Action Powers No. 21 of 28
They call it: All over the place We call it
Quick Switch
Also known as fast context switching.
The short version You walk out of one thing and into the next already up to speed, as if your brain kept every project loaded.
Collected. 0 of 28.
Sounds like you?
- You go from one meeting or class straight into the next and you’re already there.
- You keep five projects going and pick each one up where you left it.
- You follow three conversations at a party and jump into any of them.
Why it’s a power
It works like a warm cache. Some people with ADHD who run companies describe walking out of one meeting and into the next with the whole context already loaded. Some who write code describe keeping several projects going without unloading one to load another. We hear it often and live it.
Surveys pick up some of it. Asked what’s good about their ADHD, 18 of 206 Dutch adults said “switching fast” and 31 said “flexible”.Source 1 In a lab study of 45 men with ADHD and 42 without, the ADHD group juggled several tasks just as well, but felt better doing one at a time.Source 2
Most research so far points the other way. In a lab test of juggling jobs, adults with ADHD remembered their plan as well as anyone, but planned it worse and switched between jobs worse.Source 3 In a survey of 493 programmers, those with ADHD reported more trouble with context switching than colleagues.Source 4 So it isn’t everyone’s power.
Lived experience
This comes from people with ADHD who run teams and write code. Studies so far lean the other way: programmers with ADHD report harder context switching, and one lab test found weaker planning.
Where it shines
- Running a team, a company, a classroom
- Days of back-to-back meetings
- Coding on several projects at once
The flip side
Keeping everything loaded means nothing ever gets fully put down. And being pulled out of deep focus is a different thing: that switch can cost you a lot.
Power-up: try this today
Write one line about where you stopped before you switch, so the pickup is instant.
Say it to a kid
You’re like a hummingbird. You zip from flower to flower and get something from each one. Leave a little flag so you can find your way back.
Where this comes from
- Schippers, L. M., Horstman, L. I., van de Velde, H., Rodrigues Pereira, R., Zinkstok, J., Mostert, J. C., Greven, C. U., & Hoogman, M. (2022). A qualitative and quantitative study of self-reported positive characteristics of individuals with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 922788. Read it
- Gawrilow, C., Merkt, J., Goossens-Merkt, H., Bodenburg, S., & Wendt, M. (2011). Multitasking in adults with ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 3(3), 253-264. Read it
- Fuermaier, A. B. M., Tucha, L., Koerts, J., Aschenbrenner, S., Westermann, C., Weisbrod, M., Lange, K. W., & Tucha, O. (2013). Complex prospective memory in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. PLoS One, 8(3), e58338. Read it
- Newman, K., Snay, S., Endres, M., Parikh, M., & Begel, A. (2025). "Get Me In The Groove": A mixed methods study on supporting ADHD professional programmers. ICSE 2025. Read it