How to minimize context switching at work

I’m spending too much time to complete tasks at work. Why?

I’m not doing a good job of avoiding distractions. By distractions, I mean the ones that I can control. Distractions such as phone notifications, emails, Webex messages, and unnessarcy meetings. Each one saps the focus out of me, and it takes tremendous effort to get it back.

This week, Maria Romanenko Vexlard published tips on how to minimize context switching at work.

It’s exaclty what I need. I started using Toggl last week, so it’ll be interesting to see how much time I start shaving off this week.

Who is Jack Dorsey?

I knew Jack Dorsey created Twitter, but besides that I had no idea who he was.

Thanks to Sim I learned more about Jack Dorsey. Jack is an interesting guy. At one point, Jack was eating one meal a day and skipping meals on the weekend. He’s now eating on the weekends, but still restricting himself to one meal a day.

I can’t imagine going through a regimen like that. Jack has other interesting stories that Sim explores in his recent essay.

How to make better decisions with the Via Negativa framework

Struggling to make a decision because you’re not sure which one is the best?

Focus on removing the suboptimal decisions when given a list of decisions. Learn what to avoid instead of what to do. That is the Via Negativa framework. The framework is a lot like Warren Buffet’s “2 List” strategy.

Elías Mas has a well-written essay that best explains the Via Negativa framework. Elías also recommends reading Antifragile and Poor Charlie's Almanack to learn more about it.

I learned a lot of interesting things from other Shippers too

Here’s a list of essays released this week that helped me learn something new:

• How to Make Meaningful Purchases on Items Which Bring You Joy (With 4 Simple Questions) by Tomasz Dobrowolski

• 3 Ways to Find Your Purpose If You Feel Lost in Life by Angela Choi

• 2 Less Obvious Benefits and 1 Major Challenge Around Microsoft’s Aquisition of Activision-Blizzard by Alec

• 1 Simple Technique For Writing Better Software Design Documents by Arpeet

• Can Notion Really Change Your Life? 3 Mistakes I Made When I Started Using Notion by Flavio Juarez

• 3 Simple Communication Tips to Strengthen Relationship Bonds at Home & at Work by Dr. Lyssa Menard

• The 5 “Dates” Entrepreneurs Should Go on Each Month to Stay Consistent And Grounded in Your Life by Jessica Lackey

• Keep Client Changes in Check By Explaining How Change in Software is Expensive by Kevin Hicks

• Ready to buy a house? Here’s 4 realizations I had after the fact. by Gregg Taliercio