Batching Work Saves Time

Sunday is my Soup Day.

Each Sunday (or Saturday night during the Winter when the Sabbath ends earlier,) I make a batch of soup for the week. I enjoy soup a lot and use it as a healthy lunch option that, once prepared, can be quickly and easily warmed throughout the week.

Typically, when I prepare soup, I go all in. I make more than I need and often multiple varieties at a time. I do this because:

1)      Adding more of the same ingredients adds little extra time to the process. I can easily freeze any soup that won’t be finished in a reasonable timeframe.

2)      Once the measuring and cooking tools are out, I may as well get the most out of them before washing and putting them away.

In effect, I “time batch” my soup making, which helps me make more in less time.

What is time batching?

Time batching is a time management technique in which you group similar tasks together for focused work. During the allocated time, you work to complete all the tasks. If you want to get more done, with less distraction, consider batching your work.

How is this helpful?

For starters, by batching work you can do a lot of tasks that require similar processes all in one sequence. Things like responding to emails, completing forms, and doing research. The advantage is that you can get “in the zone,” build momentum, and knock off a bunch of things in short order.

If, on the other hand, you do a little of this and some of that, there is no flow, and each activity tends to take more time. This is, in part, because your brain needs to constantly reorient and focus on something new.

This is analogous to driving on the highway. When you get up to speed, you can shift into cruise control, knowing for the most part that things will remain steady for the foreseeable future. Your car is also most efficient when used this way, as it can maintain it speed without having to add fuel unnecessarily after a slow down. The last thing that you want to do – for the car’s performance and for your time – is to hit stop and go traffic, or, worse, be forced to a complete stop. At that point, it’s like you’re starting all up again.

Second, batching helps you stay focused longer. When you have a bunch of small tasks to do, it can be easy to get one done rather quickly and then, as you take in a moment of self-satisfaction, scroll through your phone. Or jump up and take a “quick” coffee break. On the other hand, separating your to-do list items into separate batches helps you dedicate your full attention to those tasks, as opposed to multitasking and trying to knock off other parts of your list. 

Let’s apply this to a standard day at the office. You need to send 10 emails, put together a presentation, lead a team meeting, and write a report. You wouldn’t send four emails, craft two presentation slides, edit a page of the proposal, and then write the introduction to your report, would you? Think about all of the attention refocusing that would require, not to mention all the time lost   continuously switching activities!

I will share more about why time batching works as well as how best to do it in my next post.