Improving Task Switching Skills

The silent productivity killer you've never heard of... Attention Residue (and 3 strategies to fight back): The concept of "attention residue" was first identified by University of Washington business professor Dr. Sophie Leroy in 2009. The idea is quite simple: There is a cognitive cost to shifting your attention from one task to another. When our attention is shifted, there is a "residue" that remains in the brain and impairs our cognitive performance on the new task. Put differently, you may think your attention has fully shifted to the next task, but your brain has a lag—it thinks otherwise! It's relatively easy to find examples of this effect in your own life: • You get on a call but are still thinking about the prior call. • An email pops up during meeting and derails your focus. • You check your phone during a lecture and can't refocus afterwards. There are two key points worth noting here: 1. The research indicates it doesn't seem to matter whether the task switch is "macro" (i.e. moving from one major task to the next) or "micro" (i.e. pausing one major task for a quick check on some minor task). 2. The challenge is even more pronounced in a remote/hybrid world, where we're free to roam the internet, have our chat apps open, and check our phones all while appearing to be focused in a Zoom meeting. With apologies to any self-proclaimed proficient multitaskers, the research is very clear: Every single time you call upon your brain to move away from one task and toward another, you are hurting its performance—your work quality and efficiency suffer. Author Cal Newport puts it well: "If, like most, you rarely go more than 10–15 minutes without a just check, you have effectively put yourself in a persistent state of self-imposed cognitive handicap." Here are three strategies to manage attention residue and fight back: 1. Focus Work Blocks: Block time on your calendar for sprints of focused energy. Set a timer for a 45-90 minute window, close everything except the task at hand, and focus on one thing. It works wonders. 2. Take a Breather: Whenever possible, create open windows of 5-15 minutes between higher value tasks. Schedule 25-minute calls. Block those windows on your calendar. During them, take a walk or close your eyes and breathe. 3. Batch Processing: You still have to reply to messages and emails. Pick a few windows during the day when you will deeply focus on the task of processing and replying to these. Your response quality will go up from this batching, and they won't bleed into the rest of your day. Attention residue is a silent killer of your work quality and efficiency. Understanding it—and taking the steps to fight back—will have an immediate positive impact on your work and life. If you enjoyed this or learned something, share it with others and follow me Sahil Bloom for more in future! The beautiful visualization is by Roberto Ferraro.

🚨 Designing For Stress and Emergency. Practical guidelines on how to design time-critical products to prevent errors and drive accuracy ↓ 🚫 People can’t multi-task, especially in very stressful situations. 🤔 Stress disrupts attention, memory, cognition, decision-making. 🤔 Also, it's difficult to prioritize and draw logical conclusions. ✅ In stress, we rely on fast, intuitive judgments — not reasoning. ✅ It leads to instinctive responses based on established habits. ✅ Goal: design flows that support focus and high accuracy. ✅ Start with better default settings, values, presets, actions. ✅ High-priority first: order of actions and buttons matters. ✅ Break complex tasks in a series of simple steps (10s each). ✅ Add built-in safeguards to prevent irreversible errors (Undo). ✅ Shift users to single-tasking: ask for one thing at a time. ✅ More simpler pages might work better than 1 complex page. ✅ Suggest a step-by-step plan of action to follow along. ✅ Design and test flows for emergency response ahead of time. 🚨 Add emergency mode for instant alerts, task assignments. In times of stress and high pressure, some people make decisions hastily, while others get entirely paralyzed. Either way is a likely path to mistakes — often irreversible ones, and often without time for extensive deliberations. Ideally, these decisions would be made way ahead of time — and reused when needed. The critical job that designers must do well is to help people focus. And that means removing distractions first — non-critical notifications and navigation. Asking simple questions and prompting simple actions — one thing at a time. Alert colleagues to get involved with a single button. Initiate an emergency mode with a pre-made chain of actions. Most importantly, set up an annual day to stress test your product and refine emergency responses. To check if fallbacks work as expected. If people know the protocols to follow. And if current UX of the product helps people manage failures and exceptional situations well enough. Emergencies will happen eventually — it’s just a matter of time. With good design, we can help mitigate risk and control damage, and make it hard to make irreversible mistakes. At its heart, that’s what good UX is exceptionally good at. Useful resources: Designing The SOS Emergency System, by Ritik Jayy https://lnkd.in/eT3KkVtK Designing For Crisis, by Eric Meyer https://lnkd.in/e3CwNuV9 Designing For Stressed Out Users (Series), by H Locke https://lnkd.in/ew_65Km4 Designing For Stress (Podcast), by Katie Swindler https://lnkd.in/e3jkPr8K Designing For Edge Cases and Exceptions https://lnkd.in/eeyrpp7m Design For Real Life, by Sara Wachter-Boettcher, Eric Meyer https://dfrlbook.com #ux #design

