Improving Task Switching Skills

In the SEAL Teams, we had a saying… “Slow is smooth… smooth is fast.” Your smoothest crews may look slow but I bet they finish on schedule (if not before)… AND I bet they have fun. I mean, check this dude out… He moved like he had all the time in the world: slow… deliberate… tiny micro-corrections. Owners in energy + manufacturing will recognize this instantly: If he loses focus, he doesn’t “fix it later.” He starts over completely. Also: it’s dangerous. At one point he even says something like, “I don’t want to burn the cameraman.” That’s the truth about focus in the real world: It’s quality + safety + cost control. But it’s also something we don’t talk about enough: Focus is where the FUN is y’all! Not “fun” like goofing off. Fun like flow. Fun like, “I’m fully here, I’m good at this, and it matters.” A lot of leaders think speed = productivity. In high-consequence work, speed usually means: more interruptions → more rework → more risk → more frustration. The calm pros look slow because they’re protecting the only thing that actually produces: attention. A simple “Focus → Flow → Fun → Fulfillment” reset (60 seconds) Use this before any critical task (startup, switching, lift, lockout, verification, handoff): 1. One breath. In through the nose, long exhale. 2. Name the next 30 seconds. “This is a critical moment.” 3. Scan for the two biggest risks. (People + process) 4. One commitment line. “Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.” That’s it. Not complicated. Not fluffy. Just a micro-dose of mindfulness that makes space for better decisions and keeps your team in the kind of focus that prevents defects and makes work feel worth doing. Save this and turn it into a pre-task habit for anything you can’t afford to redo.

Want people to stick with tough tasks? Turns out, a little psychology beats a bigger paycheck. The study goes back to a TED talk I heard in Vancouver by the CEO of Duolingo He said the single most important nudge to keep people on the task of working a language was: streaks. Now the science: In a series of six studies (with 4,493 participants), researchers tested a surprising idea: people work more when they’re paid less per task—if the incentive rewards consecutive effort. Instead of offering a flat rate, participants were given “streak incentives”—small bonuses that grow as long as tasks are done back-to-back, and reset if there's a break. The result? 💡 People stayed more focused, completed more tasks, and were more committed to their goals—even when the total payoff was lower than with traditional pay schemes. Why? Because streak incentives link past effort to future rewards. They build momentum. They make commitment visible. And here's the kicker: it’s not about the increasing numbers—it’s the consecutiveness that matters. You all know the drill from apps like Duolingo or snapchat. The streaks keep you going. If you’re designing incentive systems—whether in sales, learning, or gig work—this is a game-changer: 👉 Don’t just reward performance. Reward streaks. 👉 Make continuity visible—and valuable. 👉 Help people feel their effort builds. Because sometimes, 1 + 2 + 3 beats 3 + 3 + 3—when it keeps people going. https://lnkd.in/dJdYNuFC

If your automation stopped working tomorrow, how long could your business continue operating before your customers felt it? We’ve seen it: ■ Retailers frozen at checkout because POS systems failed. ■ Airlines grounded when scheduling tools crashed. ■ Banks paralyzed by cyberattacks. Automation, AI, data platforms, and cloud-based ecosystems have unlocked new opportunities for efficiency, personalization, and growth. But the more we integrate, the more dependent we become. What happens when a critical platform fails? Can your business still serve its customers if automation were to freeze for just a few hours? Or would a simple disruption cascade into a complete shutdown? Digital transformation shouldn’t mean digital fragility. I believe that technology should empower us, not hold us hostage. Here are some strategies to ensure your business stays resilient in a digital-first world: 1. Map your critical dependencies: Understand which platforms, tools, and systems are essential for serving customers. Identify single points of failure and create alternatives before issues arise. 2. Build manual backups: Train teams to handle key operations without full reliance on automation. This ensures continuity when systems fail or platforms go offline. 3. Stress-test your systems: Simulate platform outages or data disruptions to evaluate response times, identify weaknesses, and prepare contingency plans. 4. Invest in cybersecurity & redundancy: As businesses grow digitally, so do risks. Prioritize secure infrastructure, cloud backups, and fail-safe mechanisms to minimize disruption. 5. Empower people, not just platforms: Technology should enhance human capability, not replace it. By upskilling teams, companies ensure employees can step in when automation halts. As tech leaders, we need to rethink risk management, stress-test operations, and ensure customer experience doesn’t collapse when the tech stack hiccups. #Automation #AI #Data #Tech

