Context Switching: How It’s Wrecking Your Day & How to Stop It
Raise your hand if you’re someone who has a job where you’re responsible for more than just one thing.
(Ahem. That’s all of us, so if you’re hand isn’t raised, you're kidding yourself.)
Over the years, the business consulting branch of my company has given me a peek into the everyday lives of business owners in various industries. While one’s task list may look vastly different than the next person’s, all of these people have one thing in common.
Their plates are full, overflowing.
The main course is mixing with dessert, the salad is buried somewhere under the heap of rice, the vegetables are falling off the plate because there simply isn’t enough space.
(I might be using a food analogy because I’m getting hungry as I type this, but stick with me.)
The issue with this overflowing plate is obviously that there’s just too much on it and you can’t possibly deal with it all at once.
While you’re digging to find the salad, you’re also trying to keep more vegetables from escaping to the floor. But now you’re running to find the broom to sweep up the veggies before there’s a bigger mess.. And oh yeah, you need to eat the chicken before it gets cold.
That’s four things you’re trying to do at once, and in the psychology world, it’s called Context Switching.
Context switching is a human’s tendency to switch from one task to another, and it plays an essential role in our survival.
But did you know that in business, context switching wrecks your productivity and causes major brain fatigue?
You may feel like you are accomplishing a lot when you are answering the phone at the same time you’re responding to an email. Clicking in and out of this pdf to that spreadsheet to this list of notes for that project. And let’s not even get started on the negative effect that email and social media dings have on your efficiency at work!
If any of this feels overwhelming, it’s because it is.
Have you ever noticed that when you load too many tabs or programs on your computer all at once, it starts to lag?
It’s the same for our brains which, in essence, are complex operating systems.
If you are context switching on a regular basis, not only are you loading more onto your already full plate, you are also spinning your wheels and not getting much done.
A field study in the software engineering world showed developers switched tasks 13 times per hour and spent ONLY SIX MINUTES on one task before they switched to another.
The issue with this is impaired focus because the human brain is still thinking about the previous task, so the current one isn’t getting your full attention.
When you go back to the original task, you have to think about where you left off, what still needs to be done, etc. This eats up a ton of cognitive fuel, and guess what…
You only get so much cognitive fuel each day, so you need to use it wisely!
If you work from home, you have even more ambient distractions - doorbells, pets, maybe children. How about those dishes in the sink or the never ending laundry? The plants that need watering. The toilet that needs scrubbing.
It can take you more than 20 minutes to get back to a task after you are interrupted, so beware of these disruptions and plan for them in advance.
How?
Evaluate what you are doing each day in 15 minute blocks.
You can do this in a spreadsheet or write it down in a notebook. You should track all of the distractions, switches, etc. for at least three days. This is going to give you a very clear idea of how much time you are being pulled away from your most important work.
Design your calendar so that the most important work is happening first thing in the morning. It is crucial that you get rid of distractions during this time.
Put your phone in airplane mode (in fact, put it in another room on airplane mode). Turn off all computer notifications including email, social media and news. The only tabs or software that should be open on your computer during this block of time are the ones necessary to complete this task.
Align your calendar with your most important priorities.
Look forward in your schedule. Is it crammed with meetings that aren’t related to your most important work? Decline those meetings and begin to build routines and habits with your #1 priorities in mind. What can you delegate or outsource?
Leave white/ blank space in between your work blocks.
Life happens, and this is the time you can deal with it (i.e. return phone calls, emails, toss the laundry in the washer, walk the dog).
Implementing these strategies into my daily routine has set me up for success with less context switching and a whole lot more productivity. And the bonus is that it has helped immensely in decreasing time stress, overwhelm, anxiety, exhaustion and a sour puss mood!
Try it out for a week and follow up with me. I want to know how reducing context switching is benefitting you!