Why Batching Tasks May Be Your Next Productivity Secret Weapon

Rich approaches his day without an approach. He has a ton to do every single day and wonders why he doesn’t get more accomplished.

He’s busy all day and very busy compared to most around him. But busy simply doesn’t mean productive.

Rich’s approach is no different than a majority of people in the corporate world.

They’re skilled reactors.

Here is the process of a reactor: working on a project or important task then…

• An email alert comes on to the screen and you choose to respond and you begin checking other emails
• Then the phone rings and you answer it and the call takes longer than you planned
• You choose, just for a minute, to look on LinkedIn that leads to clicking on links and 20 minutes later…

And this is just the first hour of your day!

Is there another way?

The concept of Batching Tasks is choosing and concentrating on a cluster of similar tasks for a set period of time. But why? 

Why Batch Similar Tasks:

1. Efficiency

Nothing wrecks havoc on your day like inefficiency. Bouncing around stops any type of momentum.

You need to be efficient in how you approach work and randomness is literally the complete opposite of efficiency.

When you batch similar tasks together you dramatically increase your efficiency immediately.

2. Energy

Randomness takes energy. You’re constantly moving from activity to activity. The result is most tasks are not getting completed and often done poorly if completed.

We struggle enough with energy without sabotaging it ourselves with randomness. This is a choice. Conserve your personal energy.

3. Focus

What do you lose when you’re random? Focus.

When you concentrate on one task, you have the ability to focus and are no longer concerned or affected with interruptions. This does an amazing thing for your productivity which means results.

And isn’t results the point at the end of the day?

How to Batch Similar Tasks

1. Determine What Can Be Batched

Your day has a ton of repeated activities. We just don’t realize it sometimes. These are immediate candidates for batching.

Three easy tasks to batch:

• Email – if there is ONLY one batch you ever choose, or the one to start with, choose email. You may need a few within your day but limit your emails to only this batch
• Phone calls – get into the make or return call rhythm by putting all your calls together during a certain period of time
• Meetings – schedule on the same day, same time of day, back to back if possible

I’ve personally added organizing / filing / processing to a task that can be batched and reserve a certain time each day to do this important yet batchable task.

You must decide what task you can batch within your day and be confident if you do this activity, you can make forward progress.

2. Decide When You Can Batch

You know your schedule better than anyone. You do have time within your day when you can batch tasks especially when you know what tasks you can cluster together.

Consider using this criteria:

When you have availability – your job may have a certain rhythm within any given day. With some thought you can determine when within your day are prime batch times

When you have energy – some activities are simply brainless activity and can be done at any time and use very little mental capacity. (email and organizing / processing / filing can fall under this category)

When you have downtime –certain parts of your day lend to downtime. It may be right after lunch or a few minutes in between activities and these are perfect fillers, if planned ahead of time to maximize this window and see some results

3. How Often Can You Batch

Your job may require to lean heavier on a certain task such as emails or phone calls or meetings.

If this is the case, then you may need multiple Time Blocks of batching similar tasks. To read more on Time Blocks, click HERE.

For example, if your job relies heavily on email, you may need to start with a couple times in the morning and a couple of times in the afternoon.

Most use not being able to get everything done in a batch as an excuse. But often it’s simply a matter of adjusting how often you need to batch a certain group of tasks. This is a solvable problem.

Question – How Long Should I Batch?

The power comes in the focus on the batching not necessarily the length of your batch. You will get into a rhythm and will pound out those tasks due to the focus.

You will be surprised at how much less time it actually takes when you’re focused and batching then when you randomly answer emails or phone calls.

Over time, you will find your pace and rhythm to know if you need to increase the length and / or the frequency of the batching Time Block.

For example, when I started batching emails or phone calls, I under-estimated the needed time and adjusted from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. When I did this, I found that I didn’t need as many email batch Time Blocks.

I also found that I scheduled too much time for organizing / processing / filing. IF I left a paper trail and stayed focused during this Time Block. I actually needed less time.

Closing Challenge…

We desire to be productive but it’s those who choose to make the necessary changes within their day that will begin to see the results.

We can pose as productive because we’re busy.

But you know.

I challenge you to determine what tasks can be batched, when you can batch your tasks within your day and how long you will need.

It’s a process. But your productivity will go up and your randomness will go down.

