Ever had one of those days where you’re juggling emails, jumping between meetings, answering teams messages, and trying to squeeze in some deep work….only to hit 5 PM and wonder what you actually achieved? You were busy all day, but nothing meaningful moved forward.
Life is now a constant sea of distractions, where notification, tasks and projects all beg for our attention – a downside to the highly connected world we are in.
There is a hidden cost of context switching. Every time you shift focus, your brain works overtime to recalibrate, and research shows it can take up to 23 minutes to fully refocus after switching tasks. (You will all know that feeling of working on something, then someone or something interrupts you and you come back to your screen literally thinking – where was I?)
Now, multiply that by how many times you shift between projects, conversations, and notifications during the day—it’s no wonder we often end the day feeling drained but unproductive.
Why It Matters:
- Context switching doesn’t just slow you down—it fractures your focus and steals your best thinking.
- Over time, it builds mental fatigue, making it harder to do the kind of work that drives real impact.
Pro Tips:
- Batch similar tasks together to reduce cognitive load.
- Block out time for deep, focused work,and fiercely protect it.
- Turn all your notifications off on your phone and other devices.
- Save emails, chats, and admin for designated ‘shallow work’ blocks.
- Use a pomodoro timer to help you stay focused while working in you blocks. Don’t stop or change tasks until the time goes off – 25 minutes is a long time!
Context switching is bad for Hauora (wellbeing), productivity and leads to feelings of overwhelm and burnout.
Challenge for You:
Tomorrow, try tracking how many times you switch tasks. You might be surprised by how often it happens—and even more surprised by what happens when you intentionally cut it down.
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to focus on one thing at a time? How do you make that happen?