Time batching

Time batching means doing similar tasks together instead of one at a time across the day. All your email in one sitting, all your calls in another, all the small admin in a third. Every switch between kinds of work costs a little attention, and batching pays that cost once instead of twenty times.

How to batch a day

1. 1Group by kind of work

   Collect tasks that use the same mental mode: messages, calls, writing, errands, admin. Three or four batches cover most days.

2. 2Give each batch a block

   Put the batch on the calendar at a time that suits the mode: calls after lunch, writing in your peak hours. Batching decides what, the block decides when.

3. 3Run the batch with a timer

   Treat the batch like a short sprint. A timer sets a clear end, which keeps a quick look at email from eating the afternoon.

4. 4Protect it from drips

   Silence notifications outside the batch. A batch only saves the switching cost if the day does not keep interrupting it.

Batching and blocking are not the same

Time blocking decides when you work on something; time batching decides what you group into that time. They fit together: batch your email, then block a slot for the batch. Blocking without batching still leaves you hopping between kinds of work inside each block.

Why it works

• Fewer context switches means less of the mental reload between tasks.
• Similar tasks get faster when done together: the second email is quicker than the first.
• Small tasks stop ambushing the day, because they have a home in a batch.
• One pass over email beats five glances, which is where the real time goes.

Try it in BluePomodoro