Explorer of ancient ruins, should’ve chosen one path, took all three.
Last week I realized that something was draining my energy, little by little.
It’s context switching, but not the kind Agile warns you about.
When I first learned Agile, the mantra was clear:
- Focus on one thing. Finish it. Context switching slows you down.
And I get that. It’s how I choose the right thing to focus on each day or each week.
But what I’m talking about here isn’t strategic context switching.
It’s micro-context switching, the moment-to-moment fragmentation that happens when you’re deep in the code.
Here’s a typical day:
- I start Phase 1 with a clean plan.
- Halfway through, I discover a dependency that must be fixed before I can test anything.
- So suddenly I’m on Plan B.
While I’m fixing Plan B, I hit another unexpected gap:
- A fixture that needs updating, a rule that needs tweaking, the bulk test runner refusing to cooperate with the new changes.
Now I’m on Plan C.
Meanwhile Slack pings, AWS needs a new permission, I need to fine-tune some slides, a teammate asks about scope, and the browser quietly multiplies tabs like a mischievous gremlin.
One plan becomes three.
All running in parallel, inside my head, on one laptop.
To stay sane, I started doing something simple that’s helping a lot:
- I keep a tiny text file open, a 'Later List', where I offload other plans and things that pop up mid-build.
Just writing it down gives me this internal feeling of peace: the work is not lost, not forgotten, not floating in mental RAM.
I’ll also try to commit to 45–60 minute windows where I’m not touching email, Slack, AWS… any of it.
Just code + Claude + the task at hand.
It’s shocking how much clarity returns when you protect even one hour from micro-interruptions.
And because I hate having too many browser tabs open, I’ve been strict about closing them throughout the day.
If I don’t need it, it goes.
Every closed tab is one less mental thread running in the background.
Here’s the truth:
- The work isn’t hard because of the tasks.
It’s hard because of the micro-pivots every few minutes.
Each one drains a little cognitive battery.
Each one steals a bit of sharpness.
So I’m learning to optimize for mental energy, not task count.
One goal at a time.
One Claude window when possible.
And yes, I eliminated the 'two laptops for two Claudes' idea.
I already tried VSCode chat + Claude in parallel, and trust me, that was enough to drain an entire battery and a founder!
Because at this stage, productivity is about doing more.
And I can do more if I reduce micro context-switching too.
If you’re juggling Plans A through F without dropping the laptop, I see you.
We’re earning momentum one micro-switch at a time.
"What Broke This Week: VS Code chat + Claude + browser tabs + AWS console all running together = my brain and battery both hit 1% simultaneously."3 Lessons:
Protecting even a single uninterrupted hour can outperform three chaotic ones.
Writing things down is cheaper than holding them in mental RAM, and way more effective.
Productivity isn’t about speed; it’s about reducing cognitive leaks from micro-switches.
Follow me on LinkedIn: Robert Figueras