Don’t let this sabotage your programming efficiency
Multitasking is not a great skill to have - it’s a myth.
Contrary to popular belief, the human brain is not capable of true multitasking.
According to René Marois, a neuroscience expert who studies the neural basis of human attention:
"Our brains do not handle multitasking situations well. As soon as two tasks require our attention, productivity suffers".
A trip down memory lane…
In the world of programming, we are often faced with problems where we feel we have to multitask. In fact, I used to think that I was quite good at multitasking.
In my day job as a developer, I would often be writing some code, then having to jump on a call, answer some questions, go back to coding, write some documentation, then back on another call…
I was happily juggling all those daily tasks like a true multitasking rabbit.
However, over time I noticed that despite all that juggling, I seemed to be taking longer to complete tasks.
I would get frustrated that the minute I started settling into writing some code, I would get interrupted by someone or something. As soon as I was interrupted or forced to switch to another task, my focus would be shattered and it would take a while to get back into the groove again.
That’s when I realised, that there’s no such thing as multitasking.
Instead, this phenomenon is known as context switching.
It's the silent productivity killer that affects programmers and other knowledge workers alike.
The Cost of Context Switching
It's estimated that every time you switch tasks, it takes an average of 25 minutes to regain full productivity, as your brain needs time to refocus and get back up to speed.
The cost of context switching is not just in terms of time, but also in terms of cognitive load. When you're constantly switching between tasks, your brain has to work harder to keep track of what you were doing before, what you need to do next, and how to shift your focus and attention.
This leads to increased mental fatigue, decreased creativity, and reduced overall productivity.
To make matters worse, context switching is often unavoidable in today's fast-paced work environment. Whether it's responding to emails, attending meetings, or dealing with urgent issues, there are always distractions and interruptions that can derail your focus and productivity.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, by recognising the cost of context switching and taking steps to minimise its impact, you can reclaim your productivity, reduce your mental load, and achieve better results in less time.
How to Minimise Context Switching
You can’t avoid context-switching in all circumstances, as you just never know what could come up to throw you off a task.
However, it’s certainly possible to reduce the number of interruptions and minimise the likelihood of getting caught out by context switching.
Here are 6 habits you can adopt to minimise context switching:
Prioritise your tasks
Identify your most important tasks for the day and focus on completing them first. This will help you stay on track and avoid constantly switching between tasks.Batch similar tasks
Group similar tasks together and complete them in one go. For example, schedule a block of time to reply to emails or make phone calls, rather than interrupting your coding flow throughout the day.Use time-blocking
Speaking of time-blocking, set aside dedicated blocks of time for focused work and minimise distractions during these periods. Communicate to your team or colleagues when you'll be unavailable to avoid interruptions.Minimise interruptions
Turn off notifications on your phone and computer when you need to focus. Communicate to your team or colleagues when you need uninterrupted time to work on a project.Avoid multitasking
As we discussed earlier, multitasking can actually decrease productivity and impair cognitive performance. Instead, focus on one task at a time and give it your full attention.Plan for interruptions
While it's impossible to eliminate all interruptions, you can plan for them by building some buffer time into your schedule. Leave some extra time between meetings or tasks to allow for unexpected interruptions or delays.
To wrap this up, context switching can be a silent killer of productivity for programmers, but it doesn't have to be.
By adopting these habits into your daily routine, you can minimise distractions, improve your work performance, and reclaim control over your productivity.
Don’t be a multitasking rabbit 🐰
From your fellow ever-growing dev,
Cherlock Code
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Top comments (9)
Context switching is a very real problem. I see this article has been marked as "beginner" but my experience from working with 35,000 developer datasets at Adadot.com is that senior devs and managers are exposed to more distractions. They are the ones that usually have to do the most meetings and answer any calls for help so definitely a very real problem for all levels.
I agree with this. In fact I had a Senior Engineering Manager leave my team recently due to the sheer number distractions from getting pulled into meetings and various discussions, not to mention juggling with managing people. He was dissatisfied that he wasn't able to do his job properly and actually write code!
Totally get it!
Very true that multitasking breaks workflow.
We often have a short team meeting every morning. If it turns out that I need to make a few calls with people, I try to do those immediately after the meeting, and then settle down to writing code afterwards to minimise context switching.
Yes! I do exactly the same after my morning meeting. Too many calls makes it almost impossible to focus on finishing a task.
The worst thing is when there are 15 minute gaps between calls/meetings, as there isn't enough time to get stuck into something, but waiting around feels counter-productive.
So true, then you might end up using this time to read emails or something similar but even that's not enough time and yet another distraction!
I usually listening podcast or youtube video while i coding, you are right that i can not 100% to focus on coding, it take more time to code and more bugs in my code, when i read your article i think i need to stop multitasking, thank you so much
I sometimes listen to music too, however I find that I can't listen anything with lyrics as that ends up becoming too distracting 😅 Multitasking is the hardest to quit, the less distractions the better!