When I first heard the term ‘batchworking’ I was kinda like “Huh??”.
Basically, it means to work on one thing at a time.
And in an age where we can have multiple tabs open, multiple phones ringing and multiple ways of consuming content it’s more important than ever to batch your work.
It can sometimes be a little overwhelming trying to do ALL THE THINGS.
I feel you.
I’ve been where you are now.
Once I focused on batchworking, my productivity and my business started to skyrocket.
So here’s how I batchwork for my business.
Put your phone on DO NOT DISTURB
This is so important.
Switch your phone on 'Do Not Disturb' so that you can completely concentrate.
You can set up some specific rules for your phone like if you get calls from your husband, your child's day-care or school or if someone calls you multiple times, so have a look at your settings and make the most of that amazing tech at your fingertips.
For most of your batchworking you won’t even be needing your phone.
So crank out that laptop and let's get batchin’.
Find your top three
Finding your top three tasks for the day is so important.
What three things are you going to work on today that are going to push your business forward.
Here’s what my top three for today look like
- Blog post ideas
- Blog post content
- Finances (blegh!!)
Once you have decided on your three things, focus on one thing at a time.
I’m hoping that these three things won't take me all day so once I finish them I can move on to my next top three.
More on how I come up with my top three here.
Close ALL the tabs
Now that you’ve closed the tabs in your mind, close all the tabs on your laptop.
Work with a maximum of 3 tabs at a time.
At the moment I’m working on blog post ideas for all my fellow entrepreneurs, I only need one tab for that, my Blog Post, Google Doc.
Use the Pomodoro technique
If you struggle to keep working or if you struggle with when you stop then a Pomodoro Timer like Pomodor is perfect.
I personally use this to see how much time I’m spending on different tasks like
- Content Creation (blogs, social media captions)
- Customer Service (sending emails & orders, replying to messages)
- Admin
Simply hit start and work till it tells you to take a break.
No more checking the clock every 30 seconds to see how long you've been working.
I use the set that they have in Pomodor which is 4 lots of 25 mins with a 5 minute break between each then a 20 minute break when you’ve done all 4.
And I like to add tags so that I can check how much time I’m spending on each area of business.
Knowing how much time you spend can be really helpful when planning your week or when looking to outsource or get some in-house support because this beautiful business of yours is growing.
Do the work
Now it’s time to do the work.
When you are batchworking, focus on ONE thing.
Don't get distracted as different ideas pop up.
If the idea is awesome, note it down and carry on with your task.
Somedays I feel like I have nothing to write about but in one 25 minute Pomodoro session I came up with 8 blog post ideas, all flowed so easily from the next.
When I got to my 5 minute break, I got up, got a glass of water and took a breather.
Then I spent the next 3 blocks of 25 minutes drafting those blog posts.
Once the last timer went off, that was morning and it was time for lunch.
Monday is my big day to do lots of this type of work so I’ll set up another Pomodoro for the afternoon too and once I’m done, it’s time to hang out with the kids.
If your just staring out in your business or if you are ready to grow, you might need to batchwork different things like:
- Identifying your goals
- Setting your quarterly plan to achieve those goals
- Splitting your quarter in months
Or it might be something like this
- Collating images (your own and for your social media that align with your monthly goals
- Creating captions that speak from YOUR heart
- Scheduling the posts so you can enjoy time away from your business (more on scheduling your social media posts here)
I love to find ways to be as productive as possible.
I don’t want to be working all hours on my business, I want my business working for me.
And it is.
If you loved this post I’d love you to share it or drop me a comment below.
xx Birdie