CONTEXT SWITCHING: Mommy, Uber Driver, Chef and CEO (and Everything in Between)

Hi friends!

I’m so excited to jump back into all things Frum Minimalism! I hope you had a beautiful Yom Tov!

STORY TIME:

Today, I sat down at my desk, opened my computer, and thought, “Perfect. I finally have a nice chunk of time blocked out to work on the freebie I’m creating before the coaching convention next week.”

I started typing away, feeling all productive and proud of myself… when I glanced over at my sleeping baby and noticed she had spit up.

Oh my goodness.

I closed the computer, cleaned her up, changed her, and got her back to sleep.

Then I came back to my desk ready to pick up where I left off… but where was I? My brain was foggy.

A few minutes later, my daughter came home with a math question. While I was helping her, my phone rang - it was a call I’d been waiting for. Right after that, my husband walked in with forms that needed to be filled out.

Before I knew it, my entire “work block” had vanished.

What happened over there?

Why was it so hard to get back into focus?

It’s called context switching.

What is context switching?

Context switching is when your brain jumps from one role or task to another, like from Mommy to CEO, from Wife to Errand Runner, from Teacher to Cleaning Lady, from Chef to Uber Driver.

Every time we switch roles, our brain needs to readjust. Research shows it can take around 20 minutes to fully regain focus after each switch! No wonder we feel like we’re spinning but not getting anywhere.

Books I love, like Deep Work by Cal Newport, explain that our brains thrive on uninterrupted time blocks to do meaningful work. And my all-time favorite, Atomic Habits by James Clear, shows that constant task switching makes it harder to stay consistent or build good routines.

But here’s the thing,

As mothers, context switching is unavoidable. We can’t exactly tell our kids, “Please don’t need me for the next three hours while I’m in deep-work mode.”

Boruch Hashem, we have families. We have homes that need us, kids who call “Mommy!” right when we open our laptops, and husbands who bring in forms just as our brains are mid-sentence.

We cannot fight these interruptions , we need to learn to work with them.

The same way in my Home Reset Courseand in my book Frum Minimalism, I always say:

“Don’t fight with it, work with it!”

When you find yourself constantly fighting a clutter hotspot, we find a system that fits your real life instead. The same idea applies here. Instead offighting your season of life, let’s find ways to work with it, so you can protect your focus, and still get things done in the middle of the beautiful chaos of motherhood.

What really helps

First things first: you need coverage.

If there’s no one responsible for watching the kids, it’s almost impossible to get into one context for long, and remember, it can take up to 20 minutes for your brain to fully recover after a switch. So if you want these tips to work, make sure someone else is handling the little (or big!) people for that block of time: a husband, an older child, a neighbor, whoever can step in.

And of course, accept it’s part of your avodah.

Interruptions happen, even with help sometimes. That’s life in a busy, full home. Don’t blame yourself for not being laser-focused. You’re not lazy! You’re doing what really matters: caring for your family, running your home, and handling your main avodah.

Once coverage and acceptance are in place, here are some ways to protect your focus and stay in one mode:

1. Batch similar tasks together.

   
   

   I’m huge on this one. Meal prep in one block. Emails in another. Errands all together at the same time. Phone calls in their own time block. Every time you avoid switching tasks, your brain doesn’t need to reset.

2. Avoid distractions.

   
   

   Phones, open tabs, the doorbell, clutter in sight- all steal your focus. When you sit down, create a mini “bubble” for yourself: silence notifications, close extra tabs, maybe even put a small sign on the door.

3. Declutter your environment.

   
   

   One of the best things about Frum Minimalism is how it protects your brain from mental noise. Visual clutter pulls at your attention without you even noticing. By keeping your spaces tidy and intentional, your brain doesn’t have to fight for focus after each interruption. Your home becomes not just beautiful , it’s easier to think, and do.

And the next time you struggle to get back into what you were doing after a diaper change, a math question, or a grocery run… smile, take a deep breath, and remind yourself:

Boruch Hashem for the beautiful interruptions.

P.s. subscribe to hear details about a FREE CLASS I'm giving next week iyh! 

Will chat again soon:)