Moms are often busy all day but feel like nothing ever got done! Learn how batching can automate the to-dos in your day so you can save time.
If you give a mom a coffee…
…chances are she’ll want to sit down for a just few minutes.
On the way to the couch, she’ll notice someone had dumped their cereal on the floor.
So she’ll set her coffee down and sweep it up.
On the way back to her coffee, the toddler will announce (loudly) that he had an “a-ci-dent”…right where she had just swept.
So she’ll sigh and grab the wipes. Seeing that the wipes are running low, she’ll remember she has to pick up a few more groceries before supper.
When she tries to crowd the kids into the car, she’ll need to find 1 shoe, 2 coats, and the third child.
After getting to the store takes longer than the errand, the kids will mutiny because they’re hungry.
So she’ll pick up some snacks at the drive-thru. And remembers her coffee still sitting a little lonely on the counter.
When they get back home she’ll put it in the microwave and wipe the counter while she’s waiting.
This will remind her she hasn’t gotten to laundry yet, so she’ll grab the towels and head upstairs. She makes a mental note to get to her husband’s laundry next.
After she’s done, fear will strike when she realizes it’s quiet. Too quiet.
Running downstairs she’ll discover the kids have tried to take the cat for a walk.
Rescuing the cat, she’ll start lunch. (She’ll ask the kids if they know where her coffee went. No answer.)
Just as she’s about to sit down to take her first bite, the pediatrician’s office calls. “Is she still coming with her 2 kids?”
Just then the 3rd kid (who does not have an appointment) runs in and says “look at this RASH!”
Driving faster than the speed of lightning, the mom gets everybody in and out of the doctor’s (really wishing she would have found her coffee) and drags her feet home to make supper. (Where did that coffee go?)
Realizing she’d rather climb Mount Everest, the mom orders pizza.
Hubby comes home, kisses her cheek, and says, “I had such a crazy day…did you get my laundry done?”. Demonstrating her bountiful goodness, she lets him live.
Just then the Amazon delivery guy shows up. She brightens and opens up her brand new Magic Bag. She heads to the microwave.
And chances are…if she opens that microwave door…she’ll finally find her coffee.
In the blog post entitled "It's been a long week," Hanna describes a demanding workweek. She talks about the difficulties of having to train a new hire and having a staffing shortage. The worst of it appeared on Friday when route coverage problems caused everything to collapse. Hanna says she's relieved that the weekend is here at last and she can take the day off. She intends to relax and stay out of the sweltering heat. Hanna also says she's going to watch the Eurovision Song Contest DVD her parents got her, catch up on her correspondence, and finish reading a book. In general, the post offers an insight into Hanna's hectic schedule and her intentions for some much-needed downtime.
Is mom productivity even a thing?
Mom productivity hacks seem like a myth, don’t they?
Even if we wake up in the morning ready to go, top to-dos firm in our minds, and full of the resolve to get them done…
…life gets in the way (usually before breakfast).
We’ll start a task strong, then hear the pitter-patter of feet and are interrupted by the infamous “MOOOOM!” [insert life-ending crisis here].
So what’s a frazzled mom to do?
There are still productivity hacks we can use to do the mundane work faster so we free up more meaningful time – and I don’t mean by getting up earlier or working until we drop after the kids are in bed!
Let’s talk about one simple tool I swiped from the business world. Batching your weekly to-dos will save you time because you’re able to cross off several tasks instantly. Here’s how…
what is batching?
Batching is a productivity tool where you group similar tasks and do them in one block – either until they’re done or until you’ve finished a set time.
This tool is helpful because it eliminates multitasking, which studies have shown has a negative impact on your productivity. It actually takes multitaskers 50% longer to complete their work than those who focus on the one thing in front of them.
But doesn’t multitasking sound like the perfect description of a mom’s typical day?
An article from the BBC discusses how mothers don’t only deal with the physical care of the home and their families. They have an “invisible, unlimited workload” as well:
Experts say that this hidden work comes in three overlapping categories. There’s cognitive labour – which is thinking about all the practical elements of household responsibilities, including organising playdates, shopping and planning activities. Then there’s emotional labour, which is maintaining the family’s emotions; calming things down if the kids are acting up or worrying about how they are managing at school. Third, the mental load is the intersection of the two: preparing, organising and anticipating everything, emotional and practical, that needs to get done to make life flow.
Melissa Hogenboom, BBC Worklife
Talk about multitasking! But hits home, doesn’t it?
So as we’re washing dishes, we’re also remembering that we need to add dish soap to the grocery list, breaking up a fight that “his foot touched my foot”, answering the phone, and figuring out how we’re going to work a grocery trip around the birthday party on Saturday, choosing the perfect gift to bring, and worrying our child might have a hard time fitting in at the party.
Jenni & Stitch discuss how much they appreciate using vision boards as a tool for direction, focus, and purpose in their blog article titled "Vision Board." They discuss their own objectives, which include reaching a particular half marathon time and putting money aside for a puppy and adoption down the road. In order to give their vision board an additional layer of significance, the writers also stress the sentimental benefit of including cards and letters from loved ones. They exhort readers to use their imaginations and enjoy making their own vision boards. A list of supplies needed to create a vision board and a mention of their other blog posts about recipes, presents, and other topics are included at the end of the post.
Sound familiar?
