Have you ever sat down for an eight-hour work
day, only to find that you've exhausted yourself
over so little?
You had this huge task assigned for that day,
yet you spend most of that time switching browser tabs,
checking email, making calls, doing
errands, and other seemingly urgent to-dos.
At the end of the day, that huge task ends up being set aside,
rescheduled.
You lose the opportunity to work on the next big thing.
Task switching, or context switching,
is the act of switching from one task or action to another.
It creates this impression that we're busy and deep
in work when the truth is the true progress is hampered
due to so many things vying for our attention.
The consequences of task switching
affect our capacity to get work done.
Since our brains can't handle multiple tasks simultaneously,
we become more stressed, our reaction times are slower,
we miss important information, and the quality of our work
lowers.
Task switching, therefore, costs us
money, time, and effort that could have been
spent moving projects forward.
Not all task switching is counter-productive.
If you're working on a large project, for example,
and your 3:00 meeting will provide the information
you need to finish the project, then the switch
is planned and beneficial.
Allowing your brain to relax and be quiet after hours of work
is another example of how task switching can
be beneficial to you.
By leaving blank spaces, your brain
may discover or spot solutions that you wouldn't have noticed
earlier while deep at work.
It's constant unplanned or unrelated task
switching where you experience loss of productivity, stress,
and lack of direction.
By minimizing unplanned task switching,
you'll be able to get more work done.
Since task switching is interruption,
the best way to manage it is to improve the ability to focus.
We may live in a world where everything and anything can
potentially steal our attention, but focus
is a muscle we can stretch, build, and strengthen
to combat those interruptions.
When you can focus and sustain that focus,
you'll be able to lessen the stress of trying to catch up
after being interrupted.
Here's some effective tips and strategies
to heighten and retain focus.
Get enough sleep.
Getting enough sleep allows you to be
alert and therefore capable of focusing
on your tasks for today.
Naps are especially effective considering
that some of the world's most creative people take naps.
Prepare everything before working on a task.
Have all of your research, outlines,
and materials within reach before sitting down
to work on a task.
If you need to switch, make sure it's planned and related
to the work at hand.
Dedicate blocks of time for specific tasks.
You can, for example, schedule your early mornings
for your most important tasks, while late afternoons
are for emails, reading, or catching up
with people after work.
Fill the room with enough light.
Working or meeting in a well-lit room
will make you more engaged and focused on your discussions.
Spend time on off-the-grid activities.
Assuming that most interruptions are caused by online triggers,
it helps to sign out once in a while.
Take walks, have meaningful conversations,
note down random thoughts, or simply
immerse yourself in the natural environment.
Create an environment where there's minimal distraction.
If you find that working inside your bedroom, where
the kids love to play, keeps you from doing work,
try moving to a more quiet room.
See if that can help you focus on what needs to be done.
Track time spent.
It was just to test the beta version of our own time
tracker, but our very own growth hacker, Tim,
discovered that tracking his time
made him more driven to focus and get work done.
Purge tasks and projects of less priority.
Following Einstein's principle of doing more
by focusing on less, it helps to purge low-priority projects
and tasks so you can focus on what's most important.
Take some time to go through your active projects list
and see which project you can conclude
or delete from your list.
Brain dump.
Dump thoughts, unrelated tasks, and other information
on a concrete space that you can return to at a later time.
A notepad or notebook are good places to brain dump.
Stretch.
Stretching forces you to take deep breaths of oxygen
as you extend your body.
As more oxygen flows through your bloodstream,
you're more awake, alert, and focused.
Do this if you find yourself sitting in the same position
for more than an hour or so.
Take short and mindful breaks.
The Pomodoro Technique is a perfect example
of this, where you work and rest in short sprints.
This relaxes your brain without losing
hold of your focus and flow.
Track your progress.
Seeing and tracking actual progress on a task
motivates you to continue until you reach completion.
Gantt charts are a great tool for tracking progress,
so you can use these to track progress
for a lot of your daily tasks.
Task switching may be disruptive,
and a huge dent to your productivity,
but with a solid structure and enough discipline,
you can improve your focus and get work done on time.
You can use the very technology that
creates these interruptions to help you focus.
Track your time and your progress on a daily basis,
and be sure to sign out once in a while
to free your mind of the stress of work.
How do you manage task switching?
Share your best tips in the comments.
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We'll see you next time.