Chaser | Task Management Blog

Stop App Toggling: How Context Switching Is Draining Your Productivity

Written by Josh Martow | May 16, 2025 2:53:06 PM

4 hours a week. 10% of your team’s time. Gone.

That’s what the average knowledge worker loses every single week—just by switching between apps.

In a Harvard Business Review study of 137 employees across three Fortune 500 companies, researchers discovered that workers toggled between applications 1,200 times per day. The result? Lost time, fractured focus, and elevated stress.

This isn’t just an annoyance—it’s a productivity killer.

What Is Context Switching and Why It Matter

Every time your team jumps between Slack, email, a project management tool, and a spreadsheet, their brain has to recalibrate. That’s called context switching, and it’s not just inefficient—it’s exhausting. It spikes cortisol, slows people down, and makes it harder to get deep work done.

In an era of digital overwhelm, this hidden tax is hurting team efficiency, performance, and well-being.

Common Symptoms of Context Switching:

  • Missed deadlines and follow-ups

  • Disjointed communication across platforms

  • Low adoption of project management tools

  • The dreaded “Did we ever assign that?” moments

Why Traditional Task Management Tools Fall Short

Most tools require you to adopt their process—and worse, to leave the place where you’re already doing the work. That disconnect creates friction. The more platforms your team has to bounce between, the more time they lose.

Let’s face it: adding “just one more tool” doesn’t solve the problem. It creates a new one.

Enter: Chaser — Task Management Without the Context Switching

Chaser is a Slack-native task management solution that eliminates the need to jump from app to app. It’s built for teams that want to manage tasks, follow-ups, and project status right where conversations already happen.

With Chaser, you can:

  • Assign and track tasks directly in Slack channels and DMs

  • Turn messages into action items in one click

  • Automate reminders and status updates

  • Gain visibility across team priorities without micromanaging

Key Benefits:

  • Zero learning curve: Your team’s already in Slack. Chaser just works.

  • No more chasing: Automated check-ins mean you’re not stuck playing project babysitter.

  • Instant adoption: No onboarding fatigue, just results.

  • Cross-functional clarity: Whether you’re managing a campaign, onboarding a customer, or prepping for a launch, Chaser keeps everyone in sync.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

If your team is still juggling to-do’s across email, Slack, Notion, Jira, and a half-dozen spreadsheets, you're paying the cost in missed deadlines, frustration, and lost momentum.

Ready to stop the switch?
Try Chaser and reclaim 4 hours a week per person—time your team can spend actually moving the work forward.