Context Is Expensive

Every time you switch tasks, you pay a tax. Here's what it actually costs.

#The Hidden Cost

When you stop working on Task A to start Task B:

1. Save state — Where was I? What was I about to do?
2. Load new state — What's Task B about? Where did I leave off?
3. Rebuild mental model — How does this code work again?
4. Regain flow — Get back into productive work

Research suggests this takes 15-25 minutes per switch. Even quick interruptions cost 5-10 minutes.

#Why It Compounds

Say you switch tasks 4 times a day. At 20 minutes per switch, that's 80 minutes lost—over an hour of pure overhead.

Now imagine working on 6 tasks, switching between them randomly. You spend more time context-switching than coding.

#Why 3 Tasks Works

I work on up to 3 tasks in parallel. Not 1, not 10. Three.

One task means blocked time is wasted time. If I'm waiting on a PR review, I'm stuck.

Ten tasks means I never get deep into anything. All overhead, no progress.

Three tasks is the sweet spot:

• Usually one is ready to work on
• Switches are infrequent enough to build flow
• Context for 3 things fits in working memory

#How Commits Preserve Context

When I switch away from a task, I commit first:

git commit -m "feat: add validation - WIP input parsing"

The commit message is my save file. When I come back, I read the message, look at the diff, and I'm back in context in under a minute.

Without commits? I'm staring at a file trying to remember what I was doing.

#How Owen Reduces Context Load

Owen decides what to work on. I don't.

Before Owen:

1. Look at task list
2. Evaluate priorities
3. Check emails for urgency
4. Remember what's blocked
5. Finally pick something

After Owen:

1. Read decision
2. Start working

The decision engine does the cognitive work. I just execute.

#Practical Rules

1. Commit before switching — Always. No exceptions.
2. Limit parallel work to 3 — More isn't productive.
3. Batch similar work — Write all the tests, then all the docs.
4. Protect flow time — Schedule focus blocks.
5. Automate decisions — Let tools handle prioritization.

#The Payoff

Less time wondering what to do. More time doing it.

Context isn't free. Treat it like the limited resource it is.