To me, the real cost of context switching isn’t measured in minutes lost, but in the break of rhythm. Productivity isn’t about squeezing every second, it’s about getting into a state where your brain runs smoothly, like a warm engine.
When you hop between projects too often, you’re constantly starting cold: reloading mental state, rebuilding assumptions, regaining focus. That’s exhausting, even if each switch only takes a few minutes.
What helped me is not just cutting down on tools, but designing a routine that favors consistency over intensity. I try to dedicate whole blocks, sometimes entire days, to a single project. That way I only pay the switch once, and I get to stay in flow for longer.
In the end, the biggest productivity boost doesn’t come from better apps, but from respecting the brain’s need for continuity.
I've burned out of my first job, where my work responsibilities steadily increased until I was simultaneously a software developer, a sysadmin for five racks of servers, a devops for one entire software platform, the help desk of ~50 users for the sysadmin/devops stuff and the go-to troubleshooter.
That happened because I just graduated and I was too effective at my job. Whenever management hit a problem they couldn't address, I became the backup guy they could always call in when all else failed. It became so bad that by the end my manager gave up trying to make me track all that I did because it would slow me down too much.
I've learned a lot during these four years. I'm back at that company but for a different project, it took hiring/dedicating multiple people to cover all of my previous responsibilities in a sustainable manner. I'm still a dual software developer/devops in a much smaller team, but I'm pacing myself by being only of them at a time per half-day.
To me, the real cost of context switching isn’t measured in minutes lost, but in the break of rhythm. Productivity isn’t about squeezing every second, it’s about getting into a state where your brain runs smoothly, like a warm engine.
When you hop between projects too often, you’re constantly starting cold: reloading mental state, rebuilding assumptions, regaining focus. That’s exhausting, even if each switch only takes a few minutes.
What helped me is not just cutting down on tools, but designing a routine that favors consistency over intensity. I try to dedicate whole blocks, sometimes entire days, to a single project. That way I only pay the switch once, and I get to stay in flow for longer.
In the end, the biggest productivity boost doesn’t come from better apps, but from respecting the brain’s need for continuity.
I've burned out of my first job, where my work responsibilities steadily increased until I was simultaneously a software developer, a sysadmin for five racks of servers, a devops for one entire software platform, the help desk of ~50 users for the sysadmin/devops stuff and the go-to troubleshooter.
That happened because I just graduated and I was too effective at my job. Whenever management hit a problem they couldn't address, I became the backup guy they could always call in when all else failed. It became so bad that by the end my manager gave up trying to make me track all that I did because it would slow me down too much.
I've learned a lot during these four years. I'm back at that company but for a different project, it took hiring/dedicating multiple people to cover all of my previous responsibilities in a sustainable manner. I'm still a dual software developer/devops in a much smaller team, but I'm pacing myself by being only of them at a time per half-day.