Stay in State When You're Working

There are different states of mind: problem-solving, creative thinking, and administrative working. Each activates different parts of the brain.

When you're engaging in a task, try to keep a singular state for at least a 25-minute block—ideally four of those blocks. Context switching—the process of changing from one task to another—is the productivity killer. Changing states of mind is a context switch.

The Cost of Context Switching

My work this weekend reminded me of how brutal state changes and context switches are for productivity. My plan: to write eight new pieces of music. Where I ended: two pieces of music, with only one written on sheet music.

How did I only achieve 25% of my goal? It wasn’t that the goal was out of reach (I can write very quickly)—it was that I wrestled with the technology to get it done.

The Finale-Dorico Transition

The classical music world recently experienced a bombshell moment when MakeMusic announced it would no longer support Finale, an industry-standard engraving software for music notation. Instead, they offered discounts to download a competitor, Dorico.

I had been using Finale since college. I wasn’t an expert, but I was able to get pieces written relatively quickly. Switching over to Dorico, I found myself in a sea of new menus, ways of doing things, naming conventions, and bugs.

The Battle with Context Switching

While trying to write a simple piece of music, I was switching every few minutes: figuring out a keyboard shortcut, figuring out how to input a note when it wouldn’t work, figuring out why all the notes on my page suddenly changed, and looking up solutions online.

Every simple task felt like a learning curve—and don’t get me started on the UX. Music companies building software seem to have the worst design sensibilities I’ve ever seen.

I was thrashed between switching states of mind: solving technical problems for note input, searching for information online, optimizing workflow with shortcuts (many of which didn’t work because of some application state context with no error feedback—curse you, Dorico), verifying the accuracy of notes, and polishing the composition with articulations.

I might need therapy after all that thrash.

A New Path: Delegation and Refocusing

I burned more hours than I would like testing whether I could write my own tunes easily. But here’s the thing: I got a sharp reminder that this was not the best path. My focus is better spent on what I do best: writing and creating.

So, I reached out to someone I’ve worked with before to help with transcriptions. Instead of wrestling with the software, I can hire him to transcribe and input the new pieces for me. This way, I save hours and hours of my time and return to single-state focus.

Reflections on Productivity

Have you ever looked back at your day and wondered what you really got done? It could be that you felt busy, but you were switching states of mind—the productivity killer.

Think of where you can refocus yourself on the highest-priority state of mind. Can you hire help to get you there? Can you avoid switching states until you absolutely have to?

Remember: Singular State Focus Is Your Friend