Work Batching Tips

In my last post, I introduced work batching as a strategy to help busy professionals save time by batching together similar activities into a single workflow. Time batching is effective because it builds structure and boundaries around blocks of time so that you can dive deep into specific tasks without the interruptions that commonly break up your workflow.

Batching works for both shallow and deep tasks. Shallow tasks, such as replying to email, data entry, and completing forms, require lower levels of productive energy. Deep tasks, like writing a proposal and preparing a presentation, require high levels of productive energy and high focus for longer periods of time.

Batching Work Saves Time

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.

Feedback from my "Break often but briefly" post

“Thank you for sharing these helpful tips about taking breaks. Somehow, I was already taking a walk, reading and eating during my breaks. I intend to continue doing them. However, I may explore listening music which I rarely do. Sometimes, one feels a sense of guilt when one takes a break. It is reassuring to know that it is beneficial.”

Why you should sharpen your saw

The next “self-care” step is to “sharpen your saw,” to quote the habit devised by Stephen Covey.

Like a dulled saw cutting through a thick tree log, we produce diminished results when our depleted self attempts to “cut through” the daily grind and challenging projects. Even when we are working, we’re just going to get the same amount done or at the same level of quality.

To succeed over the long haul, we need to take care of ourselves through what we eat, the exercise and sleep we get, and more.

The clock sprung forward, but did you? 😩

For everyone who "sprung forward" over the weekend, it'll take some time for your bodies to adjust.

Even if you slept in, its still on its old schedule.

Here are some quick tips to help it adjust:

Stay consistent with your eating, bed, and exercise times
If you need to nap, keep it short

Successful Teams Communicate

No project of scale can occur without clear communication. Everyone involved must know what needs to be done and how they’re expected to do it. Otherwise, you’ll quickly get a silo effect, where team members work too independently and decrease productivity.

As leader, you’re the one who needs to set the tone. For many of us, this can be a real challenge.

Break often but briefly

Breaking often to get more done may seem counterintuitive. I mean, who would think that that taking additional breaks would help you be more productive? Especially when you’re so busy as it is, and your to-do list is packed with things that must get done.

But hear me out. Because even if you pride yourself in your work ethic and your ability to concentrate for prolonged periods, your brain, your mind and your to-do list will thank me.

There are many reasons that we should be taking regular work breaks. Here are some of them.

Quit Repeating Yourself!

One of the biggest time wasters occurs when we repeat work that can be easily automated or duplicated (think: copy and paste.) This is true in every industry and position. Amongst coders, work repetition was so prevalent that it inspired the creation of the “Don’t Repeat Yourself” technique (or DRY Principle,) which discouraged the recreation of reusable code. While DRY, was made famous by coders, it is easily applicable to non-programmers as well.

Many of the things that we do often – such as replying to emails, crafting correspondences, writing articles, briefs, or proposals – unnecessarily take up large chunks of our day. At its core, DRY is about saving time by reusing work that’s already been done and materials that’ve already been prepared so that you don’t have to continually repeat the same work time and again.

Focus on excellence, not perfection

As a teacher and, later, in my role of school administrator, I was often concerned with all my materials being “just right.” My worksheets needed to not only properly engage students in the content, but they had to be visually pleasing and properly formatted.

As head of school, I would carefully edit each newsletter and the student handbook, among other things. If my name was on it, it needed to be “perfect.” Of course, this approach took much of my time and limited my effectiveness in other ways.

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