Multitasking vs. Single-tasking vs. Batching

How to Work Smarter, Not Harder

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, CEO, or a stay-at-home mom, you probably find yourself adding tasks to your to-do list quicker than you can cross them off. Juggling various roles and responsibilities can be highly overwhelming, often leading to burnout, stress, or fatigue. Read on to discover a more effective way to organize and complete your to-do list.?

Multitasking Defined

Multitasking is a way of working that keeps people busy, making them think that they’re working hard. Because we want to get everything done as fast as possible, we tend to start working on multiple tasks simultaneously. This method is called multitasking and can leave you with many ongoing projects and few completed tasks. Multitasking is a less-than-effective way to work because it causes people to lose focus, leading to less productivity and lower-quality outcomes. The Harvard Business Review wrote an article in which Peter Bregman states that our productivity can drop by 40% when we try to focus on several things at one time. Fortunately, there is a way to fix this problem. The solutions are known as batching and single-tasking.

Batching Defined?

Batching, also known as batch working, is a form of time management that involves organizing your to-do list. Batching is the process of breaking down your to-do list into groups of related tasks, making it more approachable. Rather than working on various, unrelated tasks at once, batching allows you to reduce distractions and focus on a group of tasks that involve related resources. Generally, one to four hours is a good amount of time to dedicate to each task group, depending on how intensive the tasks are. Batching allows you to cross at least two tasks off of your to-do list each day. Batching also tends to lead to higher-quality work because all your focus and effort goes into each task. Ultimately, batching can reduce stress and procrastination by making your intimidating list more manageable. After completing tasks, you will feel more accomplished and ready to take on the next thing on your list. To help you get a better understanding of batching, consider this example: Your to-do list contains the following items

• Respond to emails
• Create an Excel spreadsheet
• Laundry
• Organize closet

In this instance, the batching method would have you group the first two tasks because they both involve using a computer. You would also complete the last two tasks together because they both involve clothing. Hopefully, now it’s clear how grouping related tasks can save you time by reducing the amount of switching your brain and body undergo.?

Single-Tasking Defined

Single-tasking is defined as doing one thing at a time. Single-tasking is known to help individuals complete tasks quicker and at a higher quality than multitasking. However, single-tasking is very challenging in today’s work environment. In the modern workplace, distractions are abundant. It’s difficult to focus on just one task at a time when you have fifteen open tabs on your browser and multiple assignments, meetings, emails, conversations, and phone calls to worry about. Here are a couple of steps you can take to work away from multitasking and toward single-tasking.?

Eliminate Distractions

This can be challenging for some people, but eliminating distractions is essential if you want to stop multitasking. You should close as many open tabs in your browser as possible, including your email. This is one of the biggest challenges for me, as I am always working on many different projects and tend to have dozens of tabs open at once. You also might consider putting your laptop and phone on Do Not Disturb mode. Removing your phone from sight is an even better option.?

Use a Timer

No one is expecting you to work on a single task for three hours straight. You should start small and use a timer to hold yourself accountable. Begin by working distraction-free for five minutes, then take a break. You can increase your work time from here. The key is to find what works best for you.?

Single-tasking takes less energy than multitasking and ultimately allows you to get more work done. In turn, single-tasking lowers stress levels in an individual. Although it might seem more boring to focus on one task, single-tasking increases productivity, and creativity. When forced to face the constraint and discomfort of working on just one task, your brain digs deeper to find more creative solutions and allows you to complete complex work in a meaningful way.?

Next time you set out to conquer your to-do list, consider trying single-tasking or batching and watch as you receive powerful results, and check off each box on your to-do list.?