Interruptions and task-switching are among the most costly drains on attention and decision making — and the research behind them has also shown how to push back. Clarity about goals acts as a cognitive filter, making it easier to separate what is truly important from what only feels urgent. Finishing one task before switching reduces attention residue, the mental weight of incomplete work that the brain keeps rehearsing in the background. Protecting peak thinking hours — typically earlier in the day before interruptions accumulate — reserves the highest cognitive energy for decisions and work that actually demand it. Capturing every task and commitment on paper stops the brain from using working memory as a storage system and frees it for real thinking. Grouping similar tasks into categories reduces the mental cost of switching direction repeatedly throughout the day. Removing notifications, unnecessary tabs, and phone access prevents the involuntary interruptions that rarely arrive at natural stopping points and are therefore especially disruptive. And focus itself is a trainable skill — meditation, flow-state activities, and deliberate single-task practice all strengthen the brain’s ability to stay present and return when it wanders.
source: https://www.tonyrobbins.com/blog/task-switching-is-costing-you-more-than-time
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