Basic Batch

I do a lot, but never as much as I'd like.

Because ambition doesn't need more firepower: it needs better project management.  

And while the internet is not short on productivity advice, much of it great - it all makes me want to sprint.

Speed is a competitive advantage, so the temptation is to run at everything. But then you find multitasking fails. The human brain can't handle it - at least not for producing high quality work, on demand, indefinitely.

Batching has become my most invaluable friend.

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This is for anything, not just knowledge work: in fact, watching this low-key, beautiful film about building a ramp taught me everything I needed to know.

Batching tasks in sets of likeminded activities creates beautifully consistent workflows.

Whether it's pounding out scripts or ironing clothes, you lose the little inefficiencies that come from starting and resetting - instead entering a rhythm where the process starts to feel subconscious.

By batching, your mind is on one thing, giving you the benefit of focus.

My approach is straightforward:

Do everything of a similar type, in one go, without interruption.

Save it for a time in the day when you're in the mood to do it.

I do all my invoicing in one go. All my work calls. Write presentations in blocks devoted to nothing but. Take pleasure in the process, and fall into the rhythm.

There's no need to assume you're a superhuman who can fly through infinite tasks.

Instead of bitching about getting frazzled, just be basic. Batch.