You should be batching tasks in your business. That is one of the top productivity tips many experts in all industries give. But this just doesn’t work for everybody. So if you want some non-traditional productivity tips, this post is for you!
There is no shortage of productivity tips on the internet and one of the biggest myths is that batching tasks saves you time. There is no one size fits all solution. And since you’re listening to this episode I’m going to go out on a limb and say that batching doesn’t really work for you or you probably wouldn’t have tuned in.
Let me start by telling you what I mean when I use the word batching. Batching, in productivity terms means grouping similar tasks together to get them completed. The intention is for you to be hyper focused. The goal is to increase your productivity opposed to switching back and forth between tasks which decreases your productivity.
When I picked the topic for this episode I Googled a few phrases to find my keywords of course and let me tell you, there is no shortage of tips if you search for productivity hacks for entrepreneurs, there are about 665k. And when I searched productivity tips for entrepreneurs, about 7,120,000.
And if you look at the results, there is no end to the number of tips. But many of them are going to pretty much be the same. You will see things like batching tasks for time management, no multitasking, learn to say no, delegate, stop compromising…I can go on and on but I won’t.
Productivity is a huge topic in our world as solopreneurs. Why? Because when you figure out how to be more productive, you increase your output which in your business increases your revenue and overall it frees up time in your schedule. Who doesn’t want that?!
The truth is running a business efficiently is not an easy task because there are so many moving pieces in play. That makes it hard to be productive sometimes. Not to mention that we all work differently and no two businesses are alike, and every single one of us has different circumstances.
So to boost your productivity, you have probably tried batching tasks and failed. Don’t feel bad about that! The top two reasons I’ve heard many women say are the reasons batching tasks doesn’t quite is because of their schedule or the way their brain works. So let’s approach productivity with a fresh outlook. Focus on determining what needs to be done and come up with a method that helps you organize and complete those tasks in a specified amount of time.
Evaluate Your Schedule
First you need to determine how many viable hours you have each week and each day. We all get the same 24 hours but how productive you are depends on how you use them. So first, write down the time you get up in the morning and then write down the time you go to bed.
Next, write out how many hours you work your 9-5 each week if you have one, drop off and pick up times for the kids and include travel time and do the same if they have other activities they do outside the home. Then write out how many hours every week you want to spend time with your family and see how much time you have left for working on your business, on self-care and anything else you need to do.
Here’s an example. I work my part-time job 24-30 hours per week, 8-10 hours in my volunteer work. Then I have to break down what’s left to take care of my other priorities. Now I time block my schedule. So my time blocks are planned out in increments that range from 15-30 min or 1-2 hours for other tasks I need to handle. This includes client work, working on my business and even working out.
This helps me stay focused so I can accomplish more because I’m not multitasking. It also keeps me from getting overwhelmed with too many tasks. If you want to know more about how I time block my schedule, check out this blog post.
Limit Your Priorities
The key to being productive when you are aware of how much time you actually have in your schedule doesn’t mean you need to jam pack as much as you can into those open slots. So you have to determine what your priority tasks are first.
What makes something a priority? A deadline definitely determines what needs to be a priority. But let’s be honest. Most of the things we need to do don’t have a hard deadline. So you get to decide what else you’re going to spend your time on. We make time for what is important to us. So arrange your days so that you can focus on what is important to you. And here’s the thing, that priority changes and that is ok!
You have to maintain a holistic viewpoint when it comes to what you are going to spend your time on. That is what creating an intentional business is all about. The real key is to figure out what balance looks like specifically for you based on your lifestyle and your goals, and then work toward them.
Embrace the season of life you are in and create goals that compliment that. Then based on all the things going on in your life, determine what you will realistically have time to focus on in your business. Set 2-3 priorities for the week and pick your associated tasks to achieve those priorities each day in advance. Then you can hit the ground running once your day starts because you know what you need to focus on.
Stop Multi-tasking and Focus Your Energy
Contrary to popular belief, multi-tasking does NOT help you get more done. You just end up with a bunch of incomplete tasks and projects. Your efficiency is decreased when you jump from task to task. That means you may be making errors which can be costly.
So try this instead. Pick tasks that you can complete in the time you have available. For example, I have roughly 8-12 hours for exercise, podcast tasks, client work and to work on my business. So I have to maximize those hours based on a number of variables. And I complete tasks based on the time I have which varies each week. I also have to be realistic and flexible when it comes to getting things done. But I don’t hop from one thing to another. And if I have a large task, I break it down into smaller chunks until it is complete.
Change Your Mindset About Batching Tasks
Now you may be wondering how this is a productivity tip. Stop and think about what batching means. You’re simply completing similar tasks. Here’s where the mindset change is required. Stop focusing on getting a large quantity of similar tasks done. Focus on completing things at the same time or completing a task in stages.
So here’s how you can increase productivity by doing things at the same time. This basically comes down to you having a routine for doing things every day. This includes tasks like checking email, cooking, taking phone calls, checking social media. The idea is to designate times for these routine tasks every day.
Take email for example. Your inbox can be one of the biggest distractions outside of notifications and social media. You don’t have to be chained to your inbox. Create a schedule for checking your email, sorting your emails and responding to emails. If you need help with this, be sure to check out this blog post.
The same goes for social media. Two of my biz besties who are my go to experts for help with Instagram are Shannon McKinstrie and Allison Scholes. Both of them have taught me how to succeed on social media in just 30 minutes a day. And let me tell you it works! So be sure to follow them on Instagram because their social media tips are game changing.
My point is, there are some tasks we can complete in small batches to be productive. That relieves the pressure of having to do a lot at one time.
Here’s an example of completing tasks in stages. Think about how you wash your laundry. I don’t know anyone who puts dirty clothes into the washing machine one piece at a time. We let it pile up right?! While that is mostly because we don’t like to do laundry, it’s just not efficient. So I know for me, I let it pile up until I’m out of something which usually I run out of clean workout clothes and then I do the laundry. The point, this one task is tackled all at one time but in stages. And the stages may be completed on different days. Now while I wash and dry the clothes on the same day but they usually stay in the laundry basket until I want to put them on. Don’t judge me!
But I hope you get the point. I complete a few tasks at one time related to one big task and then I move on to something else. That is all that batching tasks is. So what usually happens when someone says batching doesn’t work for me is that they have allowed someone else to determine what the end result of their work needs to be. But this is your business so you get to decide what the end result is. That’s where the mindset change comes in.
I know there are women out there who feel the laundry isn’t complete until it is folded and put up. Well I’m not one of those women. So washed, dry and making it to my bedroom is complete enough for me. So I get it to that point. Now let’s use this same thought process when it comes to completing tasks in your business. You decide what complete needs to be and make a plan to get to that point based on your schedule.
So I hope these tips help you get more done with the time you have available. I know they aren’t huge revelations to you and that you’ve heard them before. But now I want you to pick at least one of these tips and put it into practice. One of the biggest roadblocks to productivity is task management combined with time management. So once you’ve identified the time you actually have to get things done, you need to determine what tasks you will spend your time on.
Thank you so much for tuning in today! I hope these tips help you crush it this year. I’m going to put links to the episodes I mentioned in the show notes for you.
But I would love to hear which tip is your favorite. So feel free to DM me on Instagram @the_shannonbaker and let me know. Or take a screenshot, post it in stories and tag me. I would love to hear from you!
