Time Management - How to Batch Process Tasks to Save Time and Energy

Introduction

In this article, I will be discussing a time management technique called "batch processing" that is particularly useful for completing certain types of tasks more efficiently and saving time that is more efficiently;spent completing other tasks. I will discuss what exactly batch processing is, why it is a beneficial time management strategy, and finally I will discuss the five steps necessary to successfully batch process tasks.

What is Batch Processing?

Batch processing is a time-saving process that allows you to complete repetitive tasks more efficiently while using less mental energy. At its core, this task is defined as completing a relatively small, repetitive task that you would normally complete on a regular basis over a time, multiple times in a row during a larger chunk of time.

Why is Batch Processing a Beneficial Time Management Technique?

By completing a small task that you would normally complete multiple times daily, on a daily basis, or on a weekly basis, multiple times in one larger chunk of time, you are saving time by freeing up those smaller chunks of your day or week that you would normally spend completing your batch processed task.

Completing a task several times in a row also makes you become more efficient at completing that task. When you come up with a system to complete your repetitive tasks, it allows your brain to become used to completing a certain task, and eventually it costs your brain, and as a result you, to complete the task at hand repetitively as compared to completing the task individually repeatedly.

The repetitiveness of this process also means that you save mental energy in two ways. First, it takes mental energy to switch from one task to focus its attention on completing another task. This technique allows your brain to focus on completing the same task for a longer length of time, reducing the amount of cognitive, or brain, energy you spend on switching tasks. Second, by completing a routine task ahead of time, as is the case with most tasks you can batch process, you do not have to remember to complete them later, literally freeing your cognitive load, or the amount of space in your brain available to complete other tasks.

How do You Batch Process a Task?

There are four basic steps to batch processing a task. I will list them in order, and then elaborate on each step in more detail. First, you choose an appropriate task to batch process. Second, you choose and schedule a relatively large chunk of time to devote to completing your all repetitions of the task you are completing. Third, you figure out a process, routine or system to completing your tasks most efficiently. Fourth, you actually complete your tasks.

1. Choose an appropriate task:

To choose an appropriate task to batch process, you should think of something that is relatively short to complete, that you have to complete on a regular basis, and that are not time-sensitive in nature to complete.

For example, you would not want to choose, unless you were very motivated and full of energy, writing several academic papers in a row. This would be too long, is not very easy to systematize, is something that typically has varying and time-sensitive deadlines, and is not something that you would typically need to finish on a frequently regular basis.

A more appropriate task would be something like preparing your work outfits for the week, is something you must complete on a weekly basis, you can come up with system of choosing, ironing, and hanging up or something similar to complete the task efficiently, and it is a task that can be completed ahead of time without impacting the benefit of completing it.

2. Choose and Schedule a Chunk of Time:

Most tasks that you batch process are ones that take a relatively short amount of time to complete individually. When you first begin to batch process tasks, you will want to multiply the amount of time you take to complete the task on its own by the number of times you are going to repeat it. Then, because this will be a relatively large chunk of time, especially compared to what you are used to spending on completing this task, you want to schedule time purposefully to make sure that you have ample time to completely batch process and complete all the repetitions of the task that you aimed to complete to receive the most benefits from batch processing.

To continue the example of preparing your clothing for the week, if it typically takes you 20 minutes to pick out an outfit every night or morning, and iron/steam it and have everything you need for your outfit ready for the next day, and if you work five days in a week, you will want to multiply 20 minutes by 5 repetitions. This would equal 100 minutes, or about an hour and 40 minutes. You would want to choose a day when you can dedicated an hour and 40 minutes, or a bit longer when you are first starting out, to finishing preparing your clothing for the week ahead. As you become more efficient with your process, the amount of time it takes you to complete a full batch process will likely decrease by a noticeable amount.

3. Figure out a Routine/Process or System:

To save time and energy with batch processing, figuring out a system, process or routine to complete your repetitive tasks is essential. Typically, the most time efficient way of batch processing involves completing the same first step for all the repetitions of a task, then the second step for all the tasks, etc. This is not always possible, but by coming up with a process to complete a full task before completing the next repetition with the same process, you will also increase your efficiency and eventually start saving time.

For example, with preparing your clothing for the week, you may decide to choose all of your outfits first. Then you may choose to pull out, or at least choose, any accessories you want to wear with each outfit. Then you may choose what shoes to wear for each outfit. Then you would iron or steam, if you do this as part of your clothing preparation process, all of one type of clothing first, such as all the pants you are wearing, and then another type of clothing next, such as the tops you will be wearing, until you get ready each type of clothing. Finally, you would hang up each outfit, and for even more efficiency, you would hang them up in some way that the order in which you wear them would be obvious to you.

4. Complete Your Batch Process:

The last step to batch processing is to, at your pre-selected time, actually complete the tasks that you have decided to batch process. Depending on the task, this may feel tedious, or it may feel like a waste of time to take a relatively large amount of time at the moment to complete tasks that you would typically complete later in a much shorter amount of time, but by practicing and becoming adept at this process, you will begin to see the benefits that this time management technique offers in the long run.

To complete our example of batch processing clothing preparation for the work week, you may feel that spending 100 minutes to finish something that you are used to doing with ease in 20 minutes each day may feel counter-intuitive, but in the long run you are saving 20 minutes of your day each other day, you will eventually spend less time completing your full batch process and you will begin to notice less stress from not having to think about or complete choosing and preparing your work outfit each day.

By the way, if you would like to learn more about time management and batch processing, you can download my free "Batch Processing Toolkit" which includes a more in-depth audio training on batch processing as a time management strategy and a couple of other helpful freebies by clicking here: https://www.freedownload.greatworklifebalancehabits.com/batchprocessing.

My name is Jazmin Leon, and I am a certified master coach whose primary work involves guiding clients in how to build positive habits to increase their satisfaction with their ability to balance their professional and personal lives and learning how to develop the work life balance they deserve to live. I have a background in neuroscience and psychology, advanced educational learning techniques and instructional design, and have spent years studying how to effectively prevent and reduce burnout and increase work life balance among busy professionals.