If I could only teach one thing to business owners about what will keep them from healthy, sustainable growth, it’s this.
I’d teach them about the dangers of context-switching.
Context switching refers to when a person shifts their focus from one task to another.
While it sounds harmless, the research shows that context switching can significantly hamper productivity.
I've experienced first-hand the effects of this debilitating time suck.
- It annihilates productivity.
- It stifles growth.
- It kills culture.
Take a look at this graph from a recent study out of Carnegie Mellon University.
This graph shows the percentage of time one person devotes to a project. This study showed that the average person lost 20% of their productive time when switching to just ONE more project. When another project was added on top of this, 40% of their time was gone, then 60%, etc.
You get the picture. The more that gets added to our plate and the more we’re switching between projects, the less efficient we become.
We end up wasting a TON of time.
My husband loves (and hates) this graph because this study was based on an analysis of software engineering team productivity.
He witnessed this first-hand in his experiences as a technology leader, and it drove him crazy!
As leaders, we must be aware that when we ask our people to switch gears, they are losing valuable productive time.
That's why cultivating a healthy culture and implementing the right systems and processes is critical.
Don’t be a task juggler. Be focused, and have the right systems and processes in place to reduce the risk of context-switching.
Having an assistant inside your business can help you avoid this.
You can start delegating the tasks that would otherwise cause you to context-shift and let your assistant handle these distractions for you.
Are you ready to explore what this could look like for you and your business?
Just comment below - I can’t wait to hear from you!
