It’s time you learned how to start batch working, it seriously is life changing! I used to work long hours and ended up burning out, always feeling like I had accomplished nothing. The minute I started batch working, my whole work/life dynamic changed. Because here’s the thing dreamer, multitasking is not a badge of honor. It actually increases anxiety and stress and reduced productivity by 40%! Think about it, we are just switching our mind back and forth from one task to another not really giving it our all. And that is not being very intentional is it?
What is Batch Working?
Batch working is simply to create a focus around a topic every time you’re sitting down to work. I like to think about it as one single topic per day. For example in my own schedule every Monday I work on client work which means I’m just designing all day. Tuesdays I tackle all my blogging, Wednesday is my free creative day where I get to work on my own personal projects, Thursdays is all about Instagram + social media planning and finally Fridays is general business work. You see, this way I’m laser focused on one thing at a time. You will not see me working on clients the same day I’m trying to blog or to write out an Instagram caption. This allows me to have structure and enter my state of work flow without worrying about getting other things done.
The Benefits of Batch Working
The biggest thing that batch working does is to make your business way more efficient. Having a clear plan is key to pursue a healthy hustle. You basically will know what to do every day without having to spend precious energy on stress or anxiety wondering how you will get it all done. Batch working creates clarity and helps you reach your goals sooner! Plus, without all that nagging noise in your head, you can focus on bigger goals and your personal life. It also has the added positive side-effect of never feeling behind again. If anything you’ll be on top of your work leaving you with more time for you.
How to Batch Work
Now that you’re aware of how awesome batch working is, I’m going to walk you through my step-by-step process! I know it can be intimidating sometimes especially if you’re not naturally organized (which is totally ok!)… but let me tell you that it is easier than it looks!
STEP 1: FIND YOUR TOPICS
Take a look at your business. What are the areas that you work on to maintain it? You have to decide what exactly you want to batch. Back to my personal schedule, I have a couple of general topics I like to batch: Design Studio Work, Blogging, Social Media, Big Picture Projects, General Business/Misc. Basically, all I do on Wednesday’s is sit at a coffee shop and work on my blog posts for the week ahead. You can also do this for the month if you’d like, that’s the beauty of batch working! You can fit as much or as less as you want. I like to have all my content done a week ahead of time and so my batching revolves around that. So think of 5 topics that are ongoing in your business and write them down.
STEP 2: CREATE A SCHEDULE
Now that you have your topics in mind, it’s time to create a schedule! Think of when you are most productive during the week. Always start with the most demanding topic and work your way down depending on your energy and motivation levels. So for example, I do all my client work on Mondays because it’s when I’m most motivated and energized. Friday’s where I usually am more relaxed I do general business maintenance like any site updates I may have, answering incoming inquiries, updating a pdf here and there… small tasks! So grab a piece of paper, or download my free batch working planner and jot down your topics on each day you would like to accomplish them.
STEP 3: Plan & Prioritize
At the beginning of each week you should plan out your most important projects and prioritize them. For example, is there a client project that’s due? Are you following up on something? Think of big projects you have and create a smaller list of tasks you need to do to accomplish them. The main point is that you need to make sure you break up your “big batching” into bite-size tasks that ensure that you can follow through without the overwhelm!
STEP 4: Get It Done!
Batch working is a very easy way to plan your weekly tasks in a more enjoyable way. It really does take the stress (and those nagging thoughts) away and leaves you with more time for yourself. Plus, you can plan ahead and be super strategic with your work week and business. If you’re launching a product or something big you can start catering your topics to subtly promote that a couple of weeks prior. In fact… I designed a handy planner sheet to get you started and help you organize your thoughts, topics and to-do lists!
Free Batch Working Planner
Click the image below and download your free planner and get started on those BIG dreams of yours!
Are you convinced that batch working is where it’s at? Multitasking is a thing of the past, it really does not help with productivity at all. I seriously think you should give batch working a try! You will be blown away by how big of a change it brings to your work/life balance!
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So tell me, what are the big projects and dreams are you planning to batch work?
