Over the past few years, I have done a lot of context-switching. I use that term to describe the situation where you are bouncing between environments where the only true constant is you.
Everything else in the scenario changes – the context, the people, the tasks, the goals, the validation, etc. And it is your job to navigate the noise and make the right decisions.
Context switching can be mentally exhausting. It is certainly a first world problem – so please underscore everything – but it can be nonetheless a challenging situation.
One day, I am waking up in Medellin, Colombia thinking about the soccer game I went to the other night. The next day I am in NYC talking about the financial world. And finally back at school worrying about some (meaningless) assignment I have yet to complete.
This situation is both good and bad. It is good because it has enabled (and exposed me) to dozens of different situations and environments. It has helped me find collisions and shown me different ways to life.
But it is hard. And I will keep repeating that, as I think about focus and unlocking compounding value, because, without a true base camp, a rock, it is hard to anchor your mental state.
My mind is currently hopping between tasks and priorities. This leads to lack of focus and prevents me from going full throttle on different things.
I hope to “settle” this summer – 3 months of all out work on one thing. I am excited to see how that goes!