The term “batching” refers to grouping similar tasks together. For example, if you are writing an essay but stop to read and reply to every email the minute it arrives, it’s impossible to get into the zone with the essay. “Batching” in this case would look like this: you would focus for let’s say an hour on the essay, then take a break to read and respond to every email you received during that block of time. This eliminates distractions while you write your essay. Your focus improves. And you get better work done in less time. It really does work.
A few “batching” proponents include:
Scott Young, author of Learn More, Study Less, who got straight A’s in high school and in college while studying far less than any of his friends.
Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-hour workweek.
And Cal Newport, study skills author and relentless proponent of focused, distraction-free work. This article is particularly helpful as Newport does acknowledge that batching can be difficult and even frustrating. But his conclusion is that ultimately, batching is an effective way to get more done in less time.