How Context Switching is Holding You Back

Are you a serial multitasker? If so, you might be getting LESS done and losing MORE time. In today's episode, we dive into the science of context switching and how you can avoid it in your day. View the full shownotes and links to resources at artsintegration.com/sparkchasers

 

What is Context Switching?

So in computing, a context switch is when an operating system stores where you’re at so you can go back later. It essentially allows you to multitask. Now, multitasking can be great at certain times - like when your computer is trying to do multiple things for you at once. But it’s terrible for us as humans. 

Multitasking never allows you to fully focus on one thing. Your attention is pulled in so many different directions that you’re not able to do any one of them well. So here’s where this becomes important to us. Context switching in humans is when we’re jumping back and forth between tasks all day, every day. And according to research, it actually eats up almost 80% of your time. Here’s what that might look like:

• Working on 3-4 different projects on the same day
• Moving between tasks and never finishing any of them
• Writing an email, then working on curriculum, then grading a student assignment

How Context Switching Holds You Back

Now context switching might sound like a normal day for you. I know it did for me. But here’s where the research gets really interesting. When we context switch during our day, we lose momentum and focus. So everytime we start a new task, it takes our brains time to let go of what we were working on and switch over. That causes us to lose time. Which is why when we’re working on so many things during a day, it can sometimes feel like we haven’t accomplished anything at all. In fact, according to psychologist Gerald Weinberg, context switching can cost us anywhere from 40-80% of productivity time.

Here’s how this breaks down in real life:

• Focusing on one task at a time = 100% of your productive time available
• Juggling two tasks at a time = 40% of your productive time for each and 20% lost to context switching
• Juggling three tasks at a time = 20% of your productive time for each and 40% lost to context switching

How to Realign Your Work

So what do you do instead? Todd Herman suggests something called the Block and Tackle method. Dan Tricarico talks about this on his blog, The Zen Teacher as well. In the Block and Tackle method, you’re going to block off sections of your day to work on a single task. Nothing else is able to happen during that time block - you’re just going to tackle that one task. You’ll work on it with total focus during that time and when the time is up, you’re able to move to the next block.