Batch similar tasks

Save time by getting in a groove

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to batch similar tasks. Batching tasks, sometimes
referred to as batch processing, cuts down on the time

(00:25):
and energy expended by task switching. You know those times
when you find yourself hopping back and forth multiple times
an hour between the document you're working on and your inbox,
suspecting you're getting nothing done, Well, you're probably right. You
aren't getting much done. Do one type of task at
a time, and you can save yourself all kinds of time.

(00:48):
We live in a world that encourages near constant tasks switching.
We carry around our phones in our pockets and we
check them every time they buzz. The problem with this
is that cognitive scientists have found that tasks switching has
various costs. We make more errors, and although switching can
feel productive, tasks take longer to get done since we

(01:13):
lose time on every transition. If you listen to this podcast,
you probably already know this, but easier said than done. Right,
as I've been working on this episode, my fingers have
felt almost twitchy, wanting to pop into my inbox to
see what's going on in there or how many people
liked my most recent photo on Instagram. I see my

(01:34):
journal on my desk, and I know that I meant
to write in there too, So should I stop now
and do that? Yeah. It turns out that knowing and
doing are different things. So if you're serious about batch
ng similar tasks, there are a few things to do. First,
be intentional about it, which is always a good idea.

(01:55):
With time, sit down and make a list of all
the work tasks that you do in a regular week,
and think about when you do them. Consider whether some
of them could be badged for greater efficiency, and make
a plan for when you'll carry out your badge processing.
For example, maybe you save an hour for responding to

(02:16):
email at the end of the work day. This way,
you avoid the task switching costs of checking email when
you may be doing your deeper work, but you still
respond to all important messages promptly. Email at the end
of the day may be a particularly good idea for
those of us who feel like our brains are too
fried by three pm to do anything more complex. I

(02:39):
try to work on a week's worth of podcast scripts
in one block. You can send all your invoices or
pay all your bills at the same time too. If
you're setting up a lot of meetings for a project,
you can try to do all the scheduling at once,
which is helpful for then batching meetings meet for three
hours in the afternoons, and your mornings can be open

(03:01):
for other things. It's likely you're already using batched task
processing in some areas of your life without thinking about it.
Most of us wait to do laundry until we have
enough dirty clothes for a full load, rather than washing
every single item as it gets dirty. This is not
to say that all similar tasks should be batched. There's

(03:22):
often good reason for doing certain things daily are spreading
things out throughout the week. Not everyone feels like cooking
for the week on Sundays, but batchng light tasks allows
you to get in the groove and establish efficiencies. You
plow through your inbox, you actually write the memo you're writing,

(03:42):
you order all the kids summer clothes, and then you're done.
In the end, this technique should leave you with the
time and energy to focus on what really matters in
the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks for listening and here's
to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd

(04:07):
love to hear from you. You can send me your tips,
your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter,
Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E
the number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can
also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at
i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled

(04:30):
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.