{
  "slug": "context-switch-cost",
  "title": "Context Switching Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Context Switching Cost Calculator",
  "category": "other",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/context-switch-cost",
  "summary": "Hours and dollars lost to interruptions each year.",
  "description": "Every interruption costs the interruption plus the recovery time. This totals the productive hours lost per person per year and prices them.",
  "formula": "Hours = interruptions × recovery minutes × days ÷ 60 × people.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=context-switch-cost",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "interrupts",
      "label": "Interruptions per day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "recovery",
      "label": "Recovery time each",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 12,
      "unit": "min",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "Loaded hourly rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 65,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "people",
      "label": "People affected",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "days",
      "label": "Working days per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 230,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "cost",
      "label": "Annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Team hours lost",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "hoursPerPerson",
      "label": "Hours lost per person",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "daysPerPerson",
      "label": "Workdays per person",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Interruptions per day: 12",
      "Recovery time each: 12 min",
      "Loaded hourly rate: 65 $",
      "People affected: 6",
      "Working days per year: 230"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Annual cost: $215,280",
      "Team hours lost: 3,312",
      "Hours lost per person: 552",
      "Workdays per person: 69"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter interruptions per day.",
      "Enter recovery time each (min).",
      "Enter loaded hourly rate ($).",
      "Enter people affected.",
      "Enter working days per year.",
      "Read your annual cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "interrupts": 7,
        "recovery": 7,
        "rate": 65,
        "people": 4,
        "days": 140
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "interrupts": 12,
        "recovery": 12,
        "rate": 65,
        "people": 6,
        "days": 230
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "interrupts": 19,
        "recovery": 19,
        "rate": 65,
        "people": 10,
        "days": 370
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.",
    "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.",
    "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the context switching cost calculator work?",
      "a": "Every interruption costs the interruption plus the recovery time. This totals the productive hours lost per person per year and prices them. The underlying maths is: Hours = interruptions × recovery minutes × days ÷ 60 × people."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "5 values: interruptions per day, recovery time each, loaded hourly rate, people affected, and working days per year. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the annual cost result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone doing everyday planning maths — a quick estimate that would otherwise need four browser tabs and a calculator app."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/recurring-meeting-cost",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/automation-roi-hours"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Context Switching Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/context-switch-cost)"
}