IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jhappi/v21y2020i5d10.1007_s10902-019-00149-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Thieves of Flow: How Unfinished Tasks at Work are Related to Flow Experience and Wellbeing

Author

Listed:
  • Corinna Peifer

    (Ruhr University Bochum)

  • Christine Syrek

    (University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg)

  • Vivian Ostwald

    (Ruhr University Bochum)

  • Eva Schuh

    (University of Trier)

  • Conny H. Antoni

    (University of Trier)

Abstract

The beneficial potential of flow experience is highlighted by research demonstrating positive associations between flow and wellbeing. Flow has also been associated with stress—a relationship that has not received much attention in the context of work. Unfinished tasks have been identified as a crucial work-related stressor in recent occupational stress research. Extending previous research, we examine in two consecutive studies how unfinished tasks are related to flow and whether flow plays a mediational role between unfinished tasks and wellbeing. Study 1 adopted a cross-sectional design, with 93 employees taking part in an online survey assessing their work experiences during the previous two weeks. Study 2 employed a short-term diary design and 149 participants (85 employees and 64 students) responded to our survey at three points of measurement: after work/study, before going to bed, and in the next morning. Results from both studies provided evidence for a negative quadratic relationship between unfinished tasks and flow at work/study, with low to medium levels of unfinished tasks being unrelated to flow, while high levels of unfinished tasks were negatively associated with flow. The relationship of unfinished tasks at work/study and flow during an evening activity was negative. Both studies supported the postulated mediating role of flow in the relationship between unfinished tasks and wellbeing. Thus, finishing tasks during the day and in particular before leaving the workplace is a helpful condition to experiencing flow both at work and during non-work activities and to fostering wellbeing.

Suggested Citation

  • Corinna Peifer & Christine Syrek & Vivian Ostwald & Eva Schuh & Conny H. Antoni, 2020. "Thieves of Flow: How Unfinished Tasks at Work are Related to Flow Experience and Wellbeing," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 1641-1660, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:21:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-019-00149-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-019-00149-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-019-00149-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10902-019-00149-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tahmine Tozman & Yichelle Y. Zhang & Regina Vollmeyer, 2017. "Inverted U-Shaped Function Between Flow and Cortisol Release During Chess Play," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 247-268, February.
    2. Kiyoshi Asakawa, 2010. "Flow Experience, Culture, and Well-being: How Do Autotelic Japanese College Students Feel, Behave, and Think in Their Daily Lives?," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 205-223, April.
    3. Amy Collins & Natalia Sarkisian & Ellen Winner, 2009. "Flow and Happiness in Later Life: An Investigation into the Role of Daily and Weekly Flow Experiences," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(6), pages 703-719, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Belén Mesurado & María Richaud de Minzi, 2013. "Child’s Personality and Perception of Parental Relationship as Correlates of Optimal Experience," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 199-214, March.
    2. Fabienne Aust & Theresa Beneke & Corinna Peifer & Magdalena Wekenborg, 2022. "The Relationship between Flow Experience and Burnout Symptoms: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-30, March.
    3. Kim, Myung Ja & Lee, Choong-Ki & Bonn, Mark, 2017. "Obtaining a better understanding about travel-related purchase intentions among senior users of mobile social network sites," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 484-496.
    4. Marta Bassi & Patrizia Steca & Dario Monzani & Andrea Greco & Antonella Delle Fave, 2014. "Personality and Optimal Experience in Adolescence: Implications for Well-Being and Development," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 829-843, August.
    5. Yanhui Mao & Rui Yang & Marino Bonaiuto & Jianhong Ma & László Harmat, 2020. "Can Flow Alleviate Anxiety? The Roles of Academic Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem in Building Psychological Sustainability and Resilience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, April.
    6. Yixuan Liu & Liumeng Li & Guomei Miao & Xinyan Yang & Yinghui Wu & Yanling Xu & Yonghong Gao & Yongzhi Zhan & Yiwei Zhong & Shujuan Yang, 2021. "Relationship between Children’s Intergenerational Emotional Support and Subjective Well-Being among Middle-Aged and Elderly People in China: The Mediation Role of the Sense of Social Fairness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Dwight C. K. Tse & Jeanne Nakamura & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 2022. "Flow Experiences Across Adulthood: Preliminary Findings on the Continuity Hypothesis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2517-2540, August.
    8. Bach Q. Ho & Kunio Shirahada, 2022. "Older People’s Knowledge Creation Motivations for Sustainable Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Ann Futterman Collier & Heidi A. Wayment, 2018. "Psychological Benefits of the “Maker” or Do-It-Yourself Movement in Young Adults: A Pathway Towards Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1217-1239, April.
    10. Jacob M. Marszalek & Patricia L. Hager & Jacquelyn N. Anderson & Jack T. Waddell, 2021. "Interrelationships Among Dimensions of Flow and Reactance," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 3385-3412, December.
    11. Kim, Myung Ja & Hall, C. Michael, 2019. "A hedonic motivation model in virtual reality tourism: Comparing visitors and non-visitors," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 236-249.
    12. Zekun Zhou & Duo Yin & Quan Gao, 2020. "Sense of Presence and Subjective Well-Being in Online Pet Watching: The Moderation Role of Loneliness and Perceived Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, December.
    13. Zihan Yang & Xu Cai & Yujia Jiang & Guobiao Li & Guojing Zhao & Peng Wang & Zhaoxin Huang, 2022. "What Are the Recipes of an Entrepreneur’s Subjective Well-Being? A Fuzzy-Set Approach for China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Camille Tordet & Séverine Erhel & Eric Wodey & Eric Jamet & Nicolas Nardi & Corentin Gonthier, 2021. "The Flow Observational Grid: an Observation-Based Solution to Assess Flow States," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(7), pages 3069-3089, October.
    15. Dave Möwisch & Annette Brose & Florian Schmiedek, 2021. "Do Higher Educated People Feel Better in Everyday Life? Insights From a Day Reconstruction Method Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 227-250, January.
    16. Magdalena Elnes & Hermundur Sigmundsson, 2023. "The General Flow Proneness Scale: Aspects of Reliability and Validity of a New 13-Item Scale Assessing Flow," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, February.
    17. Shuang Zheng & Hongrui Liu & Meilin Yao, 2023. "Social Support From Parents and Teachers and Adolescents’ Subjective Well‑Being: Mediating Effect of Cognitive Regulatory Learning and Academic Procrastination," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 485-508, April.
    18. Guillermo Mendoza & Manuel Jiménez & Jerónimo García-Romero & Jorge García-Bastida & Iván Rivilla & Margarita Carrillo de Albornoz-Gil & Francisco Javier Baron-Lopez & Javier Benítez-Porres & José Ram, 2020. "Challenging the Top Player: A Preliminary Study on Testosterone Response to An Official Chess Tournament," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-11, February.
    19. Kazuki Hirao & Ryuji Kobayashi & Kyota Okishima & Yumiko Tomokuni, 2012. "Flow experience and health‐related quality of life in community dwelling elderly Japanese," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(1), pages 52-57, March.
    20. Alecxandrina Deaconu & Catalina Radu & Alexandra Mihaela Popescu, 2016. "Improving Organizational Citizenship Behavior based on Flow Experience," Risk in Contemporary Economy, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, pages 156-161.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:21:y:2020:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-019-00149-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.