The power of "Reset" I used to think context switching was basically multitasking with better branding. Then I watched him work. He’d be deep in a conversation about risk models… end it cleanly… and immediately snap into a product discussion like the previous meeting never existed. No leftovers. No mental hangovers. Just a full reset in seconds. Most people think that’s intelligence. But it’s not just that. It’s training. Years of bouncing between banking—structured, heavy, rule-bound—and software—fast, creative, ambiguous. Your brain eventually learns to hit “refresh” on command because the alternative is chaos. That’s the real skill: The ability to start the next thing with a completely empty mental slate. While I was waiting, he had back-to-back meetings piled up. You could see the pace. But the moment I walked in, he switched into deep curiosity—instantly. Not small talk. Not polite filler. Actual interest. “How do we make learning more practical?” “How do we scale this mindset inside teams?” He even skimmed through our work with the kind of attention people pretend to have on quieter days. Walking out, I realised something: Some people don’t think faster. They reset faster. And if you want to build that muscle, the trick isn’t doing more at once. It’s closing mental tabs faster. End the thought. Park the decision. Exhale. Drop the residue. Enter the next task like it’s the first thing you’re doing today. Small habit. Massive impact.

Do this to Stay on track and maintain focus. 1. Set Clear Goals - Break your larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks. If your goal is to complete a project, break it into tasks like research, drafting, editing, and finalizing. Identify the most important tasks and tackle them first. 💡 TIP - Use the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks by urgency & importance. 2. Create a Plan - Spend 10 minutes each morning planning your tasks & estimating how long each will take. 💡 TIP - Time Blocking: Schedule specific blocks of time for different tasks and stick to the schedule. Allocate 9-11 AM for focused work, 11-12 PM for emails, and 1-3 PM for meetings. 3. Eliminate Distractions - Use apps like Freedom or StayFocusd to block distracting websites. Keep your workspace tidy and free from clutter. 💡 TIP - Spend 5 minutes each day for organizing your desk. 4. Use Productivity Tools - Use Trello, Asana, or Todoist to keep track of tasks and deadlines. 💡 TIP - Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. Repeat this cycle to maintain focus and avoid burnout. 5. Practice Mindfulness - Incorporate short meditation sessions into your daily routine to improve focus and reduce stress. Use apps like Headspace or Calm for guided meditation. 💡 TIP - Mindful Breathing: Take deep breaths and focus on breathing to bring your attention back when you feel distracted. 6. Take Regular Breaks - Take regular short breaks to rest your mind and avoid fatigue. 💡 TIP - Take a 5-10 minute break every hour to stretch and move around. Physical Activity: Incorporate light exercises or stretches during breaks to rejuvenate your energy. Do a quick set of stretches or a short walk to refresh your mind. 7. Stay Organized - Keep a daily to-do list and check off completed tasks to stay motivated. Use a notebook or digital app to list your tasks for the day and enjoy the satisfaction of checking them off. 💡 TIP - Use a calendar to schedule meetings, deadlines, and important events. 8. Set Boundaries - Establish clear boundaries between work and personal time to avoid burnout. 💡 TIP - Set a specific end time for work each day and stick to it. Let others know your work hours and availability to minimize interruptions. 9. Stay Motivated - Celebrate small wins and reward yourself for completing tasks. Treat yourself to a favorite snack or activity after finishing a big task. Maintain a positive attitude and remind yourself of the reasons behind your goals. 💡 TIP - Keep a journal of your achievements and review it when you need a motivation boost. 10. Reflect and Adjust - Regularly review your progress and make adjustments to your plan as needed. Spend 15 minutes at the end of each week reviewing what worked well and what didn't. 💡 TIP - If you notice certain times of the day are less productive, adjust your schedule to match your peak performance.

