The fastest way to lose a week is to fill it with “quick tasks.” Each one seems harmless, but together they fracture attention, expand cycle time, and increase mistakes. Context switching is not just annoying. It is a measurable tax on time-to-complete, because every switch requires reorientation. AI can help us reduce the context switch tax, but only if we use it to batch, buffer, and protect focus. Otherwise, AI becomes another channel for more “quick” requests. ------------- Where the Time Actually Goes ------------- A context switch is not just moving from Task A to Task B. It includes: noticing the request, deciding whether to respond, opening the tool, recalling context, drafting a response, and then returning to Task A and remembering where we were. The return is the expensive part. This tax is why teams can be “busy” all day and still feel behind. We are not moving slowly because the work is hard. We are moving slowly because we are restarting constantly. AI enters this story because it can absorb some of the restart cost. It can remind us what we were doing, summarize what changed, and draft responses so we do not spend 15 minutes crafting a message that should take 90 seconds. Time outcome: fewer restarts and larger uninterrupted blocks, which reduces cycle time for meaningful work. ------------- Insight 1: “Quick” Is a Pattern, Not a Task ------------- Most “quick tasks” are not truly quick. They are quick to request and slow to execute because they force a switch. We need a team language for this. A request that takes 2 minutes to do but causes a 12-minute interruption is not a 2-minute task. It is a 14-minute task. When we see it that way, we start protecting attention as a shared resource. AI can help by turning many of these tasks into batchable work: drafting a set of replies, summarizing several threads at once, or creating a single update that addresses multiple questions. Time outcome: reduced context switching frequency and fewer micro-interruptions.

Let me tell you something that might free you up a little. People don’t care about what you’re doing as much as you think they do. They’re not sitting around analyzing your moves. They’re not replaying your mistakes. They’re not judging you nearly as hard as you’re judging yourself. They’re thinking about their own lives. And yet so many of us hold back because we’re afraid of looking stupid. Afraid of failing publicly. Afraid it won’t go perfectly. But embarrassed in front of who? The real tragedy isn’t trying and falling short. The real tragedy is getting to the end of your life and realizing you played small. You had ideas and kept them safe. You had dreams and negotiated them down. You waited for the “right time” that never came. That’s the part that should scare you. You don’t get to run this life back. So if there’s something on your heart... a business to start, a move to make, a conversation to have... Do it. Not because it’s guaranteed to work. But because missing your shot is heavier than failing at it. What’s the bold move you’ve been overthinking?

In this video, I show you how to quickly and easily switch from ChatGPT (or any other LLM provider) over to Claude without losing all those precious memories you've built up. Give it a watch if you're one of the many making the switch to Claude! Enjoy :)