Prioritized Living

Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • START HERE
  • Your Money
    • Career & Making Money
    • Big Money Goals
    • Building Credit
    • Insurance Matters
    • Painless Budgeting
    • Smart Saving & Spending
    • The Cost of Kids
    • Easy Homemade Savings
    • Special Occasions for Less
    • Retailer Secrets
  • Your Home
    • Creating Organization Systems
    • Conquering Clutter
    • Organizing for Kids
    • Organizing Hacks & Tools
  • Your Time
    • Creating Goals
    • Maximizing Productivity
    • Time Management 101
    • Time-Saving Hacks & Tools
  • Favorite Tools
  • SHOP

Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People

Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People

We all want to be more productive.

Maybe your to-do list is so long that you can’t finish everything. So you want to get it all done in the time you actually have available.

Or you simply want to blast through the stuff you have to do so you can have more time for the things you want to do.

Either way, you could definitely use some time management tips that will cut wasted time and effort and maximize your efficiency.

And there’s one productivity hack that truly productive people turn to religiously — task batching.

So we’re looking today at what task batching is, why it works, how you can get started, and how you can take your task batching powers to the next level. 

What is task batching?

Task batching is a ninja productivity trick that goes by many names — like time blocking, task grouping, batch processing, batching, and bulk processing.

Simply put, task batching involves grouping together similar activities and completing them in a single block of time.

For instance, around the house, you might set aside an hour each week to pay bills, review your budget, and handle any other financial matters . . . rather than scattering these activities throughout the week. Or you might block off three separate chunks of time to schedule all your kid’s doctor’s appointments, prep ingredients for the week’s meals, and clean out a closet.

The same technique can be used around the office as well. You might schedule all your team meetings in a row so you’re not bouncing out of your chair all day like a jack-in-the-box. Or you might block off Monday mornings for creating reports and the afternoons for sales calls and client issues.

Blue alarm clock

The benefits of task batching

If you’re used to flitting from one activity to another, you’ll be amazed at the power of task batching:

  • You’ll supercharge your focus. Devoting a chunk of time to one type of activity allows you to focus in exclusively on those tasks.
  • You’ll get in the zone and stay there. Research shows that switching mental gears is a huge time suck! So minimize the shifts you need to make by avoiding a series of starts and stops on activities.
  • You’ll whittle down distractions by resolving to push off unrelated activities for later.
  • You’ll massively minimize prep time and clean-up time. Instead of getting everything together — tools, paperwork, bills, whatever — and putting it away multiple times, you can do it exactly once and accomplish your tasks in a single sitting.
  • You’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll actually finish an activity. It’s so much easier to complete a task in one sitting than it is to hope you’ll pick up that unfinished activity two, three, or four times down the road and eventually finish it.
  • You’ll save tons of energy. Think about it. You need much less energy to sustain the momentum you already have on a project than you do to grind to a halt on one task and start (from a dead stop) on another.

How to start task batching

Ready to batch your tasks and create your time blocks? Tackle these two areas:

Recurring Activities

Some tasks crop up every week without fail — handling household chores, running errands, paying bills, answering E-mails, and probably a number of activities specific to your job.

Write each of them down individually. Then start grouping together related projects. For instance, you might lump together your weekly supermarket run, a refill of your car’s gas tank, and a visit to the bank.

Now estimate the time you need to complete all three task if you do them in a row. Finally, assign a spot in your time map or your weekly schedule that will accommodate that block of time.

Done! Repeat this process for each set of recurring activities you face at home and at work.

Woman looking at schedule on laptop

One-Off Activities

Of course, each week brings a new set of tasks for you to accomplish. So, sit down with your planner and your to-do list and start batching those.

Suppose you’re prepping this week for a family vacation. You might want to group travel activities like booking the hotel, buying event tickets, making a dinner reservation, and printing a copy of your packing checklist.

If you need to write a report at work, you might batch together all your research activities into a single morning. Then block out a separate chunk of time for writing a complete first draft later in the week.

