In today’s world, our most limited resource seems to be time. Most people are always seeking ways to get time back or get more time. At Riverbend, we are always looking for new strategies or tips and tricks to find ways to make that happen.
With summer in full swing, we wanted to share one of our favorite strategies to drive productivity in your day, so we can all get outside and enjoy the sunshine and time with our loved ones.
Have you tried batching your tasks yet? Batching tasks is grouping similar jobs together to complete during a dedicated time with no interruptions. It is a great way to to help you focus on and plan how you use your time in a day to do more productive work.
In our world today with cell phones, emails, notifications, etc. it is nearly impossible not to get drawn into multitasking. We all want to bounce around our to-do list to keep chipping away at tasks, but this is inhibiting us from getting things done efficiently.
Batching tasks solves the “pat your head and rub your stomach” conundrum that happens with a scattered to-do list. When your mind bounces from task to task, it wastes an incredible amount of time having to switch focus. That diminishes your attention and will power to finish the job at hand. When you can align tasks that relate to the same project, client, team, etc. you are streamlining your attention and cutting out the startup and slow-down time.
The other key with batching your tasks is knowing what times of day are best for your productivity levels. Everyone experiences different peaks and lulls of their energy throughout the day. When you are intentional with this observation, you can begin to better organize your day for when you choose to do what tasks. Align your tasks that feel more laborious or more complex “to-dos” to when you have the most focus and energy. Save the administrative tasks or those that require less of your brain power for when your energy dips – this timing will be different for everyone.
Life will happen, and this practice will not always be perfect, but planning how we spend our time more efficiently will hopefully give us more of it in the long run.
Time to batch!
Strategies:
1. We suggest a time audit of your week if you haven’t tried one to see where you are spending your time!
2. Think about the tasks you do within a week and group them by function (emails, calls, meetings, projects)
3. Find an uninterrupted time you can work on these identified batches.
4. Put blocks on your calendar for when you plan to do tasks to give yourself ample time to accomplish them.
5. Prevent notifications from popping up on your screen or phone. Try wearing headphones or employ another strategy that can help prevent your attention from being sidetracked.