Do you find it hard to get things done? Perhaps you lack motivation or are easily distracted. If you find yourself in this predicament, you can use time batching to boost your productivity.
The concept of time batching refers to grouping similar tasks together and set aside time for them. The technique allows you to eliminate distractions, get enough time to complete a task, and stay motivated.
Types of Tasks to Batch Together
A rule of thumb when batching tasks is to group them as either deep work or shallow work. Under deep work, these will be tasks that need maximum mental energy and focus, while shallow work is logistical style work that tends not to create new value.
For example, if you are a writer, deep work for you would be writing. Shallow work would be administrative tasks like following up on emails with clients.
Who Should Use Time Batching?
Time batching is among the many time management and productivity techniques out there. It is ideal to use time batching if you find it hard to focus on one task at a time; you are easily distracted, or you work on repetitive tasks.
It is not suitable if you have highly variable work that makes it challenging to batch tasks together. These apps can help you get started using this technique:
1. Google Calendar
Google Calendar is the time management and productivity calendar offered by Google that allows users to create and schedule events. Among its many functionalities is that you can time batch your activities.
To access Google Calendar, you will only need a Gmail account which is free to open.
2. Any.do
Any.do is an all-in-one task productivity app that allows you to organize and manage all your tasks in one place. It has a calendar, to-do list, and a smart assistant that helps you get your tasks done. You can synchronize Any.do across all devices, and it is available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
To do time batching, you will open the calendar view, which helps you visualize your tasks and then time slot your tasks. You can color-code the tasks, add due dates and reminders, notes, and even attachments.
Any.do costs $5.99 per month or $2.99 per month if you sign up for 12 months.
3. TickTick
With TickTick, you can create tasks, group them into deep or shallow tasks, set deadlines and priorities, add notes, and even checklists if you have subtasks. You can also create tags to sort out your tasks and color code them.
If you enjoy measuring your progress, TickTick has an achievement system that merits you as you complete your tasks. It also scores you down if your tasks become overdue and have a comparison statistic that shows you people who are more productive than you.
So, if you are looking for some friendly competition to boost your productivity, TickTick is your app. It is free to use. However, to access advanced features, you will have to sign up for the premium plans that start from $2.4 per month.
4. Plan
Plan is a to-do app that combines a to-do list, calendar, and business app. With seamless integration with Google and Outlook calendars, you can access your existing meetings and events as well as add your own time batches.
To batch time batch your tasks, you will first create a list of all tasks you want to do, and then group them into deep work or shallow work. Plan supports Google Calendar, Outlook, Box, GitHub, Google Drive, Gmail, and Jira. If you have other to-do list apps, you have to move them manually. It is free and starts from $4/month for the paid plans.
5. Sunsama
Sunsama is a task management app that helps you organize your daily work. One of its functionalities is that when you sign up in the morning, it will ask you which tasks you have to work on, how much time you need to do them, and when you want to do them.
It makes the process of time batching your tasks seamless. From there, you can send a summary of your plans for the day to Slack in one click. Sunsama supports integrations from Trello, Gmail, GitHub, and Jira. It has a 14-day free trial when you sign up, after which it starts from $20 per month.
6. HourStack
HourStack is among the few task management apps that help you monitor how much time you have spent on tasks compared to your initial estimates. To use HourStack to time batch, you will first start by time blocking when you want to get your task done and then group them into time batches.
When you are ready to start a task, you’d click on the task and then select Start to commence the timer. In the Reports section, you’ll see detailed metrics of the time spent on each task.
The app works with Google Calendar and Outlook but does not add events directly to the HourStack calendar. Instead, you will see it as a sidebar on the right side of the screen, and you can drag and drop them to your HourStack calendar. The app has a 14-day free trial, and from there, it has paid plans starting from $9/month.
7. Planyway
If you use Trello as your project management tool, Planyway lets you manage everything on one shared team calendar. Plansyway makes it easy for you to block time for tasks by creating tasks on Trello, installing the extension, then dragging and dropping those Trello cards on the Planyway calendar.
While you are doing this, you can schedule the tasks in time batches. Planyway integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Apple calendar. Its free plan supports one-way syncing where you can see your Planyway cards in your calendar through an iCal URL.
However, you cannot see your calendar event in Planyway. To access the two-way syncing that keeps both calendars in sync, you will need to sign up for the pro plan that starts at $3 per month.
Get More Productive With Time Batching
Being productive is not always easy if it becomes overwhelming. However, you do not have to concede to fate. There are productivity and time management tools like time batching that can help you out. So, be sure to try out time batching to improve your productivity.
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