How to Boost Workplace Productivity Through Time-Batching

Employees agree that time management is important. Just look at the stats. A staggering 90% agree it would help them increase productivity. Meanwhile, 91% say it would lead to reduced stress at work.

You cannot talk about time management without talking about time batching. According to John Medina’s “Brain Rules”, switching between different tasks can hamper your productivity. Time batching can help you do more by ensuring you don’t do things at the same time.

In this article, you’ll learn how to implement time batching in your workplace. But let’s discuss the basics first.

What Is Time Batching?

Time batching is a productivity management technique that sees an individual grouping similar tasks and dedicating a fixed period to complete them. All this is done without interruption.

Let’s take a step back and consider household-related chores like deep cleaning your home for a moment. You will probably do the laundry first, then wipe down surfaces and do the dishes before vacuuming and taking out the trash in the end. You aren’t likely to wash a few dishes first, do half the laundry, and then vacuum half of the house before returning to the dishes. It just doesn’t make sense to switch from one task that’s halfway done to another. It’s confusing and may just end up making you unproductive.

That strategy of switching from one incomplete task to another wouldn’t work in a workplace setting either. Statistics on time management reveal that employees lose a staggering four hours and 32 minutes of their time each week to reprioritizing tasks they didn’t complete earlier in the week. If they just completed similar tasks in one go instead, they wouldn’t need to go back to them later and lose that much time.

In other words, had they performed time batching instead, they would have been more productive. Time batching ensures you get more things done because it eliminates multitasking. When you multitask, you take 50% longer to complete what you’re supposed to do.

How to Implement Time Batching in the Workplace?

But how can you implement time batching in the workplace? Let’s look at five key steps you need to follow:

1. Identify your tasks

To ensure successful time batching, you’ll need to create a visual representation of all the tasks to be completed first. Create a to-do list of your work-related tasks for the day, month, or year. You should have a separate task list if you plan to do time batching for your personal tasks as well.

Listing all your tasks this way won’t just help you set the right foundation for your time management strategy. It can also motivate you to work. After all, with the list, you can also visualize how completing small tasks can help you achieve what you initially thought were hard-to-reach larger goals.

2. Batch similar tasks

Now it’s time to group together the similar tasks on your list. You can categorize your tasks in many ways. Here are some criteria you can use:

• Function: With this criterion, you’d group all your marketing tasks, for instance, together–from blog post writing to video and social media marketing.
• Level of concentration required: If you opt for this criterion, a task will fall under one of these batches:

Shallow tasks - These are simple tasks and duties that don’t require a lot of concentration. Examples of shallow tasks include sending emails and scheduling meetings.

Deep tasks - These are complex and require a lot of concentration to complete. Writing a quarterly financial report can be considered a deep task.

• Platform used: Tasks that require the use of the same platform are grouped together in one batch.

Let’s say you’re a marketer for a reputable brand. Your to-do list for the day includes responding to client emails, creating a script for a 30-minute video on YouTube, crafting a custom thumbnail for the video, and creating Facebook posts and scheduling them for publication for the next two weeks. If you decided to categorize tasks according to the platform used, here are possible batches:

Batch A: Responding to client emails (email)

Batch B: Video script and thumbnail creation (YouTube)

Batch C: Facebook post creation and scheduling for two weeks (Facebook)

There’s no real limit to the number of related tasks you can include in one batch. For as long as it makes sense to include them in a category based on your set criterion, include it.

3. Set time blocks

After task batching, you’ll want to set time blocks for each batch. Make sure for every batch of tasks you create, you set a realistic deadline.

To ensure you set a realistic time block, reflect on how long it usually takes for you to complete the single tasks in the batch. You’ll need to consider variables such as your specific skills (or lack thereof).

Let’s take our sample Batch B above. If you know YouTube marketing, then creating thumbnails shouldn’t take you that long. But if you’ve never written a script, then you should probably give yourself more time to complete that task.

Consider, too, whether there are other technologies you’ll use to make your work easier. If you’re using artificial intelligence tools to craft your video script, for instance, then you should spend even less time on that task. That’s on the assumption, though, that you already know how to use AI tools. If you need to read a blog post on generative AI to effectively reap the tools’ many benefits, then you’d need to allocate more time to complete that specific task.

Given all these, for Batch B, then, you might decide that 3 hours is more than enough (just one hour to write a video script using AI you’re familiar with and two hours to create a thumbnail for the video).

When setting blocks of time, you’ll also want to determine which batch of tasks you’ll complete first. Prioritize the ones that are time-sensitive. If you have approaching deadlines for Batch B and C, for instance, then you’ll start your day with the batch with the closest deadline. You can relegate batches with no deadlines–maybe Batch A—to the later part of the day.

Make sure to accommodate in your final schedule the regular breaks in the workplace and short self-imposed breaks after long hours of work. The breaks can help you escape the productivity trap and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

All this said, your final time blocks for the three batches mentioned in the first section might look something like this:

• Video script and thumbnail creation (YouTube) - From 9 a.m. to noon.
• Lunch break
• Facebook post creation and scheduling for two weeks - From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Short 10-minute break
• Responding to client emails - From 4:10 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Remember to set reminders for when you should have completed each batch of tasks. You can use a scheduling tool for this.

4. Eliminate distractions

You should eliminate distractions as part of your time-batching strategy. After all, this is the only way you can perform your tasks without interruption as required. You may have created the best work schedule for yourself, but you won’t be able to follow it if there are just too many things around you that prevent you from focusing.

So, when working, why not use headphones? They will help you ensure deep focus even with your noisy colleagues around. Keep away from digital distractions as well. Unless the phone is needed for work, keep it away from you for the time being. To prevent you from accessing sites that have nothing to do with your tasks, you can also use a website blocker.

In a world full of tempting distractions, you have to prioritize what matters most. Eliminating distractions boosts your focus and makes time batching even more effective.

5. Evaluate and adjust

Evaluate the results of implementing your time-batching strategy. You want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your time management technique.

So, ask yourself, were you able to complete each batch of tasks within the set time block? Or, did you just manage to finish one batch within the set time but went beyond the deadlines with the others?

If you see areas for improvement, adjust your current time batching strategy. For instance, why not try batching similar tasks according to a different criterion? Or maybe changing your work setup will help? For example, maybe instead of just leaving your phone in your desk drawer, leave it in your car.

Experiment with different scenarios. The goal is to discover the best setup that allows you to complete your tasks as scheduled. It will take time but your efforts will be worth it once you find the best time batching strategy for you.

Conclusion

Time batching is an effective time management technique. It sees users grouping similar tasks and dedicating a fixed period to complete them without interruption.

You learned how to implement time batching in the workplace with this article. Begin by identifying your tasks. Then, batch similar tasks and set time blocks for each. Make sure you eliminate distractions to enhance your productivity. Finally, keep evaluating and adjusting to improve your strategy. Additionally, integrating a time clock for employees can complement time batching by providing a structured way for employees to track their time within these set time blocks, aiding in accountability and ensuring adherence to the designated tasks and schedules.

With an effective time-batching strategy, you won’t just ensure maximum productivity in the workplace. You’ll also reduce work-related stress and, ultimately, live a happier and healthier life. Good luck!