It took me some time to understand that how important taking notes between switching tasks is. I used to just jump to the next thing, but then it took me longer to resume state without these notes. It's like backing to disk the in memory storage before flushing it for a new task.
Thanks for sharing these tips and for the shoutout!
Right, couldn’t agree more and glad you liked the article! Making notes may be a bit more work in the beginning, but after you come up with a good system, it’s such a beneficial thing to do.
I was having a conversation about this topic this afternoon. Context switching and time management are challenging! Taking notes is a great tip! I learned to schedule 25 or 50 minutes meetings, so I can have small breaks even when the calendar is full.
I'm curious about the specific tools or applications Eugene (and perhaps you, Gregor) prefer for this kind of note-taking and task management. With so many options available, ranging from simple apps like Notepad or Todoist to more comprehensive systems like Evernote or Microsoft OneNote, I wonder what features or aspects of a note-taking app are most valuable for someone in a high-level management position dealing with frequent context switches. Additionally, how does the choice of tool impact your ability to retrieve and act on those notes later, especially when managing a wide range of projects and tasks?
Notion is my go to for note taking. I can’t imagine my day anymore without it. I take notes about everything in there and organize them based on different criteria. I also have a todo list in notion, it’s created based on gtd methodology. I also use calendar to put in specific things I wish to focus on at prticular time.
I use google keep on my phone for random ideas/thoughts I come up with. Also have a google spreadsheet pinned in my browser with many tabs per project I'm running. It doesn't have to be a sophisticated solution.
For me the less clicks it takes to access the data the better.
Focus is everything for engineers. Good choice of a topic both 👏👏
I use Calendar time blocking regularly to make sure no one puts any meetings there. Unless urgent of course. But putting boundaries is the way to go to politely say no.
Reading this I noted how it's not about the time itself, but about knowing what to do before starting. Aligning with team/org priorities and being clear on what to do will create more impact in the same amount of time.
Insightful article, thanks to both Gregor and Eugene for writing it!
Right Fran! Clarity is the key. The more we grow, more things we need to "juggle". Knowing what to work on / delegate or remove becomes one of the highest valued activity. Glad that you liked the article!
Thanks for the great advice. I'm getting much better at understanding my energy levels - your advice for doing shallow work during this time is on point.
As the lone developer at a small company, I don't have the luxury of blocking out focus time on my calendar. If something breaks, it requires my immediate attention, no matter what else I may be doing. I do like the idea of jotting down a quick note to help get back into the flow of whatever I was doing pre-interruption, though. I'll definitely give that a try.
Great read! I believe that using Eisenhower to prioritize and relying on calendar time blocking is the best approach I have ever taken. I ever realized how important it is to take good notes before switching the context.
Constant evaluation of urgent and important tasks.
This has been crucial for me. Once I've achieved this by leveraging the Eisenhower Matrix, and next Wednesday (March 13th) I'll publish my weekly issue with a template for this Eisenhower Matrix, so you will be able to download it an use it
I suffer context switching in another way. It's real problem. There are productivity killers that on very personal level, they are sometimes very subtle to detect.
One more tool for the toolbox – I've seen so many teams fighting to protect their "value add" time. In other words, trying not to get pulled into too many things that don't add value to the project. Whether it's a meeting you shouldn't be invited to, or it's too many bugs overwhelming the team – trying to communicate the cost of all that "non-value add" is hard. It's the context switching, time going in random direction, getting pulled into too many discussions, being forced to deal with technical issues again and again (when they could be automated).
The hard part is going back to the business and saying "hey, we need to invest some time here, the team is losing ground, distracted, too much context switching – we need to fix the root cause." And most business respond with, "as long as the next release ships on time."
The conversation changes if you can go back to the business with hard facts. "During our last sprint, the team spent 46% of their time on 'non-value add' work – which means $50,000 of our budget was just wasted." Now the business gets interested.
Great point Zac! That's why focus and clarity is so important. Focus on what's important and remove what is not. Agree that it's hard to communicate this to the business. Thanks also for sharing the article!
This article really hits the nail on the head about how switching tasks too often can mess with our work flow, especially in tech jobs. Nice to see these experiences and tips.
From blocking out time to focus, to figuring out how to handle the little tasks without getting overwhelmed. We need more of this.
It took me some time to understand that how important taking notes between switching tasks is. I used to just jump to the next thing, but then it took me longer to resume state without these notes. It's like backing to disk the in memory storage before flushing it for a new task.
Thanks for sharing these tips and for the shoutout!
Right, couldn’t agree more and glad you liked the article! Making notes may be a bit more work in the beginning, but after you come up with a good system, it’s such a beneficial thing to do.
Exactly, whether its a call or a task there are only 3 options:
1. Action immediately
2. Take notes and action later
3. Forget. I'd argue its better to forget than to keep it all in mind. Takes less energy.
I learned that too from a mentor. Great tips on here.
I was having a conversation about this topic this afternoon. Context switching and time management are challenging! Taking notes is a great tip! I learned to schedule 25 or 50 minutes meetings, so I can have small breaks even when the calendar is full.
I've been adopting 15 min meetings and very often its enough to solve the problem. No time for small talk though :) Almost never longer than 30 min.
I'm curious about the specific tools or applications Eugene (and perhaps you, Gregor) prefer for this kind of note-taking and task management. With so many options available, ranging from simple apps like Notepad or Todoist to more comprehensive systems like Evernote or Microsoft OneNote, I wonder what features or aspects of a note-taking app are most valuable for someone in a high-level management position dealing with frequent context switches. Additionally, how does the choice of tool impact your ability to retrieve and act on those notes later, especially when managing a wide range of projects and tasks?