Closing Question…

What tasks can you batch within your day and when will you schedule that time?

4 Compelling Reasons Why Working Late is Damaging in the Long Run

Michael is a hard worker. Yet he finds his co-workers measure success differently. They put in long hours but don’t really get anything done.

They make comments to him about what time he arrives but especially what time he leaves like that’s the true measure of working hard.

There are times your job requires long hours. Often, others work late and expect the same of you. Yet sometimes it’s a matter of boundaries.

I worked a job a few years ago that working late was a badge of honor. Yet upon close inspection, they wasted SO much time.

Any given day, it would take forever for them to actually begin to work. They socialized in each other’s office or cube, took many coffee breaks, and hung out in the kitchen. Of course THAT made them hungry and they just had to take an incredibly long lunch break.

But they worked late. They win. Or do they…?

Here are 4 Reasons Why Working Late is Damaging in the Long Run

1. If I Plan for a Long Day It Will Take Me THAT Long to Get My Work Done

If I have 8 hours of work, I will fit it into 8 hours. But if I have 10 hours, I will somehow manage to fit it into 10 hours. Imagine how that works.

Think about the time you had to leave early but still had to get your work done. Did you do it? You didn’t have more time but less and you still accomplished your work.

The difference? Focus.

2. Hours do NOT Equal Productive

Just because I’m at work doesn’t necessarily mean I’m actually getting work done.

If we’re honest, being in an office doesn’t automatically get work completed any more than being in a garage makes you a car.

It’s the corporate lie that hours = productive but I learned that day after day in the example of my former job.

And often, I’m losing time somewhere within my day. The goal is to find out where and become productive while you’re there. Read about how to where you’re losing time within your day HERE.

3. The Toll Working Late Takes on my Evening

I find the later I work in my day, the less I’m engaged at home and just want to be left alone and completely veg. (insert bad habits that follow here)

My family has been waiting for me to come home, finally. And when I do, I’m lifeless and uninvolved. Great deal for them. I’ve sacrificed my evening which is completely avoidable. Learn more by clicking HERE.

Working late also shortens my evening, which makes me justify staying up later and as a result, my next day often starts later and the crazy cycle begins all over again. This is solvable.

I also find my nutrition usually tanks when I work late. I make poor choices when I live by the four words, Make the Healthiest Choice. Read about it HERE. Again, solvable.

4. The Later I Work the More Unproductive I Become

There is a point of no return. Focus fades. Energy drops. And the quality of work simply decreases big time.

There are more errors and it simply takes me longer to get something accomplished compared to when I’m fresh.

Things are getting done but often the time it takes increases and the quality of work decreases.

Suggestions to Consider…

Plan Your Day – if you took the time to plan your day you could get a more accurate read on what work needs to be accomplished and how long it will take. I even take planning so far to review the plan for the day after lunch to see what needs to be changed or adjusted to make sure I get my work completed in a normal hour day.

Make a Commitment to Only Work Late X# of Nights – if this is becoming an issue, commit to someone (family) that you will only work late on a certain number of nights and honor it. Wean your way off this crazy cycle to only one night then to none if possible. The key is using your time wisely.

Track Your Day – often there is lost time within your day that you could recapture to get what needs to be done so you can get home. When I’ve had people track their day, they’re amazed and usually embarrassed how much time is wasted and how much they’ve defended what was actually lost time to work. And you know what they found? They could easily leave on time if not early. Imagine that.

Determine Your Most Important Priorities – If I had to stay late it was usually because I didn’t get my most important task completed yet. But if you took the time first thing in the morning to determine what are the 3-5 most important priorities for the day and truly focused on the 1^st one until it’s accomplished, THAT is often the priority that keeps you having to work late. And completely avoidable with focus and priority.

Closing Challenge…

Motivated professionals are driven to do their best. And that may mean putting in long hours but are not always smart hours.

The reality is working late is subjective. I could start late and work late but am I actually working late?

The question on the table is do you HAVE to work late if it’s not the current season of the job due to a project, event, etc.?

Most of the time that’s not the case. It’s a matter of using time wisely and getting organized and focused so you can be productive with your day.

I challenge you to look at how often you work late or at least later than you know you could and should then do whatever necessary to make the changes to avoid the damage in the long run.

Closing Question…

Do I REALLY have to work late or could I get organized enough to maximize my time and work smarter not longer?