For example, we do tons of mass mailings where I work. It would take forever to complete a mailing if we completed each envelope, from folding and stuffing the contents to running the postage, one at a time. It's much faster to label all the envelopes, then stuff them all, then seal them all, etc.
Batching in the kitchen has become more popular with the concept of meal prepping. Make and package all your meals for the week on one day to save time and effort throughout the week. A couple hours to a day of preparation and you've got everything ready for the next six.
Other things you can batch:
Meal planning
I sat down one day, searched recipes and wrote out meal plans with accompanying grocery lists for six weeks. I listed out what things on the meal plan I could prep ahead of time. Now, when it's time to grocery shop and meal prep, I just pull out my list for the week, double check my pantry for things I have and head to the store.
I've found having all that work done already has left extra time and energy to check the ads for sales and coupons on what I already know I need to buy, something I would never be willing to do after all the work of making a meal plan and a list for the week, every week.
At the end of this six weeks, I plan to go back through my meal plans, make adjustments if needed and recycle back to week one. As long as I'm willing to eat a cycle of six weekly meal plans over and over, half the work of my meal each week is already done.
Portion control
A side benefit to meal prepping is that you can decide your portions ahead of time. When I meal prep, I do so on a full stomach so I'm not tempted to snack on all the stuff I'm making along the way. That also puts me in a good state of mind to make healthy decisions about my portions ahead of time. Why leave it up to hungry Katelyn to dish out a healthy serving in the moment? Healthy Katelyn's eyes are always bigger than her stomach (and acid reflex) can handle.
So after I prep my meals, I divide them up into healthier serving sizes in separate tupperware and ziplocks. When it's time to eat, it's already dished out, and I never feel the need to go back for seconds.
Picking out what to wear
Raise your hand if you've ever been late trying to figure out what to wear. I'll often try on two or three outfits I'm not happy with before settling with whatever is clean and most comfortable. Much of my jewelry and shirts go unworn for lack of creativity when I'm in a rush early in the morning. In order to get more out of my wardrobe and save time and sanity in the mornings, I started picking out my outfits in batch. After doing laundry, I'll try on new things together, arrange outfits and hang them up together in the closet. I'll even hang the necklace, scarf, watch, tights, etc. I want to wear with it all on the same hanger. (I used to go so far as to pin my earrings to my clothes, but I found that to be more effort than it was worth.) Now in the morning, I pick out a complete outfit to wear. SO much time saved and stress avoided. I also find it helps my clean laundry last longer, my outfits are more creative and I save money by avoiding shopping since I experience the "nothing to wear" feeling less often.
Your to do list
Before the new year, I got a new planner. I wrote out all the more major chores that need to be done throughout the year and how often. For example, I never remember to dust my ceiling fan blades until I lay down in bed and shudder at the layer of dust up there. Nasty. I mentally remind myself to do that ASAP (except not right now because I'm already in bed), fall asleep and forget again. So in my planner I decided which chores I would do every month and which months I would do the less frequent chores. I wrote everything down on each month's page. If remembering to do chores is half the battle, then half the battle is already won!
I did this at work also. Though we know the deadlines of our regular projects (that happen the same time of year every year), they always seem to sneak up on us. I literally wrote out a list of all the deadlines for each month and then on the same page wrote more major deadlines in upcoming months to be aware of ahead of time. Now our team is all on the same page about what to be working on and looking out for. For once at work I feel ahead of the game, since I can easily move right to the next project when one is finished. My boss recently commented how impressed she was that I turned something in a week ahead of schedule.
Cleaning
Maids don't clean houses room by room like you probably do and like I did until I learned this. Save time by cleaning your house like a maid would. First, go around your house with a laundry basket and a trash bag. Throw away any trash and put everything that needs to be put away in the laundry basket. Throw the trash bag away and set the laundry basket aside for later. Now batch the rest of your tasks. Dust all the surfaces. Vacuum the whole house. (Why I'm so excited about the cordless vacuum I got for Christmas!) Swiffer all the swiffer-able floors. Wash the windows and mirrors in all the rooms and bathrooms. You get the gist. Finish by traveling around with the laundry basket and putting your items back in their places.
Batching can seem intimidating or like a lot of work, since you're taking tasks you would spread out over days, weeks and months and doing a large chunk of the work up front. But it's an investment, that you'll notice the payoff of over time.
Benefits of batching:
Easier tasks
The main principle behind batching is that repeating similar tasks together makes the task easier. Putting a single outfit together is much easier when I'm looking at all my clothes and accessories and putting a bunch of outfits together. Vacuuming and dusting everything at once is easier than room by room once you already have the vacuum or duster out.
Mental energy
Batching means on a daily basis I spend hardly any mental energy deciding what I'm going to eat or wear. My mind is more free to focus on other things. I start the day off better when I don't have to spend any time or energy figuring out what to wear. I get off work and am free from the weight of wondering what I am going to make for dinner.
Motivation
We can't be motivated to make helpful and healthy choices for ourselves all the time. Batching prepares me for the moments that I would otherwise pour myself a heaping bowl of mac and cheese or order a pizza. I already have healthier food ready and waiting for me. At that point it's easier to stick to the plan and eat well, and ordering a pizza would just be more effort.
Win factor
I spent about four hours last Sunday grocery shopping, doing laundry, organizing my outfits (ended up being about a month's worth), and prepping some of my food for the week. The rest of my week felt like smooth sailing. I had already done a good chunk of the work for the week. Going to bed Sunday night knowing I was ahead of the game felt great, and I feel like I've been riding that wave of win all week.
The combination of having already spent the time, done the work, freed up my mental space and set myself up to win all week propelled me into bigger things I don't think I would have had the time or energy for otherwise, like getting everything ready for my upcoming move, being super focused and efficient at work and writing a couple blog posts.
Batching is especially helpful when you're high on motivation, which comes in waves. When you notice a wave of motivation, harness that energy to prep for times like after a particularly hard day or when unforeseen circumstances come up. On the rare occasions I feel motivated to do laundry, that's when I also iron clothes that need it and plan my outfits. In just a couple hours, I'll have enough outfits all ready to go for about a month, hopefully enough time for my excitement for doing my laundry to come back around.
Let's be real, though, some tasks we'll never find ourselves motivated or excited to do. I've also noticed it's helpful to intentionally set aside time to batch. I've decided at some point on Sunday I need to hit the grocery store and get my meals ready. If I don't do this, I'll set myself up to make less healthy food choices during the week. Though I don't love meal prepping, I love the way it feels throughout the week to be prepared, in control of my cravings and armed with the tools to make healthier choices. So whether I feel like it or not, I'll spend some time on Sundays shopping and prepping.
Setting aside a few hours to get things done ahead of time can save you tons of time and energy later on. Could even save you money too! Be kind to future you. Do a larger batch of work ahead of time so you can reap the benefits later.
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