I wasn’t lazy. I was just distracted. (And I didn’t even realize it.) Tasks that should’ve taken 30 minutes dragged on for hours. Blank screens. Zero motivation. Endless scrolling. The problem wasn’t Time management. It was 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Then one day, I stumbled upon a 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 article that listed a few unusual focus hacks. I tried them. Tweaked them to fit my life. Soon, I started showing up better. With clarity, not chaos. Here’s what worked for me - (If focus has been a struggle lately, this might just help.) 1. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 We often chase vague goals — deadlines, KPIs, praise. But real energy comes when your work feels personal. One day, I was stuck on a complex analysis. No motivation. Then I pictured telling my mom what I did at work today. Her smile. Her pride. That image changed everything. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a task. It was something to be proud of. ➡ Ask yourself: “Who would I be excited to share this with?” Picture their face. Then start the work. 2. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴. 𝗢𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝘁. It sounds odd, but looping one instrumental track helps me zone in. I use Shri Hanuman Chalisa – Instrumental. No lyrics. Just rhythm. In no time, my brain quiets down. The repetition becomes an anchor: “You’re working now. Stay here.” ➡ Pick a calm, lyric-free track. Hit repeat. Let it ground your attention. 3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 2-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 Before starting a task, I set a 2-minute timer. No typing. No scribbling. Just look at the task. It’s like a warm-up for the brain. You’re letting your mind settle into the work, not crash-land into it. ➡ Try this tomorrow. Just 2 min of stillness before starting. You’ll be surprised how much smoother the task feels. 4. 𝗜 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 (𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆) Every time I get distracted during work hours, I don’t fight it. I note it down in my phone’s Notes app. • An unfinished Udemy course • A half-watched YouTube video on AI agents • The novel I abandoned after Chapter 7 • A call I owe to a childhood friend It’s not about guilt — it’s about awareness. A quiet system that tells me: “This is not urgent. It can wait.” ➡ Create a “Graveyard” note. Every time your mind wanders, log it. Then return to your core task. The Result? I’m still a work in progress. But I’m sharper. Quieter. Less reactive. The Biggest Shift? Not in my schedule, but in how I protect my attention. REMEMBER - You don’t need more hours. You need fewer attention leaks. P.S. Which of these 4 hacks would you try first? 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘧𝘶𝘭 → 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. LinkedIn Guide to Creating #big4 #lifestyle #productivity #timemanagement

