What It Means
Context switching is moving your attention from one task to another and then back, such as leaving a report to answer a message and returning to the report afterward. Every move carries a small cost in time and focus while your mind lets go of one task's goal and loads the rules for the next. Psychologists study it under the name task switchingMultitasking mythThe mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors. See more.
Try It: Count Your Switches in One Work Session
Set how long you'll watch yourself work, then tap the button every time you leave the task for something else: a message, a tab, a quick check.
Each tap was a moment your mind had to drop one goal and load the rules for another. Try batching messages into two set times.
Keep tapping honestly. The number is only for you.
How People Say It at Work
- "Every chat ping pulls me out of the spreadsheet."
- "Too much context switching today, I finished nothing."
- "Let me wrap this up before I switch gears."
The Breakdown
How to switch less
- Count first. Spend one work session tallying every time you leave a task for something else, with the counter above or a pen.
- Batch the small stuff. Answer messages and email at set times of day, and leave them closed in between.
- Silence what you can while you focus: notifications, chat and the phone.
- Before you step away from a task, write one line about where you stopped and what comes next.
- Group similar jobs, such as calls or errands, into one run.
Try it today. Pick two times to check email, say 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and keep it closed the rest of the day.
What happens during a switch. In research the APA describes, the mind's control system works in two stages. Goal shifting is deciding to do one thing now instead of another. Rule activation is switching off the rules for the old task and switching on the rules for the new one.
Where It Comes From
The idea comes from psychology research on task switching. In four experiments published in 2001, Joshua Rubinstein of the Federal Aviation Administration and David Meyer and Jeffrey Evans of the University of Michigan measured how much time young adults lost when they switched back and forth between two tasks.
Good to Know
The APA reports David Meyer's estimate that brief mental blocks from shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time. That's a top-end figure, so your own count from the tracker above tells you more about your day than the percentage does.
FAQ
How much time does context switching cost?
The APA reports psychologist David Meyer's estimate that the brief mental blocks from shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time. The real cost for you depends on how often you switch.
Is context switching the same as multitasking?
They're closely linked. What people call multitasking is usually fast switching between tasks, and each switch carries its own small cost.
How do I reduce context switching at work?
Batch similar tasks, check messages at set times, silence notifications while you focus, and leave yourself a note before stepping away from a task.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks and Focus
List the day's small jobs in Tasks, then clear them in one batch during a Focus interval.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Multitasking myth
The mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors.
- Deep work
Focused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work.
- Inbox zero
An email method from Merlin Mann's 2006 series on 43 Folders: work the inbox down to empty on a regular schedule and keep it that way.
Sources
American Psychological Association, "Multitasking: Switching costs"; APA Monitor on Psychology, "Multitasking undermines our efficiency, study suggests" (2001)
Last updated .