The Cost of Context Switching
As business professionals we need to look at the effect a growing task list has on a shrinking, or stable, work force. We have some highly evolved skills to help us, because by nature, we are multitaskers. Our world has always come at us from several directions at once. Because of this, we tend to assume that we can stretch to accommodate more work.
There's more to it than that. In order to cope with increased demand, we need to apply our analytical skills to our own situation and understand the effects that demand has on us. This is especially true if we are managing staff and therefore have responsibilities beyond our own workload.
Based on a True Story
I'm at work and I have to put a project of mine into final testing. To do that, I am required to transfer files from a system I manage to the system my friend Carol manages. She is in the middle of building a test system for a different project — amongst other things — but she stops to help me. In the course of running through the data, we find that we have to involve a third person. While in that third person's office, a fourth person walks in, looking for person number three — are you still following? — and Carol, seeing person number four says, and I quote: "I don't recall what you called me about last night… but did it work?"
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Charles Barouch is the CTO of HDWP, Inc. He is also a regular contributor to International Spectrum Magazine, a former Associate Editor for both Database Trends and for Gateways Magazine, a former distance learning Instructor for CALC. He is presently the Past President of the U2UG. Mr. Barouch has presented technology and business topics in front of hundreds of companies, in a wide range of product and service categories. He is available for on-site speaking and consulting engagements in and out of the United States.
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