We can’t control the outcome of the birthday party. But we can use batching to organize the less-important but still-need-to-get-done tasks in our day.
why busy moms need to batch their tasks
Batching congruous tasks saves you time. Which is rather precious to us, right?
So how does it save us time in the long run?
It gets the job done faster
Picture teaching your kids how to do their own laundry.
You wouldn’t have them stop their homework and run to put that one shirt they just spilled milk on in the washer. That’s ineffective, right? Instead, you’d ask your child to add it to their laundry basket and wait for their laundry day. It’s faster and more practical to wash all the dirty clothing together.
Batching allows us to create an assembly line of sorts. We whip through our low-mental tasks in one go instead of scattering them throughout our day.
You stay focused (even after you’re interrupted)
Batching reduces mental clutter because you’re thinking along the same lines for a prolonged time.
Studies have shown it takes 15-20min. to get re-focused on a task after a distraction – like checking your email or looking at an Instagram post, never mind dealing with hangry kids.
So with batching, even if you need to stop to organize snack time, you’ll know exactly what task(s) you need to get back to.
As well, you don’t have to waste any more mental work remembering what you were doing or if you should do something else.
You only have to set up once
Think of all the pre-steps for a simple task like making phone calls.
You’ll need to grab the phone numbers, find all the scattered papers and sticky notes that have the info you need, have your calendar nearby, make sure the kids are busy and quiet(ish).
Instead of doing it multiple times over your day/week for each call, consider how much wasted time you’d avoid by just organizing it (and putting papers away) ONCE. And that’s just for phone calls!
Now consider checking your email, daily cleaning, paperwork… You can lump all the prep and tidying time together for faster work.
Less stress
Let’s consider that article by BBC about the emotional and mental load again.
If you have an important responsibility weighing on your heart – say your child is being bullied and you’re worrying if that birthday party will help or make things worse…
You’re going to want time to think and pray about it, talk with your child, practice some strategies and life skills.
Making time to work on that mission can be hard if you still have pressing to-dos with time constraints that day.
You are content with the fact that you finished cleaning the oven/microwave/kitchen countertops today. And now have a few minutes to go for a walk with your child to talk about the party.
Now that you know what batching is and how it’s useful, let’s get to the real meat & potatoes by choosing how to incorporate it into your daily and weekly routine.
how to batch your week
1. group common tasks in your week
Everyone divides their task buckets a little differently. You can:
- divide by “quick wins” (things that can be done in 2min. or less) or “major projects” (ie: organizing the garage)
- divide by rooms in your home (ie: all kitchen tasks. Chop all the veggies for the week, cook all the meat you’ll need, prep meals ahead of time)
- divide by people in your life (ie: we have hour-long quality time with one of our children each weeknight. We batch a fun activity, anything of theirs that needs to be fixed, homework or life help, prayer time)
- divide by activity (phone calls or ordering/online shopping)
- divide by outings (batch errands and meetings)
Look at the diagram below for some ideas of what busy moms can batch:
2. figure out how often you need to do these batch tasks
Some jobs you can get away with once a week, others need a bit more regular maintenance.
For example, I prefer to do little daily cleaning sprints rather than a longer session once a week.
So I batch all my daily tasks for the day by using the Family Cleaning Masterlist found in the Scheduling Magic course. In it, I’ve broken down each and every possible cleaning chore into daily bites so it’s less daunting and done quickly.
For example, today’s a Wednesday-Week 4 rotation, so I’ll be wiping down the inside doors and dusting a bookshelf. I also have a meeting this afternoon, so I’ll add tidying in this slot as well.
On the other hand, I batch non-essential emails (like from blogs I’ve subscribed to) and check them only once a week. I’ve set up a filter so they are automatically filtered into my “Read Later” folder. Now they don’t distract me or plug up my inbox.
3. Decide which batches to focus on the most in a typical day
A great tip I heard? Start your day with any batch task that affects how smoothly another’s day will go.
So if you have to decide between dusting that bookshelf or returning a phone call (where someone is waiting to decide the next step), go for the phone call. If you have to return phone calls (which might take a while) or get your child to school on time, save the calls for when you get back home.
You might also batch according to your most productive time of day (similar to the time blocking technique). Choose your most important batches, major projects, or tasks that take the most mental focus to go in your prime real estate time slots.
In other words, book those in when you’re most energetic, have the least chance for interruptions, etc. Then work backward to fit in the rest of your batches.
4. write it down and get specific
Once you’ve thought of what to batch and when to do them, you’re ready to begin! Write them in your planner (or get my editable version here).
I always start by writing the batch name (ie: “Meal Prep”), then writing down each task (chop veggies, make lunch, prep supper in the Instant Pot, clean up the kitchen).
Research shows you have a 91% chance to complete a task when you write down WHEN you’ll do it… rather than just thinking about it or putting it on a vague list.
Now you’re ready to go!
Choose what and when to batch, then write down each specific task in the best time slot in your schedule. You’ll immediately begin to see a huge difference in how much time you’ll be able to free up weekly, if not daily.
What are you most excited to batch this week? Let me know in the comments!
But wait! Frustrated that you don’t have any extra time to fit these batches into your schedule?
Take the Fix-My-Schedule assessment to see why you’re not getting anything done. Then download my personalized tipsheet to fix the problem.