To become a better Project Manager, become an expert at Context Switching

Context switching is the process of shifting attention or resources from one task, activity, or project to another.

Context switching is hard. Switching tasks requires mental effort to refocus, this is called cognitive load. Put too much cognitive load on a person and they become inefficient.

Context switching is disruptive. Studies suggest it can take 15-20 minutes to focus on a new context each time you switch. People often attempt to minimise context switching to improve efficiency.

Context switching lowers quality. The more times context is switched, the more likely errors are likely to be introduced into a task.

So why on earth would we want to get better at this?

The traditional wisdom is to minimise context switching. To block out chunks of time when you focus on one particular context at the exclusion of all else. Context switching is so disruptive, the conventional wisdom is to minimise it to zero.

For a Project Manager, context switching is inevitable.

Not only do you need to be able to turn your hand to a varied set of tasks in a given day, but the necessary interruptions you experience in a day will require you to switch context quickly and frequently.

If that increases your cognitive load (it will), disrupts your flow (it does) and lowers the quality of your output (it does), and you can’t minimise it to zero (you can’t if you’re a Project Manager), then you’d better get better at context switching than the average Joe.

Why is context switching important for Project Managers?

Here’s what my morning looked like one day last year.

• Meeting with the CIO to prepare for quarterly programme update to the Board of Directors

• An interview with a candidate Project Manager

• A one on one with a team member

• 4 phone calls from different stakeholders each requiring a response to a different issue

• Countless emails and slack messages

• Whilst building the deck for the next governance meeting

This sort of day is not unusual. The range of things you have to deal with as a Project Manager is wide and requires frequent context switching. Context switching is tiring. The better you are at it, the better able you are to deal with the different contexts you need to deal with and still have energy left at the end of the day. And the better decisions you will make in each new context you find yourself in.

How do you become better at context switching?

Implementing these techniques will help you get better at context switching.

• Improve task clarity. Be clear on what you’re trying to accomplish with each task. What outcome are you aiming for? Develop your way of recording task outcomes and keeping the focus on the outcome.

• Develop strong transition rituals. Before switching context, what is your ritual to save your current state on your current task? Don’t just ‘stop’ and focus on the new thing. Make sure you ‘close out’ your current work in a way that minimises the thinking you have to do when you pick it up again. I use mind maps and Miro a lot when I’m thinking so that my current thought process is explicit. This makes it easier to re-engage in that context later. Use technology to reduce mental load during switching. I also document my current state every 10-15 minutes when I’m working on a task, preparing for an inevitable context switch. Every 10-15 minutes I pause, take 1 minute to write what I’m thinking and what I’m going to be working on in the next 15 minutes. If I need to context switch in a hurry, my state is already saved for easier re-engagement.

• Strengthen your mental agility. Cognitive exercises like memory games or puzzles can enhance your ability to shift attention efficiently. I do a Mensa puzzle every day. I’m not saying I’m good at them, but I do them. Mindfulness techniques like meditation also help improve focus and reduce stress at transitions. Practicing daily meditation, yoga, or breathing do add value to your ability to context switch like a pro.

Ultimately, you have to learn to enjoy the busy-ness and craziness that can come with a project. The more you practice these things, the better you will become at them.