What It Means
Task batching means collecting similar small tasks, such as answering email, returning calls, paying bills or running errands, and doing them together in one set block instead of whenever each one comes up. The reason it helps is the cost of switching: the American Psychological Association notes that every shift from one task to another takes a little time, and that repeated switching adds up.
Try It: Count the Switches Batching Saves
An example. Each time you check email you switch away from your work and back again, which is two switches. Change the numbers to match your day.
Fewer switches, fewer chances for the small cost of each one to add up.
No switches saved. Try fewer sessions than checks.
How People Say It
- "I do all my calls on Tuesday afternoon."
- "Emails get batched at 11 and 4."
- "I'll run all the errands in one trip on Saturday."
The Breakdown
How to set up your batches (Buhata's own framing)
- List the small, repeating tasks that interrupt your day: email, messages, calls, bills, errands, paperwork.
- Group them by kind, putting tasks that use the same tool or place together.
- Give each group a fixed time. Email twice or three times a day, calls in one afternoon slot, errands in one trip.
- Between batches, leave those tasks alone. Turn off the alerts for anything you've batched.
- After a week, check whether the batches were too far apart or too close together, and adjust.
A sample week (Buhata's own example)
| Batch | When |
|---|---|
| Email and messages | 11:00 and 4:00 each workday |
| Phone calls | Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00 to 2:30 |
| Bills and paperwork | Friday morning, 30 minutes |
| Errands | One trip on Saturday |
Short version to try today. Pick one kind of task, usually email, and handle it only at three set times today.
Good to Know
Switching has a real cost. The American Psychological Association's page on multitaskingMultitasking mythThe mistaken belief that you can do several thinking tasks at once without cost; research finds switching between tasks slows people down and adds errors. See more says a single switch may take only a few tenths of a second, yet the time adds up when people switch back and forth over and over, and shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time. Batching also needs limits: if something truly urgent can arrive by email, let the people who send it know another way to reach you.
FAQ
What kinds of tasks are best to batch?
Small, repeating jobs that pull you away from bigger work: email, messages, phone calls, bills, paperwork and errands.
Is task batching the same as time blocking?
They work well together. Time blocking gives each block of the day a job, and a batch of similar tasks is one kind of job a block can hold.
Why is switching between tasks so costly?
Each switch takes a moment for your mind to reset. The American Psychological Association notes those moments add up with repeated switching and can eat a large share of productive time.
Do It in Buhata
Tasks and Focus
Put each batch on your day in Buhata Tasks, then run it as a Focus countdown set to the batch's length.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Context switching
Moving your attention from one task to another and back, which costs time and focus each time your mind has to reset for the new task.
- Inbox zero
An email method from Merlin Mann's 2006 series on 43 Folders: work the inbox down to empty on a regular schedule and keep it that way.
- Attention residue
Thoughts about an earlier task that stay with you after you switch to a new one, leaving less attention for the work in front of you.
Sources
American Psychological Association, "Multitasking: Switching costs"
Last updated .