Productivity Switching: The Hidden Disruptor
Productivity switching, where you go from being productive to not being productive, has a disruptive effect that cannot be understated. Between work, life, and indie hacking, it can be hard to feel like you're able to sit down long enough to make progress.
Last weekend was super productive. I dove headfirst into working with Supabase, immersing myself in the joy of building and discovering something new. The satisfaction of seeing tangible progress was invigorating. However, that momentum came to a screeching halt as the week began. Work was a relentless tidal wave of tasks and meetings, all important, but leaving me too exhausted in the evenings to even think about Launch Quest. My energy reserves were depleted, and any plans for evening productivity were quickly abandoned.
This weekend, I had a much-needed break away from home. While it was enjoyable and refreshing, it also meant zero productivity. This sequence of events is similar in effect to that of last December when I was unwell for six long weeks. A barrage of viruses, COVID included, left progress at a standstill, and it never really recovered from there. I never really did pick up from where I left off, though it's part of the journey, of learning the best way to navigate indie hacking with work and parenting and life.
These interruptions highlight a crucial issue for me. Not just between tasks, but between priorities in life. The constant shift from one task to another disrupts focus and flow, making it difficult to achieve a state of deep work. Each time we switch contexts, our brains need time to adjust, and this cognitive reset diminishes efficiency. It’s a silent saboteur, often unnoticed until significant time has been lost.
But I feel as though there's something else—what I think of as "productivity switching"—where you go from being productive to not being productive, and that has an even greater disruptive effect. Everything can be divided into either goal-achieving or stress-relieving activities, and the transition between these states can be jarring, especially if you have a mindset narrowly focused on the former.
This shift between being in a productive state and then abruptly stopping is a massive disruptor and for me, a total productivity and creativity killer. (In fact, as I write this, the exact thing just happened—but that's okay, my #1 reader understands.)
"Life isn't a support system for art; it is the other way around."
— Stephen King
Accepting these disruptions is part of the process. Work demands priority; it’s essential for providing for our families and supporting our colleagues. Life is also important; without living outside of work, there's no reason to work. Yet for those of us afflicted by the need to build, to create, doing so is also a responsibility we owe to ourselves. When we can’t indulge this need, frustration builds. These interruptions and the resulting frustration can lead to cognitive jading and procrastination, further hampering our productivity.
The key may be to embrace these short-term hiccups for the sake of long-term progress. Stopping for a week may feel like a major setback, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s minor. If you zoom out, a week is just 1.9% of a year. Extend that view to five years, and it’s a mere 0.38%. Even if you only manage to work on your projects for 20% of the year, that’s still over two and a half months of solid progress.
What truly matters is not quitting. It’s about persevering through the disruptions and maintaining the determination to continue. Every step forward, no matter how small, contributes to the bigger picture. Keep moving, keep working, and embrace the journey, knowing that consistency and resilience will ultimately lead to success.