Notion is my go to for note taking. I can’t imagine my day anymore without it. I take notes about everything in there and organize them based on different criteria. I also have a todo list in notion, it’s created based on gtd methodology. I also use calendar to put in specific things I wish to focus on at prticular time.
I use google keep on my phone for random ideas/thoughts I come up with. Also have a google spreadsheet pinned in my browser with many tabs per project I'm running. It doesn't have to be a sophisticated solution.
For me the less clicks it takes to access the data the better.
Focus is everything for engineers. Good choice of a topic both 👏👏
I use Calendar time blocking regularly to make sure no one puts any meetings there. Unless urgent of course. But putting boundaries is the way to go to politely say no.
Someone told me once - you are the master of your calendar :)
Thanks Basma! Right, if you don’t block the time yourself, someone else will. Great to hear that’s working for you.
Reading this I noted how it's not about the time itself, but about knowing what to do before starting. Aligning with team/org priorities and being clear on what to do will create more impact in the same amount of time.
Insightful article, thanks to both Gregor and Eugene for writing it!
Right Fran! Clarity is the key. The more we grow, more things we need to "juggle". Knowing what to work on / delegate or remove becomes one of the highest valued activity. Glad that you liked the article!
Great article guys! 🙌
This reminds me of the famous post from Paul Graham "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule".
Definitely! Love this post and it has helped me a lot to have clear boundaries in my schedule.
Yes! I like that post https://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
Thanks for the great advice. I'm getting much better at understanding my energy levels - your advice for doing shallow work during this time is on point.
Thanks for sharing.
Great to hear the article resonates with you John!
As the lone developer at a small company, I don't have the luxury of blocking out focus time on my calendar. If something breaks, it requires my immediate attention, no matter what else I may be doing. I do like the idea of jotting down a quick note to help get back into the flow of whatever I was doing pre-interruption, though. I'll definitely give that a try.
Definitely try that. I literally note down every single thing. It's so much better to put it out of your mind and into the system.
Great read! I believe that using Eisenhower to prioritize and relying on calendar time blocking is the best approach I have ever taken. I ever realized how important it is to take good notes before switching the context.
+1 for Eisenhower and calendar blocking! Does wonders.
Constant evaluation of urgent and important tasks.
This has been crucial for me. Once I've achieved this by leveraging the Eisenhower Matrix, and next Wednesday (March 13th) I'll publish my weekly issue with a template for this Eisenhower Matrix, so you will be able to download it an use it
https://optimistengineer.substack.com/
Big fan of Eisenhower Matrix! Great to hear that and thanks for letting us know. I’ll check out your article on Wednesday.
Here it is!
https://open.substack.com/pub/optimistengineer/p/template-eisenhower-matrix?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=nw9bj
Thanks for sharing! Like the template.
This is great advice! Thank you for sharing it. Memorable visuals, as always.
It reminds me of the classic essay "Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule" by Paul Graham: https://paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
Great to hear you like the advice, and thanks for the kind words on visuals!
Right, this writing resonates a lot with me and breaking the time into manager and maker time does wonders for me!
I suffer context switching in another way. It's real problem. There are productivity killers that on very personal level, they are sometimes very subtle to detect.
You can read it here: (https://sreejin.substack.com/?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web&r=8ikhn).
I believe you mean this article Sreejin? https://sreejin.substack.com/p/ok-this-is-crazy 346 tabs is a LOT. Right, I can just imagine my mental energy draining from all of those tabs.
One more tool for the toolbox – I've seen so many teams fighting to protect their "value add" time. In other words, trying not to get pulled into too many things that don't add value to the project. Whether it's a meeting you shouldn't be invited to, or it's too many bugs overwhelming the team – trying to communicate the cost of all that "non-value add" is hard. It's the context switching, time going in random direction, getting pulled into too many discussions, being forced to deal with technical issues again and again (when they could be automated).
The hard part is going back to the business and saying "hey, we need to invest some time here, the team is losing ground, distracted, too much context switching – we need to fix the root cause." And most business respond with, "as long as the next release ships on time."
The conversation changes if you can go back to the business with hard facts. "During our last sprint, the team spent 46% of their time on 'non-value add' work – which means $50,000 of our budget was just wasted." Now the business gets interested.
I've used waste walks to do this. You can pretty easily (in one sprint) capture all the waste, the context switching, the "things the team really shouldn't have been doing," and turn it into a cost/impact analysis. A little more detail on how here: https://blog.bosslogic.com/p/context-switching-is-killing-your-gains-part-2-85be456e6d92
Great point Zac! That's why focus and clarity is so important. Focus on what's important and remove what is not. Agree that it's hard to communicate this to the business. Thanks also for sharing the article!
This article really hits the nail on the head about how switching tasks too often can mess with our work flow, especially in tech jobs. Nice to see these experiences and tips.
From blocking out time to focus, to figuring out how to handle the little tasks without getting overwhelmed. We need more of this.
Thanks for the kind words and your feedback. Glad the article resonated with you!
I always tell my team that nothing good happens after 1700 on a Friday. (Apart from the weekend!)
Heh, that's very true Martin!
Well I am an ME and now a Project Manager, we do industrial mechanicals, but I find these rules apply here as well, many of them I use.
Love to hear that Richard!