There’s one thing in the world that everyone shares regardless of profession, race, religion, age, or gender.
Photo courtesy of “wwarby” via Flickr
(Creative Commons License)
That one thing is time.
We all have 24 hours in a day. No more, no less.
Most small business owners and working professionals I meet wish they could save time and add hours to their week.
Well, guess what?
You can!
All you have to do is master one crucial skill. It’s called “batching.”
Don’t know what batching is or how to use it to save time?
Invest 5 minutes to read the rest of this blog post and learn how batching can save you hours of time each and every week for the rest of your life and reduce stress in the process!
What is batching?
Now, many of you are probably asking yourself, “What in the world is “batching”?”
In a nutshell…
Batching involves grouping together similar activities to do them all at the same time instead of in a “hit and miss” fashion.
Here’s an example of batching that most of you probably already do without even thinking about it:
Instead of driving to the grocery store before every single meal to get the ingredients needed for that particular meal, you only go once a week, or maybe less. When you do go, you get everything you think you might need for a few days or a week (or more!) and then bring it all back to your house.
But what about at work? Why can’t I check email, talk on the phone, and watch the news at the same time?
Isn’t it more productive to multitask?
Well, in a word, NO.
Researchers around the world have found that people who regularly multitask are not only less productive when they are multitasking, but they are ALSO less productive when performing tasks that don’t require multitasking.
And I’m guessing the less productive you are, the more stressed you feel.
So what’s the solution?
Stop multitasking and start batching!
How to save time with batching
The idea of batching similar tasks together to save time can be applied to dozens of different tasks we perform on a regular basis.
Below are just a few ideas…
1. Save time by batching emails, phone calls, and social media usage
As hard as it is to admit, I know I’ve wasted my fair share of time checking my phone for these types of updates when I probably should have been focusing on something else.
The solution?
Turn off those pesky alerts on your smartphone and focus on the task at hand. Only check email and social media at regularly scheduled intervals during the day.
In some industries, you can get by with checking email only once a day, whereas in other industries you might need to check it 2-3 times a day.
Either way, the less time you spend checking your phone, email, and social media, the more you’ll save time by not having to re-adjust your focus to the task at hand.
By the way, if you want a short list of some time and money saving apps check out this blog post I wrote a few weeks ago.
2. Save time by batching bill paying
Do you enjoy paying bills?
Yeah, neither do I.
One way to save time and reduce stress through batching is by putting all of your bills in a pile and pay all the bills at the same time, once a week or once a month.
Better yet, set up automatic bill pay on all of your accounts and never worry about paying a bill on time again (most banks offer this as a free service)!
Just to be safe, check your accounts once a month to make sure the bills are indeed being paid. Then, spend the hours you just saved by doing something, ANYTHING, that’s more fun than paying bills!
3. Save time by batching errands
Why not go to the post office, bank, drug store, and gas station all in the same trip?
Most people waste time unnecessarily by driving to and from their office or home to run errands several times a week when, in reality, one trip will do.
Better yet, run errands on the way to and from the office one day this week and you’ll save even more time!
Other ways to save time by batching
So what about you? What other tasks can you save time on and reduce stress by using batching?
Feel free to leave a comment below or connect with me on social media to let me know! And don’t forget to sign up below with your name and email to receive these blog posts right in your inbox!
