Time Valuer / Resources / Glossary / Context switching
Context switching
Moving attention from one task to another, and the time lost refocusing each time.
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What it means
An often-cited study by Gloria Mark found it takes about 23 minutes to get back to a task after an interruption.
A few interruptions a day add up to hours a week of lost focus.
Example
| One interruption, 23 minutes at $1.20 a minute | $27.64 |
| Five a day | $138 a day |
In Time Valuer
Time Valuer shows your value per minute, so the cost of a switch is visible before you take it.
Related terms
Questions and answers
What does context switching cost?
Moving attention from one task to another, and the time lost refocusing each time.
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