Bonus tips for task batching success

Let’s take the power of task batching to the next level!

  1. Set goals for what you want to accomplish in each time block. Maybe you want to get to inbox zero within 30 minutes of starting your workday. Or you want to whip out 10 freezer meals in 2 hours. Write it down so you keep your target front of mind.
  2. Set yourself up for success. Before you dive in, round up everything you need to complete your task — equipment, records, tools, whatever. Make sure you’ve got a cup of water — maybe some coffee too — and are ready to focus.
  3. Eliminate distractions. Identify your kryptonite. For instance, turn off computer alerts if you can’t avoid the siren call of E-mail and social media notifications.
  4. Give yourself a break. Time blocking is powerful but intensive. Don’t build your schedule so you move immediately from one time block to the next all day. Instead, give yourself a break between time blocks to regroup, recharge, and refocus.
  5. Reward yourself! When you power through a batch of tasks, recognize your accomplishment! A little incentive goes a long way.

Task batching is truly an incredible time management technique. Try this powerful productivity hack and see just how much you can accomplish this week.

What types of activities have you batched together? How much time has task batching saved you?

Looking for time management tips and productivity hacks? Task batching is king. Learn what it is, how it works, and how you can maximize your productivity. | Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People | Prioritized Living

Looking for time management tips and productivity hacks? Task batching is king. Learn what it is, how it works, and how you can maximize your productivity. | Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People | Prioritized Living

Looking for time management tips and productivity hacks? Task batching is king. Learn what it is, how it works, and how you can maximize your productivity. | Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People | Prioritized Living

Looking for time management tips and productivity hacks? Task batching is king. Learn what it is, how it works, and how you can maximize your productivity. | Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People | Prioritized Living

Looking for time management tips and productivity hacks? Task batching is king. Learn what it is, how it works, and how you can maximize your productivity. | Steal This Trick from Insanely Productive People | Prioritized Living

Related Posts

  • Getting Started with Time Management:  Create a Time MapGetting Started with Time Management: Create a Time Map
  • How to Trick Yourself Into Being Unbelievably ProductiveHow to Trick Yourself Into Being Unbelievably Productive
  • How Micro-Actions Can Help You Conquer Your GoalsHow Micro-Actions Can Help You Conquer Your Goals
  • How Parkinson’s Law Will Make You Insanely ProductiveHow Parkinson’s Law Will Make You Insanely Productive
5 Days to Your Most Successful Year Yet - Prioritized Living

Make this the year you accomplish your dreams!

Join the FREE 5-day E-mail challenge!

Share
Pin
Tweet
Share
Pocket
«
»

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi, I’m Megan!

Megan Nye I'm a personal finance writer, wife, and mom. And I know we’re all looking for the secrets, the systems, and the hacks that will make our lives easier & better.

We want to stretch our resources to get more for less . . . so we can spend our time, money, and energy on what really matters to us and our families.

Here at Prioritized Living, we talk about making smart money choices, organizing our space, managing our time, and pursuing our goals. Be the driving force of your journey. Live your priorities! Read more.

Free Budget Template

Search the Blog

My Budget Binder

Buy My Budget Binder

Recent Posts

How to Use a Budget Binder to Manage Your Money
54 Awesome Kid Gifts Under $25
13 Awesome Productivity Gifts to Give This Holiday Season
14 Awesome Organizing Gifts to Give This Holiday Season
15 Awesome Financial Gifts to Give This Holiday Season
7 Last-Minute Gift Ideas That Won't Bust Your Holiday Budget
10 New Year's Financial Resolutions for an Awesome Year
Ready for Tax Time? My TurboTax Review
How to Stop Being Too Available (Without the Guilt)
9 Clever Things to Do with a Tax Refund or Bonus
FREE Food Budget Calculator

©2016-2023 Megan Nye
No content on this site may be reused in any fashion without written permission.
Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Disclaimer · Affiliate Links Disclosure
 
Looking for a personal finance freelance writer to help with your content marketing? Work with me.