It’s 9am, you’re raring to go as you sit down at your computer.

You put on your favourite playlist, and open that project you’ve been itching to start.

“Should only take a couple of hours” you say to yourself.

Just as you get going, the influx begins:

• Email notifications
• Text messages. Or worse, instant messages
• And, the “got time for a quick chat” phone call

You start jumping between apps, tasks, projects and meetings.

By the time lunch rolls around you feel like you’re on top of your to-do list.

After a short break, you’re ready to get back to the project at hand… But your brain is mush.

Instead you mindlessly check emails again, scroll social media, and watch videos.

As 5pm hits, you finally complete that two-hour project you were so pumped to work on.

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We’ve all been here. And it sucks.

But what’s actually going on?

It’s called context switching. And it’s when you constantly shift between tasks and thoughts.

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You feel like you’re being efficient. When in reality, you’re barely working.

To put it into perspective, the average worker is interrupted every 11 minutes.

And on average it takes 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption.

So I can guarantee that “5-minute” phone call will kill you’re next 30 minutes.

Given enough interruptions, you’ll spend a third of your day in recovery mode.

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What I’ve learned is that splitting your attention between several things at once does way more harm than good.

While you feel like you’re being productive, constantly switching back and forth leads to a lack of focus, wasted time, and even burnout.

Focus is one of our greatest assets.

However, to achieve focus you need to dedicate your time and effort to one task at a time.

By focusing on one task at a time, you give your work: clarity, depth, and quality.

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Here’s how I’ve stopped feeling busy all the time, and proactively tackled context switching:

Practice Time Blocking:

Allocate specific blocks of time to your tasks and stick to it. No interruptions.

Do your highest-leverage work when you have peak-energy.

Do your low-value work when you don’t.

Time-blocking organises your day, reduces interruptions, and aligns with your energy levels.

Remove Distractions:

Every time your phone makes a noise, it breaks your concentration. So take control.

Turn off notifications, turn on Airplane Mode, or leave your phone in another room.

Set specific times (during low-energy blocks) to check your messages or scroll through social media.

Batch Tasks:

A great place to start is with your emails.

Choose two times a day to check your emails. One around mid-morning and one towards the end of your day.

When you check, address everything. You can either: Reply, archive, or delete.

Turn off notifications, and quit your email application at all other times.

Embrace Rest:

Your brains not built for 8 hour days. It can only handle 4-5 hours of deep-work a day.

Take breaks every 60-90 minutes to recharge and maintain your focus.

And stop pressuring yourself to push through.

End your day before you’re exhausted. Because solid work depends on solid rest.

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These minor tweaks have been key in helping me reclaim my time, energy, and focus.

Give one, or all of them a go, and see how it feels to work without constant interruptions and context switching.

I hope this helps bring some more time, joy, and success to your day.

That’s it until next week,

Josh

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