“Batch your work!” Have you heard this term? Batching! What is it? How does it work? And why should you care?

If you’re familiar with batching, you know it can save you time, sharpen your focus, remove distractions, and ramp up production.

It’s magical.

And when you batch your work for business, then it’s really, really magical.

But how does it work? And how do you batch your work for your businesses? That’s exactly what I’m sharing today!

Essentially, batching is this:

Maximizing your momentum by combining like tasks into dedicated blocks of time.

Before we get into the specifics of how to use batch your work for your business, let’s consider batching in everyday life. After all, you don’t… Bake one cookie at a time… You don’t wash one sock at a time… And you certainly don’t brush one tooth at a time.

But chances are, if you’re reading this, you knew that. You probably had the wisdom to bake a batch of cookies, to wash a load of laundry, and to brush all of your teeth at the same time. And you rightfully would think that doing it any other way is silly. Right?

It’s a waste of resources. Why would just bake one cookie? You end up wasting part of an egg. And of course, whether you’re baking one cookie or a dozen, the oven still has to be heated to 350 degrees. 

(Side bar: Who eats just one cookie?)

Anyways, batching those basic tasks is an obvious choice. Anything else would be ridiculous.

Want a little sketch comedy goodness in a video about how to batch your work? If you’d rather watch than read, here’s the video version! (If not, keep scrolling and reading.)

(Want more episodes of The Courtney Show? Click here to check out our Youtube channel!)

But as business owners, we’re much slower to apply the same concept to our daily and weekly business tasks, and if anything, those are the tasks that probably could benefit from batching the most. 

How to maximize on our momentum by batching: 

Rather than switching back and forth between a bunch of one-off tasks, here and there, we do a deep dive and focus on one type of task for a longer period of time.

For example:

👉Rather than answer e-mails whenever we get them, instead we would sit down – say twice a day for 30 minutes –  and answer a bunch of e-mails all at once. The schedule could be different, but the idea would be the same.

👉Instead of posting to social media once a day… maybe we could sit down, once a week for an hour and plan and schedule all of our social media content for the next couple of weeks. 

👉Rather than send invoices one at a time, maybe you have a dedicated block of time each day when you sit down and batch all of your invoicing in one go.

And maybe you have someone else do all of those tasks for you. (But that’s another conversation.)

Those are just a few of MANY examples.

But here’s the deal: Batching isn’t just anecdotal wisdom; it’s based in Science!

The Science Behind Batching

According to a study conducted by UC Irvine, it can take up to 25 minutes to re-focus after switching from one task to the next. 

You do that a few times a day and 25 minutes here and there adds up. Fast.

According to another study conducted by Hewlett Packard, those who are reactive to their inbox and messages — simply checking  a message when a notification alerts them — those individuals can see as much as a ten point drop in their IQs. Ten points! 

So basically, being reactive rather than proactive makes us… dumber!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any interest in that. I’m gonna hoard all the IQ points I can.

How Batching Saves our Energy and Creativity

Now, we know constant task-switching costs us dearly in time and energy… but it also costs us willpower. And creativity. 

If you’ve ever “been on a roll” before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. 

When we switch from one thing to another constantly, we can’t think as deeply as we could if we were able to immerse ourselves in that particular type of task. 

But with less task-switching, you’d be poised to unlock your next level of creativity, productivity, and innovation!

And if you’re someone who is building your business as a side hustle while working another job… or while you’re working from home with kids, then this batching thing is a MUST for you. 

Maybe you’re all about that lunchtime hustle… or maybe you’re all about that naptime hustle. 

Either way, with minimal time available, you definitely need to know which tasks you repeat weekly and monthly so that you can combine them. By committing one concentrated, focused block of time to that one type of task, you will get it done more efficiently (and often more quickly).

(🎦 Want even more productivity tips and tricks? Check out one of our most popular videos EVER: “Three Silly Hacks that Keep Me Seriously Focused.”)

So… You might be thinking “Batching sounds good, but where do I even get started?”

I’m so glad you asked. 

You’re about to get batch-slapped!

(But in a charming and totally non-aggressive way.)

(That’s why you’re reading this, right?)

How to Batch Your Business Tasks

and Become a Master Batcher… Like Benedict Cumberbatch #seewhatididthere

STEP ONE:

Start with your routine. Ask yourself: what are the tasks that I repeat daily? Weekly? Or monthly? 

STEP TWO:

Then ask yourself: If I combined the like tasks into one block of time — maybe once a day or once a week — would that compromise the integrity of that task… or increase efficiency?

If it would help, go for it! Batch it!

STEP THREE:

When it’s time to batch, I highly recommend blocking that time off in your calendar so you can protect it. After all, it can’t be a priority if you don’t plan for it.

STEP FOUR:

Then, when it’s time to batch, remove distractions, turn off notifications, close the tabs, and consider setting a timer so you have something you’re working towards.

As humans, we will always accommodate to the capacity we’re given.

So, if you tell yourself you have, say, one hour to do something, you’re probably going to make it work. But if you don’t give yourself that parameter, you probably won’t make it happen. 

(??Wanting more business strategy and wisdom? Check out my post, “My Biggest Business Regret.”)

Of course, you can batch a lot of things: your inbox check-ins, social media, invoicing, content creation, and so on. Depending on your business, it will vary. 

But again, the big idea is if there’s something you do over and over again, how can you maximize on your momentum and get more of that task done more efficiently?

By batching like tasks into concentrated blocks of time, you can remove distractions, sharpen your focus, increase your efficiency and unlock a new level of creativity. 

What’s not to love?

Now, your turn: 

How can you batch more in your business? What are the like tasks you do in your business that you could put into one concentrated block of time and therefore get more done with more focus? 

I’d love to hear in the comments below!

HI, I’M COURTNEY!

I’m here to help you build, grow, and scale your business.

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