💔 “The Brilliant Woman Who Was Interrupted 7 Times in 5 Minutes” During a leadership workshop, one of my clients shared something that stayed with me. Her voice broke a little as she said: 👉 “I counted… seven times in five minutes. They cut me off. By the end, I just gave up speaking.” I watched her eyes as she spoke. They weren’t just narrating an incident—they were telling the story of exhaustion. She described the scene in detail: The sharp tone of the first interruption. The laughter after the second. The shuffling of papers as if her words didn’t matter. By the fourth, her shoulders slumped. By the seventh, silence swallowed her brilliance. That moment pierced me. Because she didn’t just lose her voice in that meeting—she lost an opportunity to influence. And the room lost the chance to hear an idea that could have shaped strategy. 🚧 The Obstacle Gender bias doesn’t always announce itself. It creeps in quietly. In how often a woman is cut off. In how her ideas are overlooked until someone else repeats them. In how she’s told—implicitly or explicitly—to “be patient, wait your turn.” And here’s the truth: brilliance shouldn’t need permission to exist. 💡 How I Helped as a Communication Skills Trainer We worked on three things: ✔️ #AssertiveCommunication – rehearsing responses to interruptions that were firm but professional. ✔️ Power phrases – short, sharp lines that create space and command attention. ✔️ #ExecutivePresence – voice control, body language, and the subtle shifts that make people pause and listen. ✨ The Transformation At her next boardroom meeting, she walked in differently. She wasn’t waiting for permission. She wasn’t hoping not to be interrupted. She was ready. She didn’t just speak. She owned the table. And the most powerful part? The very people who had once interrupted her… leaned in, took notes, and listened. 🌍 The Learning As leaders, we must recognize that #GenderBias in communication is not imaginary. It’s real. It’s silent. And it shapes careers every single day. That’s why assertiveness training isn’t optional for women leaders. It’s #Leadership. It’s #Survival. It’s #Power. ⸻ 🔑 For Leaders Reading This: Have you ever witnessed brilliance being silenced in your boardroom? The bigger question is—what did you do about it?

Feel like you have a scattered brain? I do too. Here are 9 ways I stay focused as a solopreneur with ADHD. I struggle to regulate my attention. (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: the clue's in the name!) I don’t have a ‘deficit’ of attention- I have difficulties managing and controlling it. Especially now that I work for myself and have a lot more freedom. Attention shifts look like this: • Hyperfocus I get so absorbed in tasks that I forget to eat, drink or move. • Difficulty sustaining attention I get easily bored = restlessness, procrastination, distractibility. • Shifting attention I chaotically switch between tasks, disrupting my workflow. • Impulsivity I struggle to focus on one high-priority task at a time. I’m drawn to immediate, low-effort distractions that give me a quick dopamine hit. I have to work extra hard to regulate my attention. But I know that getting into a flow state is crucial for work productivity. So, here are 9 ways I maximise efficiency as an ADHDer: 1/ Changing my environment I’ll change my work location 2-3 times p/d. I know the signs that I’m losing focus… I get more irritable, distracted and less productive. My routine is usually: Morning/ afternoon: WFH - writing & calls Late afternoon: coffee shop/ hotel/ co-working space - deep work I was invited to Quintessential Offices in Glasgow recently and it was such a dream location to work from. It even has a gym & wellness area! 2/ Knowing my optimal workspace I've learned the triggers that make me feel overstimulated, unfocused and fidgety: Usually bright lights, noisy environments, too many people, uncomfortable seating, mess/ clutter. If possible, I’ll work in ambient atmospheres, use noise cancelling headphones and go to a location with different seating options so I can move between chair/ sofa. 3/ Fuel my body right Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But what I do/ don’t put into my body significantly impacts my concentration and productivity. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol, taking caffeine and eating junk food. The result: don't feel sluggish, higher energy and concentration, no dopamine spike & crash. More quick-fire tips: 4/ Custom DND mode (I put my phone on DND so I only receive notifications from clients). 5/ Exercise daily (My Apple Watch also reminds me to move about if I’m sat for too long). 6/ Gamify my work (If I do X task by X time, I can reward myself with X thing). 7/ Brain dump notebook/ board on Notion (I jot down ideas and tasks that come to my head so I can return to them later). 8/ Email only blocks (I dedicate a certain time to email responses, rather than replying in real time). 9/ Call scheduling (I try to squeeze my calls into a 2-3 day window, so I can dedicate the rest of the week to deep work). Finding ways to work with your brain - ADHD or not - is crucial. But just remember to be kind to yourself, too. Don't beat yourself up over your endless to-do list that was already impossible to finish!

