Task Batching and Grouping

Here's a little productivity hack which I've gained a lot of efficiency from. Bulk similar activities together. Your brain works a bit like an oldschool train that needs to gain momentum doing one thing. If you jump from one type of activity to something complete different you don't harvest the gain of having achieved task momentum. This simple principle is incredibly powerful in combating the feeling of being scattered or constantly playing catch-up. That constant context-switching – moving from email to a meeting, then to a document, then back to messages – is a silent killer of productivity and mental energy. Think of your brain's focus like that train. It takes effort and time to get up to full momentum on a specific type of work. Once it's there, it can cover ground incredibly efficiently. But if you have to stop and start at every single station (or switch tracks completely), you never build that speed. That's the "cost" incurred each time you switch between dissimilar tasks – the time and mental energy needed to disengage from the previous task and fully ramp up on the new one. Why Batching Works So Well: When you intentionally group similar tasks, you: Reduce Context Switching: Your brain stays in the same "mode," dramatically lowering cognitive load. Build Momentum: You leverage the focus gained from the first task to perform subsequent similar tasks faster and more effectively. Improve Deep Focus: By dedicating a solid block of time to one type of work, you minimize the mental clutter of thinking about all the other different tasks waiting for you. My Micro Example & More Everyday Applications: We use a system (like our event calendar below, scheduled all the way to July!) to plan our Attributed live events and podcast episodes. A recurring task is writing event descriptions. Yesterday, instead of just getting the next event description live as it came up, I decided to batch this activity. I blocked out focused time specifically for writing these descriptions and managed to complete not just one, but descriptions for five upcoming events in that single, focused session. The efficiency gain was clear because my brain was already warmed up and in the "writing and describing" flow. Want to start putting batching into practice: 1. Identify Similar Tasks: Look at your to-do list today and this week. Which tasks require a similar mindset or tool? 2. Estimate Time: How long do you reasonably need to spend on a batch of these tasks? 3. Schedule Focus Blocks: Add dedicated time slots to your calendar for these batched activities. Treat them as non-negotiable meetings with yourself. This technique is a core principle taken straight from David Allen's renowned productivity methodology, "Getting Things Done," and it has truly made a difference for me.

I used to think batch creating content was just another productivity hack that busy marketers made up to sound organised. Turns out I was completely wrong 🫣 After diving into the actual research, I found legit science behind why batch creation works so well. And honestly, it explains why I felt so scattered when I was jumping between writing blog articles, creating social content, mocking up designs, and sitting in meetings all in the same day. ••• Here's what the research actually shows… 1. Your brain hates task switching. Every time you switch from writing an article to creating graphics to interviewing an expert, you lose up to 40% of your productivity. The mental effort needed to constantly shift between different types of tasks creates what’s called switching costs. 2. Tool toggling is expensive. Apparently, people toggle between different tools, apps, and websites nearly 1,200 times per day. That adds up to just under 4hrs each week just reorienting yourself after switching. 4 hours 🫨 3. Flow states are real and measurable. When you batch similar tasks together, you're more likely to hit that sweet spot where work feels effortless. It seems, people are 5x more productive during their peak performance compared to their average work. 4. Interruptions make you work faster, but more stressed. This one surprised me. When people are constantly interrupted, they actually complete tasks faster than when working uninterrupted. But here's the catch—they experience significantly more stress, frustration, time pressure, and mental effort. They're basically compensating for interruptions by working in overdrive. And over time, more artificial stress compounds and makes for less healthy people. ••• So here's what I actually do now: I block out specific times for specific types of work. And I group similar tasks together so I don’t need to context-switch so much. One morning is for writing. An afternoon is for web design focus. And another day is for video editing. I answer emails, Slack, DMs in batch. I schedule meetings on the same day. You catch my drift. No switching. No multitasking. No more chaos. The difference in both output quality and my sanity has been remarkable. Instead of feeling like I'm constantly starting from scratch, each task builds momentum for the next one. ••• Follow me for more deep dives into my marketing workflow ♡

