Context Switching Is a Tax You Keep Paying

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine found that the average person today can focus on a single screen for 47 seconds.

Twenty years ago? 

2.5 minutes. 😵‍💫

Now here’s the number that actually matters:

Every ping, every tab switch, every “quick check” can quietly delete half an hour of real performance.

All of this comes down to context switching; the silent killer of output.

Let me explain. 

Context Switching Is a Tax You Keep Paying

Every time you jump between:

• a doc and your inbox,

• Slack and a browser,

• a half-read article and a half-written note,

your brain must:

1. Drop the old context

2. Load a new one

3. Figure out where you were

4. Rebuild momentum

That’s expensive.

And most people pay this tax dozens of times per day without realizing it.

They think they’re busy. They’re actually just reloading.

Why You Feel Busy but Produce Less Than You Should

If your day looks like this:

• Open a tab

• Get interrupted

• Save it “for later”

• Lose the thread

• Try again tomorrow

You’re trapped in a broken knowledge system.

And you are constantly:

• interrupting your own thinking,

• scattering your attention across tools,

• and forcing your brain to remember what your software should be remembering for you.

No human performs well in that environment. Sorry.

High Performers Don’t Protect Time. They Protect Context.

Time is not your bottleneck.

Context is.

If you can keep:

• your sources,

• your notes,

• your thoughts,

• your decisions

• (and your sheets together)

inside one continuous flow…

You think faster. You decide faster. You execute cleaner.

And the moment you start splitting:

• research in one place,

• notes in another,

• links in a third,

• comments in Slack,

you multiply context switches by default. And your output drops, even if your hours don’t.

How to Reduce Context Switching Without “Trying Harder” - 5 Simple Rules

Here are 5 rules you can apply immediately:

1. One task = one workspace
   No parallel tabs “just in case.”
   

2. Capture in place
   If something is useful, save it with its context, not as a naked link.
   

3. Comment while you consume
   Your future self needs your thinking, not just the source.
   

4. Keep research and discussion together
   When knowledge and communication live apart, context dies.
   

5. Return to exact thought state
   Every break should bring you back to the exact mental state you left.

Following these rules helps your brain work the way it’s meant to. Every time you preserve context, you save energy, maintain momentum, and make the work you do actually count.

Instead of constantly restarting, your thinking flows, decisions form faster, and progress becomes visible.

Small changes like this add up, turning a chaotic day into focused, productive hours.

Protect Context - Your Brain Will Thank You

We built a system that keeps your context safe - all your highlights, comments, and notes live together, connected to the sources that matter.

You can pause, come back, and pick up exactly where you left off.

Give your brain the space to do what it does best: think, create, and make progress.

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Until next time

Gordana
Community Manager @ Collabwriting