2.4. Context Switch¶
In simple terms, a context switch is moving from one activity to another. But in reality, it is:
First, gradually stop all the individual micro-tasks that you are doing right now for the current activity.
Try to ensure that there is some logical state to this activity.
Then when you move to the next activity, try to remember what was the last state of this new activity, and then start working on this new activity.
Computers are digital and boolean with all 0s and 1s. We human beings are opposite to this. There is never an absolute 0 and there is never an absolute 1. It’s never black & white. It is always some shade in between black & white. In best-case scenarios, it’s either black enough or white enough for us human beings to notice, but never an absolute black or white.
Computers can start and stop instantly. Or even with a multiple-cores processors can do things truly in parallel. But we human beings cannot. There is always a penalty for switching from one activity to another. Even if we try to do multi-activity, there’s attention deficiency (which means implied inefficiency). The only solution is to avoid it as much as possible.
So, to improve your productivity, we must find ways to reduce the context switch. Or have a smooth transition to new activity from the old one.
Here are some of the steps you can take.
2.4.1. Identify sources of interruptions¶
Identify what is interrupting you. Is it emails, is it a mobile phone, what is it? There is no simple way to put it across, but just stop the source of interruption.
2.4.1.1. Pre Block your calendars¶
If your source of interactions are emails or pings then, Pre-Block your calendars so that you are not interrupted. Using this technique you have an option to let your co-workers know that this is the time when you are not to be disturbed.
2.4.1.2. Mobile phone notifications¶
These days there is a plethora of notifications that you get on your mobile from every app that you have installed on your phone. These software applications are looking forward to getting every bit of attention from you. If these applications are not required then better uninstall them. If you still have to use those applications then the latest mobile operating systems these days support you to disable the notifications of a particular application.
You are paying handsomely for your smartphone, so it is time for you let to that phone be smart and help you with your productivity.
Tip
For Android, see Limit interruptions with Do Not Disturb on Android
2.4.2. Attention Residue¶
When you move to the next activity, it is not easy to totally forget about the previous one. This impacts your attention. If you are in some meeting, it may be a productivity loss for everybody who is collaborating with you, because they could not get your undivided attention. If you are affected by attention residue, then don’t jump from one activity to other abruptly, but have some buffer in between. Take a walk to the water cooler before jumping to the next meeting to ease your mind off.
Theme Vs Hard Goal
Some goals are not easy to be achieved when there is a rigid target associated with it.
For example, you may have a goal of reading 100 books this year. Although it is a good goal, but, we set goals to ensure that we meet those goals. If you are not able to meet it, it leads to dissatisfaction. The same goal can be re-targeted as this is the year of book reading. Wherever you go or travel there must be a book with you. Whenever you are free or waiting for something, just open that book and start reading. Your favourite team is losing in the match, and it makes sense for your heart to just switch off the TV to avoid the embarrassment of losing. Just switch off your TV and start reading a book because that is the theme this year for your goals.
The fixed goal could be to lose a few kilograms or pounds, the theme would be exercise and diet. Take stairs instead of the lift. If it’s a high rise, just take stairs for 2-3 floors till you have some stamina left, and then take a lift, but don’t press the button to call the lift yet. As per your goal, this is the year of exercise.
2.4.3. Divide and theme your time¶
If you are working on multiple projects, or on multiple activities on the same project, then it is really difficult to make boundaries. One approach for a solution to such a problem can be providing a theme for the day or part of the day.
The theme would give you a general inclination towards what you should be focusing on. Although, not as a pure black and white boundary, but an inclination.
e.g. Monday may be just for planning, reviews, and design. Plan what you are going to do this week, review what your colleagues have done in the previous week, prepare a design document regarding what you plan to do this week or in the future and share with your colleagues for their opinion and peer review. Tuesdays could be to write new unit tests, Wednesday to do the implementation, and so on. You can do things a little bit differently, and be flexible a little bit here and there, but ensure that the sanctity of the theme is ascertained
Switching across multiple projects in a single day would you bring your productivity down. But on the other hand, if you can isolate different days, or a different part of a day would be able to group activities and avoid context switching. (For example before lunch or after lunch). If some activities do not take a full day, then you can schedule or theme that activity in the part of the day before or after lunch. You anyway would have a stop because of the lunch. This approach helps you have a cleaner boundary and saves you from attention residue.
Such a strategy also gives your good confidence whether some tasks or activities takes 4-6 hours or more. Even with some interruptions and context switches, if the 4-hour activity could be been done in a single day, good. But if you still need to work on the same activity for a for few more days in a given week, then your estimation is wrong for that activity. To improve your productivity, you must also know how much time you are spending on your activities.