Feeling overloaded at your small nonprofit organization? And your day looks like this? One minute you’re finalizing a donor email. Next, you’re answering a board question, before meeting with a partner organization, and then prepping for tonight’s event. If so, you likely have a "switching costs" problem rather than a "not enough time" problem. The constant gear-shifting drains your focus. The fix? Organize your time to minimize switching back and forth between unlike tasks as much as possible. It's why time blocking works so nicely. Also, try to stack like work with like work. Schedule all your meetings within 2 to 3 days and reserve the remaining 2 days for more in-depth work. If you think of your week like this (yours might have some adds/edits): • 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 = 𝟮𝟬-𝟮𝟱% 𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 • 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 = 𝟮𝟬-𝟮𝟱% 𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 • 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 = 𝟭𝟱-𝟮𝟬% 𝘛𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 = 𝟭𝟱-𝟮𝟬% 𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 • 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻 = 𝟭𝟬-𝟭𝟱% 𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩, 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 • 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 & 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 = 𝟱-𝟭𝟬% 𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 It makes it easier to see where you can batch and match. Nonprofit life will intrude and make that difficult. But if you start with a clear view of what an effective week looks like for you, you can more easily make corrections as you go. How might you batch and match the needed work to give you the time and focus each needs?  

Most managers have heard of task batching. Fewer know when to use day theming. Both methods live under the time blocking umbrella. But they operate at different levels of calendar control. Using the wrong one for your situation makes the structure feel harder than it should. — Here's how to think about the difference. ✅ Task batching means grouping similar tasks within your day. → Admin in one block. → Emails in one block. → Deep work in one block. It reduces context switching without requiring much calendar ownership. You can start batching even in a reactive, meeting-heavy week. ✅ Day theming goes further. You dedicate entire days to one domain. → Monday: strategy. → Tuesday: client work. → Wednesday: operations. It creates the conditions for real flow and meaningful progress on complex work. But it only lands when you have genuine control over most of your calendar. — ➡️ When to batch: ↳Your calendar is still partially reactive ↳You have recurring shallow work scattered across domains ↳You're in the early stages of building time structure ➡️ When to theme: ↳You have real control over most of your days ↳Your work spans genuinely distinct domains ↳You've already got batching as a habit and want more depth — Most managers can start batching this week. Day theming is what you build toward once the structure holds. Do you batch tasks or theme your days? ♻️ Repost if this helped you see the difference. I post frameworks like this every week for managers building their way from reactive to strategic. 👋🏻 Follow Darta Riekstina to catch the next one.

Want to do more in less time? Stop this bad habit. It's draining your time... It is context - switching. Your "quick check" of email between tasks? It's costing you 23 minutes of deep focus. Every time you proudly "multitask," you're actually forcing your brain through a complete reboot cycle. The real cost = 23 minutes to refocus after each interruption. I used to be proud of my multitasking skills. Until I tracked my time and found a shocking truth: I was finishing half as much work as I thought. ——— The solution? Task batching. It's a science-backed technique that groups similar tasks together to complete in dedicated time blocks. Here's why it works: Mental energy ↳ Your brain uses glucose when switching tasks. Batch similar activities to preserve it. Attention residue ↳ When you switch tasks, part of your focus stays stuck on the previous activity. Batching eliminates this problem. Flow state activation ↳ Working on similar tasks for 25+ minutes triggers your brain's flow state. Productivity jumps significantly. ——— How to start batching today: Bucket your tasks ↳ Communication (emails, calls, messages) ↳ Creative work (writing, designing, planning) ↳ Administrative (scheduling, filing, expenses) Assign specific time blocks ↳ Schedule 60-90 minute blocks for each category ↳ Match high-energy tasks with your peak performance times ↳ Protect these blocks strictly Create transition rituals ↳ 5 minutes between batches to reset ↳ Stand up, stretch, or practice quick deep breathing ↳ This signals to your brain that you're switching gears I now batch all my emails into 30-minute blocks: morning, noon, and evening. The result? I finish in half the time with twice the focus. P.S: Which task steals most of your focus during the day? Emails, meetings, or something else? ——— 🗞 If you like this, you'll love my newsletter, The Saturday Cha It'll help you make time for what matters. Read by leaders from Tesla, Oracle & other companies.