Focus isn’t broken. The way we design work is. We ran a poll on attention blockers. The results were telling: • Constant digital distractions: 33% • Task switching and multitasking: 29% • Mental overload: 22% • Lack of clear priorities: 17% Nearly two-thirds of people are struggling with the same underlying issue: Work environments that overload the brain’s attention systems. From a neuroscience perspective, this is predictable. The brain is not built to juggle competing demands in parallel. Every interruption forces the prefrontal cortex to drop context, rebuild it, and expend metabolic energy in the process. Over time, this shows up as fatigue, slower thinking, and reduced quality, not poor motivation. What actually helps, based on how the brain works: • Cap inputs at the system level. Turn off non-essential notifications. Close email and chat outside defined windows. Limit active tasks to one priority plus one secondary task. Focus fails when inputs are unlimited. • Sequence work deliberately. Block time for one cognitive mode at a time. Do not mix deep thinking, decisions, and reactive tasks. Task switching drains energy and increases error. • Define work with clear edges. Start with a specific outcome. End when that outcome is reached. Completion stabilises dopamine and makes it easier for the brain to re-engage next time. • Design for attention rather than demanding it. Protect uninterrupted time. Reduce urgency theatre. Stop rewarding constant availability. Attention improves when the environment supports it. This is not about trying harder or being more disciplined. It is about aligning work design with how the human brain actually functions. That is where sustainable performance comes from. #NeuroscienceAtWork #Focus #Leadership #CognitivePerformance #BrainBasedLeadership #SynapticPotential

Multitasking Meltdown? Here's How I Turned Chaos into Productivity! 🕒🏃♂️ Feeling like there's never enough time in the day? You're juggling tasks, but instead of juggling, it feels like you're playing an endless game of catch-up. I've been there – it's like every task is a pop-up ad in the game of your workday. Let's talk real solutions. I'm not here to preach; I'm here to share straightforward strategies that have worked for me and countless others. ⚖️ Prioritize Tasks: It's like a game of Tetris – some blocks are more crucial than others. Know which tasks will clear the line and which can wait. What are the ONE or TWO things that will move the needle TODAY? 🎯 Set Clear Goals: Start your day with a mission. Define what winning looks like for the day, so you're not just shooting arrows in the dark. 🔲 Time Blocking: Picture this: your day neatly organized into chunks, each dedicated to a specific task. It's like having a VIP section for your tasks – no interruptions allowed. 📂 Task Batching: Imagine handling all your emails at once, then moving on to calls. It's like clearing levels on your favorite game, one category at a time. ⏲️ Use a Timer: The Pomodoro Technique is your new best friend. Work for 25 minutes, break for 5. It's like interval training, but for your productivity. 🚫 Minimize Distractions: Turn off those notifications. Close those extra tabs. It's like putting up a "Do Not Disturb" sign for your focus. 🛌 Regular Breaks: Ever noticed how stepping away from a problem often leads to a breakthrough? That's your brain thanking you for the breather. If possible, structure complete breaks for a day or two to reclaim mindspace! 🔄 Reflect and Adjust: At the end of the day, take a moment to look back. Build a reflective practice. Like watching a game replay, you'll see what moves worked and what didn't. 🛠️ Use Tools and Apps: There's a tool for everything. I go to AppSumo to find good deals that have an encapsulated process. The tools educate me on processes, and if they don't work, they have a 60-day refund policy. 🤝 Delegate When Possible: Pass the ball to your teammates when you can. But only delegate tasks to the right level of people. If it's not optimized, you need a thinker to optimize the task being delegated. If it's already optimized, then an executor is required, not a thinker. 🔍 Seek Feedback: Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes can spot what you missed. Ask around; it's like getting a free cheat code for better performance. By using these tactics, you'll be able to navigate your daily tasks like a pro gamer handles a controller – with precision, purpose, and a winning strategy. What's YOUR top time management tactic? Share below – let's learn from each other! #ProductivityHacks #TimeManagement #WorkSmarterNotHarder #leadershipdevelopment Pic: Yay, I earned the LinkedIn Top Business Coach Voice. I invite anyone who wants to chat about building heart-centric leadership!

“𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴” 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 — 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝘆 Have you ever told your team, or a client, to “stop multitasking” and faced major resistance or non-compliance, despite showing them how bad it can be? There’s overwhelming evidence today that multitasking is harmful. When we constantly task switch, it takes us out of our hyper-productive FLOW State. Tasks take much longer, we get less done, feel more stressed and make more mistakes. This can cause projects to be late and over-budget. But are there exceptions? Are there cases where we should task switch? A few years ago, I was asked to help turn around a multibillion-dollar SAP implementation running late and over budget. To improve Project Flow, I asked the leadership team to implement only 5 Rules: 1. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Always ask for, and follow task priorities. 2. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗞𝗶𝘁: Don’t start tasks without a full kit. 3. 𝗡𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: Do one thing at a time. Focus and finish 4. 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: Report honestly time remaining on tasks. 5. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Escalate immediately when you get stuck. To everyone’s surprise, the VP of the Solution Architect team – the constraint and drum for the pipeline of sub-projects said,  “𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 — 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦.” Many dismissed her as negative, but from her explanation, it was clear she simply cared enough to raise her concerns. From her reasons, I realized we had committed one of the cardinal sins in science and in communication. Not clearly defining a key concept like “multitasking” 𝘼 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚.. We did not clarify when its ok to task switch. My Clearer Definition of Multitasking Multitasking is switching from the highest-priority task, to a lower-priority task, when you could have continued to make progress on the highest-priority task. Finish Priority #1 task unless: 1. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: If another task becomes more urgent for the organization, switch — else you are local optimization. 2. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: If you can no longer make progress , escalate and then switch to priority #2. Once you have what you need, go back to #1 Switching in these cases is not bad; it’s valid exceptions. Key Lessons: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: Before enforcing any new rule like “No multitasking,” clarify exactly what you mean 2. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸: Resistance may indicate your solution was not clearly defined, explained or still needs improvement 3. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Make sure you always give the rule to break the rule Thoughts about this new definition/approach? #multitasking #ccpm #focus

As fighter pilots, we’re often faced with multiple competing priorities. It can feel overwhelming if we don’t remain focused on what’s most important. Early in our training, we’re taught to follow a logical method to prioritize during an emergency. 1️⃣ Maintain Aircraft Control: Focus on the thing that is most important. In aviation, it’s flying the airplane. Sometimes we can get so overly focused on distractors that we forget to focus on what is most important. 2️⃣ Analyze the Situation: Take the time to figure out what’s actually wrong. What are the critical issues? If we react too quickly without fully analyzing the situation, we can take the wrong action which can exacerbate the problem. 3️⃣ Take the Proper Action: Once we’ve properly analyzed the situation, we make the best possible decision with the information we have. If time allows, we can seek input from our wingmen (teammates) or request help from subject matter experts . . . we don’t have to make decisions alone. 4️⃣ Land as Soon as Conditions Permit: Once we’ve taken action, it’s time to assess where to go from here. Where’s the best place to land? Sometimes, it’s not where we originally intended. We may have to modify our plan. We need to be able to adjust in real time to ensure we have a safe place to bring it in for a landing. In today's fast-paced world, the ability to prioritize effectively in high-pressure situations is crucial. Whether it's in our personal or professional life, the ability to manage tasks and responsibilities efficiently can reduce stress, enhance decision-making, and improve productivity. #FighterPilotMindset #prioritization #personaldevelopment #aviation

Last week I caught myself re-reading the same sentence three times. Not because it was complicated. Not because I was tired. But because my attention had been pulled elsewhere, a notification, a message, a diary reminder, a quick “can you just…”. It made me think about something we rarely talk about in occupational safety. Cognitive overload. Recent research suggests that modern knowledge workers are interrupted or switch tasks every two to three minutes. Before the brain has properly settled into one task, it is already being asked to pivot to another. Notifications. Tool switching. Meetings. Dashboards layered on top of communication systems. We have created environments where fragmentation is normal. And yet we still ask why mistakes happen. When the brain is constantly interrupted, it pays a switching cost. Attention residue lingers. Working memory strains. Decision quality narrows. Risk perception reduces. Over time, it starts to resemble fatigue. but without the visible signs. In safety-critical roles, we would never knowingly introduce a hazard that disrupted situational awareness every three minutes. We wouldn’t design machinery that jolts someone’s focus repeatedly and then expect flawless judgement. Yet in knowledge work, and increasingly across hybrid roles, that is precisely what we have engineered. This isn’t about blaming technology. It’s about recognising that attention is a finite safety resource. If someone misses a weak signal or makes a poor judgement under pressure, we often examine competence and retrain. But how often do we examine cognitive load? How often do we ask whether the system demanded more bandwidth than a human can safely provide? As AI and digital tools expand, the promise is efficiency. But without thoughtful design, we risk amplifying fragmentation rather than reducing it. The future incident may not begin with equipment failure. It may begin quietly with a distracted mind in a fragmented system. And that is not an individual weakness. It is a design choice. #DrJulieBritSafe #BritSafe British Safety Council