Productivity
Apr 5, 20267 min read

The hidden cost of context switching (and how to minimize it)

Emma Rodriguez
Emma Rodriguez
Operations Lead at SaneHQ
The hidden cost of context switching (and how to minimize it)

Every ping has a price. When we measured how often engineers context-switched in a day, the median was higher than we expected, and the cost showed up as late reviews and shallow design.

We batch notifications, define response-time expectations by channel, and use maker hours where meetings are not allowed. None of this removes urgency; it concentrates it.

Protecting focus is a leadership decision. Policies only stick when managers model them.

Emma Rodriguez
Emma Rodriguez
Emma studies how teams allocate attention and designs workflows that reduce thrash.

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