Task batching
Do similar small tasks together, in one or two blocks, instead of letting them interrupt the whole day. The time you win back comes from switching less.
What switching really costs
Every time you jump from a report to an email and back, you pay a re-entry cost: finding your place, rebuilding the thought. Sophie Leroy's research on "attention residue" (2009) found that part of your attention stays stuck on the previous task after you switch. The American Psychological Association's summary of task-switching research reaches the same conclusion: switching is not free.
How big the cost is varies by person and task, so the model below lets you set it. Watch what happens to your longest uninterrupted stretch.
Deep work Small task Lost to switching
Longest uninterrupted stretch: 0h 50m. Switching cost — scattered: 120 min, batched: 30 min. Roughly 90 minutes back per day.
Model assumptions: each scattered task means switching away from main work and back; within a batch, consecutive similar tasks cost about a minute each to switch. Each small task takes about 5 minutes.
What to batch
- Email and messages — two or three set times a day.
- Calls — back to back in one block.
- Admin — invoices, forms, bookings, expense reports.
- Errands — one trip with a route, not four.
- Reviews and approvals — one sitting, one frame of mind.
- Chores — the weekend reset block in our weekend template.
How to set up batches
- List the small recurring tasks from a normal day. A time audit will show you ones you forgot.
- Group them by kind (communication, admin, errands).
- Give each group one or two blocks on your time-blocking planner, away from your best focus hours.
- Keep a capture list. When a small task pops up outside its batch, write it down instead of doing it.
- Put a timebox on each batch so it can't swallow the afternoon.
Questions people ask
What is task batching?
Task batching means grouping similar small tasks and doing them together in one block, for example answering all email at 11:00 and 16:00 instead of whenever a message arrives, or making all phone calls in one sitting.
Why is task batching more efficient?
Every switch between different kinds of tasks costs time to reorient. Psychologist Sophie Leroy called the leftover attention from the previous task "attention residue". Batching reduces the number of switches, so less time is lost to them.
What tasks should I batch?
Email and messages, phone calls, errands, small admin (forms, invoices, bookings), code reviews or approvals, social media, and household chores. Anything short, repetitive and similar to its neighbours.
Is task batching the same as time blocking?
No, but they fit together. Time blocking gives tasks a slot on the timeline; task batching decides what goes in the admin slots. A day with two batched admin blocks leaves the rest free for deep work.