The Microshifter's Guide to Fragmented WorkWelcome to our discussion on Microshifting: the new rhythm of work that aims to make your professional life "shorter, sharper, and more human". This practice is gaining traction, especially among solo professionals and Gen Z, and has been called the next evolution of flexible work.What is Microshifting?Microshifting is defined as the art and occasional struggle of working in shorter, intentional blocks of time, typically under six hours, instead of continuous stretches. It involves breaking the day into fragments, creating a "mosaic" rather than the linear 9-to-5 schedule of the past.For independent workers—creators, advisors, and thinkers—microshifting is often necessary for survival. It allows professionals to build around peaks of inspiration and align their work with personal rhythms, energy levels, and creativity, rather than against real life. This approach is seen by some as liberation, though others view it as fragmentation.The concept fits neatly into the new modular economy and the creator economy, where work involves short cycles, quick releases, and frequent recalibration. It signifies a cultural shift toward customizing work to fit the human, instead of forcing the human to fit the clock.The Choreography of FragmentationMicroshifting is not chaos; it is choreography. The author of the accompanying guide realized they were a Microshifter when they began working in bursts—a few hours of intense focus, a pause, another window of deep work, and sometimes a late block of writing.In this model, days are designed like a musical score with movements and pauses. Each block of time has its own specific start, end, and purpose, such as a creative block in the morning or a communication block in the early afternoon.The Freedom Trap and the Need for EdgesWhile the freedom is seductive, it presents a danger: flexibility, when unmanaged, becomes erosion. Without fixed corporate schedules, there is a risk of stretching time infinitely, leading to 15-hour days spent across five different tasks and four different moods.The key insight is that flexibility is not the opposite of structure; it needs structure to survive. Microshifting must involve "framed fragments," meaning that you must fiercely defend the edges where each work block begins and ends.A core challenge is the Cost of Fragmentation. Splitting the day requires extra effort to reconnect the dots, potentially fracturing the sense of flow and making the Microshifter feel perpetually "halfway through" everything. This risk means one might become incredibly responsive but slowly lose the ability to go deep, which requires time, boredom, and friction. To mature as a Microshifter, one must move from being merely flexible to being intentional.What the Science SaysThe principles underpinning Microshifting are supported by research on focus and recovery.• Productivity Peaks are Short: Behavioral data suggests that most people sustain true high-focus work for only about 2 to 3 hours per day, supporting the use of short, high-intensity blocks.• Breaks Improve Well-being: Studies indicate that micro-breaks (typically under 10 minutes) significantly reduce fatigue and increase vigor. Active micro-breaks, such as stretching or walking, can improve mental well-being and reduce musculoskeletal pain.• Autonomy is Key: The ability to take breaks and have control over one's time and rhythms is vital for sustainable performance.However, the science also presents warnings about excessive fragmentation:• Cognitive Load: Switching tasks frequently, even within short blocks, incurs a measurable switching cost, potentially consuming 10–20% of working time as the brain reorients.• Overwork Risk: When individuals have high control but low boundaries (like working flexible hours from home), they tend to work longer overall and struggle to detach, potentially leading to higher fatigue.

This week, I asked my ex-colleague Jim Irving about one of the biggest frustrations in streaming — finding what to watch. His new app, Recce, takes a surprisingly human approach to solving it.🎙️ Q: What is Recce?💬 Jim’s take:Finding what to watch has become one of the biggest pain points in media — and Recce wants to fix that by bringing trust back into recommendations.➡️ Recce is a movie and TV review app built around trusted recommendations — not algorithms, but real people you actually know.➡️ It digitizes the most natural discovery habit we all have: word of mouth. That moment in a café or pub when someone says, “You’ve got to see this.”➡️ Users can share, rate, and discuss shows within their communities while building their own curated watchlists.➡️ Through Recce Rewards, engagement is rewarded — since people create value on the platform, they also share in it through access to exclusive content and prizes.As Jim puts it: “We’re trying to digitize the most trusted way of finding great content — word of mouth.”📱 Recce goes on pre-order this week — a small but meaningful step towards a more personal way to discover what’s worth watching.

🎙️ Q: What are the traits and skills to get hired in our industry in 2026?💬 Chris’s take:The game of hiring has changed — and not always for the better.AI and automation aren’t necessarily improving recruitment; they’re exposing how broken and outdated many processes already were.➡️ Recognize that job hunting today can be demoralizing — applications often disappear into a black hole.➡️ Stop “job hunting” and start “job farming”: use your LinkedIn network as fertile ground. Those connections are your community, not random numbers.➡️ Productise yourself: craft your narrative — where you’ve been, where you are, where you want to go — and anchor it around what you truly love.➡️ And finally, don’t underestimate likability. Skills matter, but positivity and energy are what make people want to work with you.Chris puts it perfectly: “If you go in with years of experience but speak in a polluted way about where the industry is going, that’s going to put people off.”🎧 Watch the full 3-minute video on A Guy with a Scarf asks a question to… Chris Redmond.