🛰️ Signal Boost

You hired great engineers. They’re capable, motivated, and technically sharp—but their output doesn’t reflect it. Every week, work feels fractured. Projects inch forward. Focus is fleeting. It’s tempting to blame process or talent. But often, what you’re seeing is the hidden tax of context switching.

Context switching is the silent killer of velocity. Every time a developer shifts from deep work to a stand-up, or from a high-priority feature to a “quick” bug fix, it costs mental momentum. It takes time to ramp up, time to refocus, and time to recover from interruptions. Studies show it can take upwards of 20 minutes to regain full concentration after a switch. Now multiply that by every person on the team, every day. That’s your lost output.

And here’s the real trap: most context switching isn’t self-inflicted. It’s systemic. It comes from having too many top priorities, too many meetings, too many platforms, too many well-meaning check-ins. In trying to do everything, we accidentally undermine the one thing that moves the needle: sustained focus.

If you want your team to deliver like a high-performing engine, you have to protect their ability to go heads-down. Because attention isn’t just a resource—it’s a multiplier.

🔗 Lead Link

“Context Switching is Killing Your Productivity” — Software.com DevOps Guide

Software.com’s article lays out the human cost of context switching: lost attention, increased errors, reduced energy, and even burnout. It breaks down why our brains struggle with switching tasks and shares practical tips like focus blocks to minimize the mental burden.

💡 Why This Matters

Your team can only go as fast as its focus allows. When attention is fractured by stand‑ups, Slack pings, PR reviews, or shifting priorities, real progress slows. Software.com’s insights help engineering leaders understand the how and why behind focus loss—and begin building systems to protect deep work.

🛠️ Tactical Byte

⚡️ Use “Focus Blocks” to Protect Deep Work

Encourage your team to block out 90–120 minute periods during the day where they can work without interruption. Label these as “focus” or “do not disturb” blocks on calendars, and build team norms around respecting them.

Managers: avoid scheduling meetings during these times and push back on reactive requests that can wait.

Teams that normalize focus time don’t just ship faster—they burn out less.

🎙️ From the Field

“I thought I was being helpful… I was just breaking flow.”

A Director of Engineering I worked with once told me how they used to pride themselves on being available. They’d answer DMs instantly, jump into every thread, and hop from 1:1s to team standups like a productivity machine.

But over time, their team’s output flatlined. Bugs slipped, estimates got less reliable, and the vibe shifted from confident to chaotic.

After digging into it, they realized they weren’t just multitasking—they were breaking everyone else’s focus by creating a culture of constant interruption. Their team never had space to think deeply because their leader was unintentionally modeling and enabling context-switching as a default.

They started experimenting with quiet hours, async updates, and protected focus blocks. Within a month, the tone changed. More thoughtful commits. Cleaner handoffs. A calmer Slack.

Sometimes being less available makes you a better leader.

💬 Open Threads

• How often do you switch contexts during a normal day? Have you ever tracked it?

• What signals tell you when your team is thrashing instead of flowing?

• Are there rituals or boundaries you’ve set (or want to set) to protect deep work?

Reply to this email or tag @BeyondTheCommit with your thoughts. We love hearing what’s working — and what still needs work.