Most days, it’s not the big technical challenges that slow me down.
It’s the small tasks that slip in between — opening files in the wrong format, checking measurements twice, copying content from documents that weren’t meant to be edited, or switching tools just to do one simple thing.
Individually, none of these tasks feel important. They take a minute or two at most. But spread across a day, they quietly interrupt focus more than I expect.
I used to ignore this. I’d tell myself it wasn’t worth thinking about because the tasks were “too small” to optimize. Over time, though, I realized how often these moments broke my flow.
Now I try to be more aware of them.
Sometimes the answer is better tooling. Sometimes it’s just accepting that a task doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to be finished. And sometimes it’s about resisting the urge to overthink a simple problem.
Paying attention to these small interruptions has helped me work more calmly, even when the workload itself hasn’t changed.
Top comments (1)
This really hits home for me.
I didn’t realize how much those tiny interruptions add up until I started logging my actual productivity. It’s always the little things — file formats, tiny conversions, quick checks — that pull me out of focus and make a simple day feel cluttered.
For me, just being aware of these small tasks and letting myself accept them as part of the workflow has made a surprising difference. Sometimes it’s okay to pause and get something done without turning it into a “project”.
Thanks for putting this into words — it’s reassuring to see others think the same way.