The most expensive moment of your day costs nothing. But missing it costs everything. I'm talking about transition moments. Those 30-90 seconds between meetings, tasks, or contexts that most leaders rush through without a second thought. I see it constantly. Leaders pride themselves on packed calendars and back-to-back efficiency. But what looks like productivity is actually a performance killer. Microsoft research confirms why this happens. When measuring brain activity, researchers found the transition period between meetings creates one of the highest stress spikes in your entire day. Jumping directly from one context to another causes dramatic increases in beta waves…the ones associated with stress and anxiety. But here's what's fascinating: when leaders took even a 5-minute intentional break between meetings, they not only prevented these spikes but actually experienced a noticeable dip in beta activity. This isn't just about feeling better. Transition moments directly impact: 🔹 Decision quality (your brain needs time to reset) 🔹 Creativity (insights emerge in mental space, not mental clutter) 🔹 Leadership presence (scattered attention dilutes your impact) The highest-performing leaders I work with haven't added more to their plates. They've mastered the spaces between commitments. Try these three transition practices that take less than 60 seconds: 1. The Context Clearance Before leaving a meeting, take 20 seconds to write down any remaining thoughts or follow-ups. Close the mental tab completely. 2. The Arrival Reset Before entering your next context, take three deep breaths. Feel your feet on the floor. Name the single most important thing ahead. 3. The Intention Bridge Ask yourself: "Who do I need to be in this next moment?" Not what you need to do, but WHO you need to be. The paradox is clear: The moments we think matter least often determine how effective we are in the moments we think matter most. UC Irvine research found it takes an average of 25 minutes to truly refocus after a significant shift in attention. By rushing transitions, you guarantee you'll never bring your full capacity to ANYTHING. Great leaders don't work more hours. They bring complete attention to each moment. And that starts with how they transition. —- Follow me (Jon Macaskill ) for leadership insights that blend science with practical wisdom for today's pressure-filled world. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course—packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

The life of an early-stage founder is a beautiful mess. One minute you're troubleshooting a server crash, the next you're crafting a captivating investor pitch. While exhilarating, this constant context switching can leave your brain feeling like a juggling octopus, with tasks and responsibilities swirling in a chaotic dance. The Science of Scatteredness: Neuroscientists tell us context switching comes at a cost. Each time we shift gears, our brains incur a "switching cost" – a period of time wasted regaining focus and context. This constant switching can lead to decreased productivity, increased errors, and even impaired decision-making. Pros: 1. Agility and Adaptability: Founders wear many hats, and the ability to switch between tasks allows them to respond quickly to diverse challenges. 2. Holistic Understanding: Context switching fosters a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of various aspects of the business. 3. Spark of Innovation: The mental gymnastics of context switching can sometimes trigger creative connections, leading to unexpected solutions and innovative ideas. Cons: 1. Decreased Productivity: The "switching cost" can significantly impact efficiency, leading to longer hours and increased stress 2. Cognitive Overload: Juggling multiple tasks can overload your working memory, leading to decreased focus, attention lapses, and potential errors in judgment. 3. Decision Fatigue: Making numerous decisions across various domains can lead to decision fatigue, impacting the quality of your later choices. So how can early-stage founders mitigate the negative effects of context switching and leverage its potential benefits? 1. Batch Similar Tasks: Group similar tasks together, minimizing the number of context switches needed. Dedicate specific times for coding, emails, or meetings. 2. Schedule Breaks: Schedule short breaks throughout the day to allow your brain to rest and refocus. A quick walk or meditation can do wonders. 3. Delegate and Prioritize: Don't be a hero. Delegate tasks whenever possible and prioritize based on urgency and importance. 4. Leverage Technology: Use project management tools and communication platforms to streamline processes and reduce information overload. 5. Embrace Mindfulness: Practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing to improve focus and manage stress. Remember, you are not an octopus. While early-stage founders naturally wear many hats, prioritizing focused work and strategic context switching can significantly improve your well-being and the success of your venture. Embrace the beautiful mess, but manage your mental acrobatics, and you'll find the sweet spot where agility meets efficiency, paving the way for a thriving startup. ...and if all else fails, invest in a sturdy punching bag. #FoundersJourney #ContextSwitching #BrainHealth #StartupLife #Productivity #DecisionMaking #Mindfulness #Focus #Delegation #Technology #Wellbeing #Success #PunchingBagHumor

