
Flow happens between anxiety and boredom:
Too much challenge, not enough skill? → Anxiety.
Too much skill, not enough challenge? → Boredom.
Just the right mix? → Flow.
It’s that simple. And that hard.
As a manager, your job is to help people move toward the flow state.
In a state of flow:
Everyone is clear about the vision and the direction. The leadership team has a strategy defined to win against the competition, and to deliver value to the customer.
There is a culture of accountability and commitment. Leadership and the organization hold each other accountable to the goals, and embrace the challenge.
Every single person in the team is hired or appointed for a reason, and has clarity of what they are expected to contribute towards
Formal trainings are provided to the teams to up-level their skills, and to learn new skills required to be successful.
Performance assessments are fair and promote those who deliver value to the company, while embodying the culture.
Teams are engaged and feel a sense of belonging and psychological safety. They feel challenged and continue to grow.
Achieving the State of Flow at Work
The state of flow can mean the difference between success and failure. So, how can you achieve it, or move your team towards it?
Here are a few ways you can start moving your team towards the state of flow:
1. Audit your team’s current state
Ask yourself:
Who seems bored?
Who looks anxious?
Who’s consistently energized and focused?
This isn’t about performance ratings. It’s about emotional states. Watch for signs of burnout, or signs of checked-out apathy.
2. Adjust the challenge or the support
Once you know where people stand, make adjustments.
For those in the zone of anxiety, reduce pressure or increase training/support.
For those in the zone of boredom, increase the challenge. Assign stretch goals or cross-functional projects.
Sometimes, just asking “What would challenge you right now?” can open the floodgates.
3. Use flow triggers
According to Steven Kotler’s research, there are several flow “triggers” you can activate:
Autonomy – Let people choose how they work.
Mastery – Encourage deep skill development.
Purpose – Connect work to something meaningful.
Urgency – Create time-bound sprints to drive energy.
4. Create space for deep work
Use tools like Mind-boxing (I explain it in detail here) to help your team schedule uninterrupted focus time. You can’t reach flow in 5-minute slots between meetings.
5. Provide feedback often
Don’t wait for the quarterly review. Flow thrives on real-time feedback. What’s working? What’s not? Provide feedback often, and continue to adapt.
Real-Life Leadership Scenarios
Now, let’s review some real-life leadership scenarios to further solidify our understanding of flow.
Scenario 1: The “Startup Burnout”
In one of my early leadership roles, I managed a high-performing team that was chronically anxious. We had the classic startup cocktail: aggressive goals, thin resources, and a sense that we were always behind.
The mistake I made then was assuming that high energy meant high performance.
It didn’t.
What I had done was throw my team under the bus. They lacked the skills to do the job, and I had failed to recognize that and to provide the necessary training to them. They were in the zone of anxiety, and with the lack of training and support they ended up burning out.
Scenario 2: The “Corporate Coasting”
Later, at a larger company, I inherited a team that was... too comfortable. They hit their KPIs. They showed up to meetings.
But they lacked passion and energy.
They were in the zone of boredom. As their manager, I had missed recognizing that they weren’t feeling challenged, and their skills and talent were being wasted.
In both cases above, what I needed to do was to recognize that my team wasn’t in the state of flow, and to implement some strategies to move them into that zone.
The State of Flow Worksheet
Are you ready to apply this in your own role? Download The State of Flow worksheet and use it to:
Assess where your team members currently sit (Zone of Anxiety, Zone of Boredom, or State of Flow)
Reflect on the roadblocks that may be keeping them from moving to flow
Strategize how you would move each member to the state of flow
The worksheet includes step-by-step prompts to guide you through the entire application process.
⬇️ Download Your Worksheet Here!
🎁 Paid Subscribers: Claim your FREE copy of this worksheet by using the exclusive coupon code mentioned on this page. Not a paid member? You can upgrade here.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
As you try to move your team into the state of flow, keep in mind some common pitfalls:
Thinking pressure = challenge. I’ve seen too many managers fall into this trap, and it’s a dangerous one. If your team is in the zone of boredom, they need challenge, not pressure. Pressure will create stress and burn them out.
Assuming high performers are in flow. Just because someone is a rock star doesn’t mean they are in a state of flow. They could be bored, or quietly overwhelmed. Learn how to tell the difference. (the worksheet above will help)
Complementary Frameworks
As you work on moving your team to the state of flow, you can leverage other complementary leadership frameworks:
Psychological Safety – Your team needs to feel safe to speak up, and feel safe to fail in order to stay in the state of flow. I discuss this framework in greater detail here: The Four Zones of Psychological Safety: Where Does Your Team Sit?
Ikigai – Helps align your team’s passions and skills with what the business needs. That’s win-win for everyone. Check out Ikigai: The Secret to Leading with Purpose and Fulfillment for some inspiration.
Mind-boxing – My own time management framework that helps carve out deep focus zones which can help your teams move towards the state of flow. I discuss it in detail here: Mind Boxing: How Leaders (Should) Spend Their Time.
Recommended Resources
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – The foundational book on the topic.
Drive by Daniel Pink – On autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Flow, the secret to happiness – TED Talk by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – An accessible intro to the concept.
Final Takeaway
Flow is not just about productivity—it’s about energy.
When your team is in flow, work feels meaningful. People grow. Output increases. And your job as a leader gets infinitely easier.
But flow doesn’t happen by chance. It happens with intention. You have to diagnose, adjust, support, and stretch. Rinse and repeat.
Ultimately, your job is not just to manage tasks. It’s to orchestrate energy.
And there’s no better energy than the one that flows.
What’s your strategy for moving into the state of flow? Let me know in the comments. 👇
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Perfect topic. That's why I choose to work as a freelancer. I have a couple of focus times during the day, don't need to be available all the time from 9 to 5. I can work from anywhere, anytime (in the morning, in the evening, whenever I want). I really support leaders and people in general who give freedom to work like that. Because we don't need to be in the office and work 8 hours per day. Little bit of flexibility is good for our flow :)
I'm glad you wrote about this highly interesting topic. I wrote about it recently but from a different angle.
You covered well the key psychological aspect of it: Flow happens between anxiety and boredom.
My strategy for moving into the state of flow is knowing well how to admin my energy and focus, and protect that time.