Managing your tasks not your time with Task Batching
Over the past seven years I have been researching, testing and tweaking strategies that I stumble across that can streamline how I work. As a busy mom of three with a hubby that travels half of the year, I have to cut corners wherever and whenever I can.
You know what these time hijackers are …
They are the activities that creep into every minute of your day if you allow it. We live in a world of instant gratification where Blackberries buzzing, text messages beeping and e-mails chiming feed into our obsession for constant on demand communication. Our days are filled with these noisy interruptions. They are the activities that only take a few minutes to do here and there but what really happens is a fragmented unproductive day with only fleeting moments of productivity. 
Time is the only thing that we never seem to have enough of, especially in business. We forget how valuable this commodity is and by using a simple strategy like “Batching Tasks” you are guaranteed a few extra minutes in your day and a new found sense of control over your time.
The simple fact of the matter is you do have control! You can turn off all the machines at certain times of the day so you can get the important things completed…the things that require your ATTENTION, ENERGY and FOCUS.
“Batching Tasks “is quite simple….
You group tasks that require similar processes or have similar activities attached to the tasks and you do them at the same time.
Here are some real life examples of how you can use “Batching Tasks” to increase productivity and save Valuable Time for the important business building activities that require creativity, scheduled time and your undivided attention.
- Checking and replying to e-mail at certain times during the day….not every second of the day.
- Returning phone call from the day at a specified time during the day. A planned call takes 7 minutes and an unplanned call takes 12. If you make and receive dozens of calls each day and save 5 minutes on each call you have just saved a full hour to use on productive work. Harold Taylor, Taylor Time Consultants
- Combining tasks that take 5 minutes or less to do and scheduling a specific time to complete using your “5 Minute File” for storage.
- Bookkeeping and finances, yes it has to be done, pick a time batch it up and just Do it…
- Filling out paperwork
- Meetings and interviews
- Errand running
I am sure that there are many more examples but these are the most common. You will certainly find ways to batch your own tasks as you maneuver through your activity filled days.
Now the question is WHEN do I complete these batched tasks?
That is up to each person’s individual work preferences. If you are a morning person and you get your best work completed when you are fresh out of bed, then save the batched items for after this productive work time. In reality most of the batched tasks do not require the attention and focus that your important creative work requires. If the opposite is true for you and the latter part of the day is your best time then the opposite would work for you.
The important thing to remember here is that important work needs to be completed when you are at your creative best and the rest of what you do needs to get worked in and around that. However in reality most of us allow the interruptions to rule our days.
Here is a great quote I would like to leave you with, especially for those who are still under the misconception that multitasking works.
People who multitask are less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time. Time lost switching among tasks increases with the complexity of the tasks. Star-Teragram.com 3/1/03