#### Focusing on one thing at a time vs. [[Context-switching]] There are arguments to be made that both focusing on one thing and context-switching can lead to productivity gains. ##### On the side of focusing on one thing [[The ability to do deep work is the strongest predictor of success.|Deep Work]] implies focusing on one thing at a time and setting aside time to do deliberate practice on that one task. [[Batching]] suggests that grouping like tasks to do one after another, even if they do not pertain to the same project, increases productivity because they require similar preparation, setup, and effort-- all of which only need to be done in one sitting when tasks are batched. [[Productivity Momentum]] supports batching, because the most difficult part of a task, or perhaps of any work, is starting it. Once the work has been started, it becomes significantly easier to maintain. This is why doing all writing tasks one after another, even if they do not relate to each other, may be easier than writing them separately and having to pay the starting cost in effort each time. ##### On the side of [[Context-switching]] [[Agile]] methodologies, including [[Shape Up]] recommend aiming to produce a [[Minimum Viable Product]] that is a small, but fully integrated slice of work (front-end and back-end). This requires a developer to move from one task to another, which is the complete opposite of focusing on one thing at a time. Christian Tietze (2014) writes that a "short knowledge cycle" works better for him when researching, processing, and creating notes in a [[Zettelkasten]]. [^tietze] He also likens the short knowledge cycle to [[Continuous Improvement|Continuous Integration]] best practices that advocate shorter feedback cycles so that the product being built is fully integrated. [[Multithreading]] is one of the [[Principles of improving work performance]], however this applies mainly to computers, as multitasking is generally accepted to be inefficient for humans. ##### Reconciling tension A possible reason for this tension is the difference in intention. Focusing on one task at a time seeks to increase one person's productivity; Agile seeks to increase the productivity of a team as a whole. The two approaches can be used in tandem, with the team working towards a fully-integrated [[Minimum Viable Product|MVP]] while each team member uses [[Batching]] to increase individual efficiency. [[Dimming]] is a concept in computing of intentionally inducing the failure of some requests in order to improve overall system availability. It can be applied to individual productivity by softening the binary stance of [[The ability to do deep work is the strongest predictor of success.|Deep Work]]: perhaps the most productive way to work is to focus on one thing at a time as a default, but to also allow priorities to change if a new task comes in that is of high priority. This is a stark divergence from Deep Work's almost seclusionist ideals.