How do you go about your daily schedule? Are you wasting time down the internet rabbit hole or getting distracted by other things? I work from home so there are so many distractions that can take me from what I’m supposed to get done during the day. I want to tell you why batching or time blocking is the key to getting more done. It really has changed the way I run my weekly schedule. I’m so organized and can accomplish so much more.
What is batching?
What is batching? It is focusing on one thing for a specified block of time. So how does this whole thing work? Well it can really work for anything. In my schedule I take the big things I do in blogging and my daily schedule and separate them into big blocks of time. Write down your current jobs for the week and how long it takes you to accomplish it. Then assign each task with a specific time frame. For example, I know that writing posts, shopping for products for my shoots, taking photos, editing photos, and admin work are my biggest tasks for the week. It just so happens that works out perfectly for the week because there are five tasks. I can break that into five days. Then on Saturday I try to learn one new thing that pertains to bettering my blog.
When I made my schedule I took those five tasks and arranged them in my week to get everything done in a timely manner. Mondays, I usually do admin stuff and anything that is due for a brand I am working with. Tuesdays, I have about a 3-4 hour window where I just write as many posts as possible. This is the best way I have found this to work. Wednesdays, I shop for products for my shoots if needed. Thursdays, I take pictures for my posts. This seems to be my hardest day by far. Setting up shoots, taking photos, and cleaning up is the most time consuming and takes the most out of me. I’m sure it’s because I’m doing several projects in one day. Sometimes this extends into Friday. Fridays, the schedule is set to edit and choose photos for posts. I love this day. I find it very fun to get to the end and put the final touches on posts.
The rest of my day is spent handling social media, Pinterest and other tasks like newsletters and design projects that need to be handled at the time. However, batching is the biggest part of my day. Doing it this way helps me know exactly what I need to do from day to day. Each morning I don’t waste time wondering what I need to do. Once you’re into the task it is easier to stay in that same activity for a longer period of time. I always know what project I’m starting next. I accomplish more, am more focused, produce better content and don’t tend to procrastinate. For all of these reasons I will continue to batch my time.
This can work for other professions too. If you are a homemaker you can do your cleaning schedule and errands by batching your schedule. If you are a teacher you can do your planning, book selections, personal errands and other tasks the same way. It really works with anything you need to break into blocks.
