Reduce Context Switching

Every week I hear from people who have too many meetings and are overwhelmed, in no small part due to constant context switching. 

The struggle is real and it can be improved upon. Here are a couple actions to help reclaim your headspace. 

🥇 Get clear on your priorities and what you need to achieve them.
If you need to do deep work, then create time blocks on your calendar. If you are managing a large team, perhaps consider two days/week exclusively dedicated to people. If you are navigating priority overwhelm remember the maxim of ‘how we spend our time reflects one’s priorities.’ Use this to help reconnect with what is actually important.

🧮 Play with structure.
Chances are that your time is not entirely your own. Still, start with what you would want your time to look like. See if you can find fun mnemonic devices to support structure. For instance, during the pandemic I organized my days as the following: Mondays for MisInformation, Tuesday and Thursday for Team, Wednesday was the wildcard day (usually elections) and Friday was for follow-up (and no meetings). It worked for me and was easy for others to adapt. 

💻 Once you find what works (or what you’d like to try), communicate up and around to clarify why you are making changes. Focus on the business need for change. This will create buy-in to your supportive structure. 

Coming soon: Combating Meeting Fatigue.