You know that feeling?
Seven browser tabs open. Three Slack messages. Two meetings. One critical task.
And you’re just… frozen. Staring at the screen. Can’t start anything.
Yeah. Me too.
🔄 The Context Switching Thing
Here’s my typical day:
- 💬 Technical discussion about architecture
- 📄 Review a proposal (wait, what was I just thinking about?)
- 👥 Quick meeting
- 💻 Back to coding (what was my last thought?)
- ❓ Urgent question
- 🔔 Slack ping
- 🔔 Another ping
- ⚠️ That important thing? Still not done.
Not just time. Mental energy. Focus. Everything.
It’s like your brain is a computer that keeps crashing and restarting.
Eventually, you run out of memory.
😵 When Everything Feels Like Too Much
When everything is urgent, nothing gets done properly.
Sound familiar?
Later never comes.
🚫 The ‘I Can’t Start’ Problem
This is the worst one.
You finally have time. You sit down. You’re ready.
And then… nothing.
Instead you:
- 📧 Check email
- 🗂️ Reorganize your desktop
- 📝 Update that random document
- 🤷 Literally anything else
It’s not.
It’s your brain saying “I’m too tired for this right now.”
When you’ve been switching contexts all day, you have no energy left.
Starting something big? That takes energy you don’t have.
So your brain just… doesn’t.
✨ What Actually Helps Me
I haven’t figured this out completely. But here’s what works:
1. Time blocking (seriously)
Protect your focus time like it’s a real meeting.
Because it is.
2. Brain dump (2 minutes)
Feeling overwhelmed?
Write down everything in your head. Right now. Two minutes.
- ✓ It doesn’t have to be organized
- ✓ Just get it OUT of your brain
- ✓ This creates space. Just enough space to breathe.
3. Start ridiculously small
Can’t start the big thing?
Don’t.
Just:
- ✓ Open the file
- ✓ Write one sentence
- ✓ Read what you wrote last time
- ✓ Literally anything that’s step 1
Momentum is easier than starting.
4. Batch the interruptions
Instead of checking Slack constantly:
- ✓ Set times to check (like twice an hour)
- ✓ Same with email
- ✓ Turn off notifications when you need to focus
Not always possible. But when it is? Game changer.
5. Know when you’re useless
After back-to-back meetings? I’m toast for deep work.
So I don’t try.
I do emails. Admin stuff. Quick tasks.
Save the important work for when my brain actually works.
💡 The Thing Nobody Tells You
Read that again.
It’s not laziness.
It’s not lack of discipline.
Maybe you need:
- 🧘 Space to think
- 🎯 A clearer first step
- ✅ Permission to do less
- 💤 Actual rest
Those limits are real.
They deserve respect.
🤔 One Last Thing
Next time you’re frozen and can’t start:
Not what you “should” need.
What you actually need.
You’ll do it better when you’re actually ready.
What about you?
What helps when you’re overwhelmed?
(Genuinely want to know)
