Titans Journal Day 26: Context Switching

Time flies when I'm focused. And time flies when I'm distracted.

The difference is that after a focused session, there are boxes to check off and the feeling of making progress is so wonderful.

On the other hand, when distracted, you'd work on one thing then switching to the other, frequently. Context switching is costly. After the mind wanders around for a while, you'll end up feeling tired from jumping around tasks, and stressed, too, because of lacking progress.

The easiest way to get distracted is by reading social media and chatting online. I have 10 chat clients: Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Wechat, Discord, Skype, Google Voice, and Keybase. And I have not yet counted Zoom, Emails, Phone, Google Chat, Google Hangout, iMessage, Twitter private messages, Facebook Messengers, and LinkedIn Messages--which I actually use quite frequently. And I don't use Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat. Geez, how many chat clients are there!!! (Feel free to name the ones I missed here!)

During the working hours, I usually only open Slack, and Zoom when needed. I am mindful of limiting myself on checking emails or text messages. I don't check my phone or other chat clients except maybe only once or twice a day.

I also block out myself from reading news--which could be so emotionally draining these days.

"Well begun is half done," said Aristotle. Only blocking out distraction could lead to a "well begun," and if we can focus and stay productive, it should eventually become a job "well done!"