If you told me I’d willingly schedule four back-to-back podcast interviews in one day, I would’ve laughed and asked if you’ve met my ADHD brain. But guess what? That’s exactly what I did today—and it felt good. Here’s the thing: Batch working has become my secret weapon. Instead of scattering tasks across my calendar like confetti and chasing focus every 10 minutes, I’m learning to group similar tasks together. It’s like giving my brain a chance to settle in and build momentum. Today’s lineup? 👉 4 interviews. 👉 1 setup. 👉 No switching gears, no juggling multiple tabs in my brain, no spiraling into overwhelm. It wasn’t always like this. I used to think that multitasking was the only way to “get it all done.” Spoiler: it’s not. Multitasking often led to half-done tasks, forgotten to-dos, and an exhausted brain by noon. Batch working changed the game: ✨ It keeps me in the zone longer. ✨ It reduces decision fatigue. ✨ It’s become an essential tool to navigate life and business with ADHD. And hey, there’s something deeply satisfying about checking off a whole category of tasks in one go. 💥 Whether you’re recording podcasts, writing content, or managing client calls—batch working might just be the productivity hack you didn’t know you needed. Have you tried batch working before? If so, what tasks do you group together? If not, what’s one area of your work you could batch? Let’s share tips! 👇

The silent killer of your productivity isn’t distraction. It’s task-switching. Every time you jump from one thing to another, check your inbox mid-project, answer a Slack ping, peek at your phone, then go back to your work, your brain doesn’t seamlessly refocus. It resets. Neuroscience calls this “attention residue.” Each time you switch tasks, a portion of your attention stays stuck on the previous one, reducing your cognitive performance for the next. Studies from the University of California Irvine found that after switching tasks, it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to regain full focus. Multiply that by the number of times you “just check” something, and it’s easy to see why so many entrepreneurs end the day exhausted but feel like they got nothing done. Task-switching also spikes cortisol (stress) and dopamine (novelty reward) — a combination that tricks your brain into feeling productive while actually draining your executive function, decision-making, and creativity. So if you’ve been feeling scattered, unproductive, or stuck in reactive mode… it’s not because you’re lazy. It’s because your brain isn’t designed to multitask. It’s designed to go deep. Here’s what to try this week: ✅ Block 90-minute focus windows, no notifications, no multitasking. ✅ Batch similar tasks together (calls, emails, creative work). ✅ Protect your brain like the asset it is. Because clarity, momentum, and effectiveness don’t come from doing more. They come from doing one thing well, without interruption.

Multitasking is the enemy of productivity. Doing many things at once rarely works, but doing similar tasks back-to-back often does. We reply to emails, prepare campaign reports, get into meetings, and brainstorm ideas. We try to do all this at the same hour/time, thinking we are saving time, but we end up draining ourselves instead. Instead of this task switching, try to group similar tasks together. Create blocks of your day—emails in one block, creative brainstorming in another, reporting in the third, and so on. This is called as batching. When our brain stays focused on one kind or type of task, it becomes more efficient, less stressed, and surprisingly creative. With patterns, our brain is super efficient, too. It reduces decision fatigue. At first, you might feel that you are not doing stuff fast enough. But trust me, you'll surely get more done in less time. More here is a surrogate for the quality of the work. Try it for a week. Pick similar tasks, batch them together, and see if you feel a difference in focus and output.

Multitasking is setting you up for failure and burnout. But what should you do instead? Start Time batching. Take your productivity from reactive to proactive by time batching – the antidote to multitasking. Time batching reimagines how you are able to approach productivity by focusing on concentration, efficiency, and reducing the cognitive load that comes with constant task-switching (read: “multitasking”). When we multitask, our brain doesn't actually perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Instead, it rapidly switches between them, creating what some call "switching costs." Each time you shift your attention, your brain requires time to recalibrate, refocus, and remember the context of the new task. This constant context-switching dramatically reduces productivity and increases mental fatigue. What does time batching look like? Putting smaller, similar tasks together and tackling them at a set time. Then, moving on to something else. For example: → Instead of checking emails sporadically throughout the day (which interrupts your other work), you might batch all email-related tasks into a 45-minute block in the morning and another in the late afternoon. During those specific times, you're fully focused on communication, and during other blocks, you're uninterrupted while working on creative or analytical tasks. The key is to design your day around focused, intentional blocks of work that align with your natural energy levels and the types of tasks you need to accomplish. Time batching transforms productivity from a scattered, reactive approach to a strategic, proactive experience. Convinced yet? #ProductivityHacks #Mindset #Performance #Leadership