What Is The Difference Between Time Blocking And Task Batching?
The difference between time blocking and task batching is pretty simple – it’s in the name. Time blocking is all about blocking time in your schedule whereas task batching is all about batching tasks together.
You can use these different techniques separately or you can combine them together to create the ultimate productivity system.
I like to use the combination of time blocking and task batching however I heavily lean on task batching a lot more. I love the flexibility and efficiency of the method.
As a Mindset and Productivity Coach for Perfectionists, I am always preaching about balancing energy, time and productivity in a realistic way so that you can get more done without burning out.
In this article, I cover the basic definitions and give you realistic tips on how to utilise these powerful time management techniques.
What is time-blocking?
Time blocking is a time management technique where you schedule specific blocks of time for a particular task or activity throughout the day. It’s a much more organised approach to productivity in comparison to just working off of a to-do list.
You get to decide how you break up your time blocks, for example, you can have them as small as 30-minute increments or up to an hour or two-hour blocks.
During your time blocks the goal is to focus only on the task that is allocated for that time period – no multi-tasking here!
Benefits of time-blocking
- Better focus because you focus on one task at a time – no multitasking
- Improved time management because your day is highly structured
- You are less likely to overcommit to tasks because you can realistically plan your activities in a day. You’ll be able to know if you can fit in the task or not
- Increased productivity because you eliminate wasted time and can schedule well-thought-out breaks
What is task batching?
Task batching is a time management technique where you group similar tasks together and complete them in one session. It’s great if you’re someone who likes to maintain a flow in your productivity system.
Instead of switching between different types of tasks, you stay focused on one type of task and get it done more efficiently.
You can allocate designated focus time in your calendar during your natural energy peaks so that you can be more productive. During this focus time, you can work on projects or anything that requires a lot of mental energy.
Benefits of task batching
- Improved efficiency because you maintain a consistent flow and rhythm when working on your task
- Less confusion and stress because you’re not switching between multiple different tasks
- Better energy management because you can group tasks together and work on them depending on your energy levels. E.g doing low-energy tasks in your afternoon slump
So what’s the difference?
Both time blocking and task batching seem quite similar. They are both time management techniques that limit multitasking and improve your focus but they do have fundamental differences between them.
So let’s get one thing straight, time blocking is focused on managing your time and task batching is focused on managing your tasks. It’s as simple as that.
When you time block your goal is to schedule specific times of the day to do different activities regardless of the task. For example, you can schedule different activities in no particular order throughout the day which means your attention jumps from one type of activity to another constantly.
When you task batch you group similar activities together certainly can be completed in one session but you can do that any time during the day. It doesn’t matter when you can complete this task unless you have a deadline, of course.
How to effectively time block
There are a couple of steps you need to take if you want to effectively time block.
- Identify your priorities – prioritise items on your to-do list based on importance and urgency
- Set time limits for your tasks – estimate how long each task will take to complete. Please be REALISTIC!! If you’re a perfectionist, I recommend you add an additional 30-60 mins to your tasks depending on how complicated they are
- Create your time blocks – are you going to divide your day into 30 min increments or 1 hour? I recommend starting with 1 hour and then amending as you gain more experience
- Schedule breaks!!! You are not a robot so you need to make sure you find time for self-care activities and restful breaks throughout your day.
- Minimise distractions – turn off your phone during your time block, or put app limits on your phone and browser. Shut down unnecessary tabs and focus on the task you need to complete
- Review and amend – I preach about this all the time but if you want to increase your productivity you NEED to include regular reviews on your method and make changes based on what worked and what didn’t
Example of time-blocking
How to effectively task batch
I tend to prefer task batching in general because it gives me much better flexibility in planning. Here are some of my top tips:
- Group similar tasks together. You can categorise using whatever metric makes sense for you (energy levels, software, skill, project etc..). For example, one batch could be administrative tasks such as replying to emails and making phone calls
- Schedule your batch – decide when you want to schedule the batch of tasks during the week. You can just allocate a rough time (e.g. Wednesday afternoon) or you can be more specific (e.g. Wednesday 1pm-4pm)
- For each batch have a checklist or to-do list to help you stay organised
- Don’t jump between batches – just focus on one batch at a time so that your attention doesn’t get divided
- Review and amend – learn from your mistakes, and figure out what tasks worked well grouped together and what didn’t.
Example of task batching
Which one is better for time management?
This question is highly subjective because it depends solely on your work style, the nature of the tasks and your personal preference.
Time blocking is great if you love structure and need to have a clear plan for your day. Also, it’s great if you have a variety of tasks that need to be completed at specific times of the day.
Whereas task batching is better for you if you have flexibility in when your task needs to be completed and your tasks can be easily grouped together. It’s also great if you have routine tasks that require a lot of mental energy because you can work through them with increased focus.
For example, I like to write a bunch of blog posts in one batch rather than spread them out throughout the week. It just saves me so much mental energy.
All in all, one technique is not better than the other it just depends on your specific needs, workload, and energy management preference.
What are the benefits of using time blocking and batching together?
So you’re probably wondering, can I use time blocking and task batching together? And the answer is absolutely yes. In fact, I recommend it if you want to be productive and manage your energy better.
You get the best of both worlds: completing batches of tasks in scheduled time blocks.
Here are some of the benefits of using this approach:
- maximised efficiency
- greater flexibility
- better Energy Management
- improved focus and flow
Here are my top tips for juggling both techniques:
- List out all of your tasks in a to-do list
- Categorise your different tasks
- Group similar tasks together into one batch
- Decide how often you need to work on each batch (e.g. some batches need to be completed daily (e.g. an administration batch), whereas other batches need to be done weekly (e.g. blog writing batch and others are ad hoc batches)
- Allocate time blocks for each batch e.g. 9am-11am administrative batch
- Stick to the damn schedule! That is all you need to do, just stick to the schedule and minimise your distractions so that you can stay focused during your time block.
- Evaluate and amend based on what worked and what didn’t work
Top Tips for managing your time better
- Plan the night before rather than scrambling to organise your day in the morning
- Prioritise your tasks so that you complete the most important tasks first or during your energy peak
- Have clear goals for each day so that you know what it is you want to achieve
- Use app limits and website blockers to reduce the amount of distractions you face
- Do not under any circumstances neglect your self-care or skip breaks. Don’t do it even when you feel tempted to.
- Be realistic when scheduling your time and leave plenty of buffer time between tasks
- Track time taken on each task- if a task takes longer than originally planned, make a note of it and schedule a different time later in a day or week to finish off the task. next time amend the time block
- Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go to plan. Remember perfection is the enemy of progress.
How are you going to manage your time?
Are you going to use time blocking, and task batching or combine both of them in your productivity system?
Remember, time blocking is all about TIME and task batching is all about how you manage your TASKS. Combining them is quite possibly the ultimate productivity hack for getting things done without draining your energy in the process,
It works as long as you ensure the system works WITH you, not against you. Don’t schedule complicated mentally draining batches in times when your energy is low.
I am a morning person, so I like to complete my mentally taxing batches in the morning so that they get my full focus.
This is why I highly recommend you build in regular reviews so that you can learn what works and amend your system.
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