Planning really is half the battle.
A lot can be accomplished in an uninterrupted allotted amount of time, i.e. naptime. This series is designed to help you make the most out of your time, whether you are a mom or not! In today’s post I will discuss something called batch work.
What is batch work, you ask? Batch working is a super focused, topic-specific way of getting things accomplished. This means you focus on ONE thing instead of jumping around from task to task. Guys, I have a secret I want to share…..multi tasking doesn’t work. Our brains are just not wired that way. When we think we are doing multiple things at once, we’re not REALLY multitasking.
We are just switching our mind back and forth rapidly from one task to another and not giving either task our full attention. Multitaskers reduce productivity and take longer to accomplish a certain task, not to mention, it also increases mistakes. Just by staying in one frame of mind you can get more done faster if you are focused and in the zone! This brain hack will save you so much time. And who doesn’t need more time?!
The key that will unlock complete productivity during your batch working frenzy is…drum roll please…planning. You must plan ahead so you know what to batch work. You can create an elaborate content calendar or just make a list the night before of what you want to accomplish. Whatever works for you and your specific situation. Planning really is half the battle.
Something I love to batch work is…food prep! This absolutely saves my sanity during the evening when the four o’clock fussies hit our house. Once a week during naptime I prep all of our food for the week. I cut all the vegetables, prep all of the meats, and do any marinating. This way I make one mess, one day. Plus it saves me from desperately trying to feed my kids something quick because they are fussy, you know…like microwaving chicken nuggets. Sometimes it is totally ok and 100% necessary, but if you want to move past that while saving your sanity, you need to plan and then execute the batch work!
BONUS PRODUCTIVITY HACK: TIMERS
I mentioned that a lot can get done in an uninterrupted ALLOTTED amount of time. For Mamas with nappers, our babies waking up is our obvious timer. If you are not dealing with a naptime then I highly suggest using a timer! There are many studies that show that giving yourself an end time will improve productivity and focus. Timers will also help you hold yourself accountable! As a mother of little people and a former teacher, I use timers all of the time! People respond well knowing when the next transition will be. Hold yourself accountable that you will do this ONE thing for the set amount of time. Especially for things you aren’t super jazzed about. It really sets an expectation in your mind and motivates you. Timers are also important to use during your batch work of things you love doing. Have you ever gotten completely lost in something because you were enjoying it so much and then you realize that hours went by? Setting a timer helps you to snap out of it and do something else, I’m sure there are other things you need to do that day!
Keep reading….Naptime Chronicles | My Morning Routine
Keep reading…Naptime Chronicles | Hitching
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