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through social media, only to realize hours have passed and you've accomplished nothing? This phenomenon is called the "Attention Residue Effect." When you switch between tasks or get distracted, your brain takes a while to adjust. This residual attention can linger, making it harder to focus on what's truly important. Missing this effect can lead to: - Decreased productivity - Increased stress - Poor time management - Missed deadlines - Lost opportunities Here are some interesting ways to avoid this happening to you. 1. Stop, Drop, and Refocus: When you catch yourself mindlessly scrolling, stop immediately, drop what you're doing, and refocus on your priority task. 2. The 2-Minute Warning: Set a timer for 2 minutes before switching tasks. This buffer helps your brain adjust and reduces attention residue. 3. Task-Stacking: Group similar tasks together and complete them in one session. This reduces switching costs and minimizes attention residue. 4. Attention Anchors: Use a physical object, like a rubber band or a small stone, as a tactile reminder to stay focused on your priority task. 5. The '3-Then-Me' Rule: Complete three important tasks before checking social media or email. This helps you prioritize and reduces distractions. 6. Focus Sprints: Work in focused 25-minute increments, followed by a 5-minute break. This technique is called the Pomodoro Technique. 7. The 'Eisenhower Matrix' Hack: Use the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into urgent vs. important and focus on the most critical ones first. 8. Schedule 'White Space: Leave intentional gaps in your calendar for relaxation and rejuvenation. This helps reduce mental fatigue and attention residue. I have often found that when I am stressed about something, I happen to do it a lot. So, before you start with the solution, make sure you find your "why" first.

You're mid-sentence in a meeting. Someone cuts you off. Again. You smile, stay quiet, and lose your voice. If you accept interruptions, you train others to ignore you. I've been in thousands of meetings over my career. Led teams. Presented to executives. Eventually became Director of Software Engineering. One pattern I’ve seen? People who get heard set boundaries. 7 (proven) ways to stop people from interrupting you: 1/ Ask to continue When someone jumps in: pause, make eye contact. “If it’s alright, I’d like to finish my thought first.” Clear. Polite. Assertive. 2/ Acknowledge, then steer back Let them finish. Then: “Thanks—let me quickly finish what I was saying.” Respectful but firm. 3/ Set expectations upfront Start strong: “Feel free to note questions—we’ll tackle them during Q&A.” You set the rules. 4/ Keep it short The longer you talk, the more chances to be cut off. Be direct. Be organized. Be done. 5/ Use the right tools In Zoom? Use the ‘raise hand’ feature to stay organized. Chat for sidebar questions. 6/ Let your body do the talking Eye contact. Small hand raise. Keep talking. They’ll get the message. Confident body language stops interruptions before they start. 7/ Provide feedback privately Most interrupters don’t even realize. After the meeting: "During the meeting, I felt I was being cut off a few times. I'd appreciate the chance to finish my points next time." Direct. Respectful. Problem solved. These work. I’ve used every one. Your voice matters. So do your ideas. Don’t let interruptions steal that. 👉 Which tactic will you try today? PS: Someone getting interrupted? Step in. “Let’s hear the rest of what Sarah was saying.” That’s leadership.