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A life hack to get more done in less time

A life hack to get more done in less time

Batching

Chandan Karkera
May 18th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes

After reading this post, we’ll see:

What is batching
Why it helps do more in less time.
How to use it in your personal & professional live

TL; DR;

Group similar activities together. Complete them at once. This saves a ton of time.

e.g. instead of checking mails 37 times a day, check it once or twice ( at a predefined time daily).

You may think, “ But... won’t this take more time than usual ? ”

It won’t. In fact, it will take less time.

How? Read on

Why it works

1. Improve focus & flow

When you immerse yourself 100% in the activity, it’s a state of “flow”.

This leads to high - quality work. And improves deep- thinking and creativity.

2. Save time with transitions

When you keep switching between different types of tasks, you need more time to get the tools ready for them.

e.g.

Task 1 = open Microsoft outlook, open PowerPoint, open spreadsheet.

Get distracted, switch to task 2 = Open Microsoft teams.

Switch again to task 1 = open Microsoft outlook, open PowerPoint, open spreadsheet.

Batching gets rid of transition time as you work on 1 type of work for more time.

3. Reduce mental fatigue & stress

Switching tasks, running behind notifications and being distracted all the time.

This makes you tired. Plus your mind becomes a monkey, which is no good.

4. Stop multi- tasking and context - switching

Multi - tasking does not work. Every time you switch between tasks, it takes 23 minutes and 15 seconds to refocus. (Mark et al., 2008).

Think about this for a minute.

In short, it fries your mind 🍟

Personal and professional examples

Personal:

• Iron all clothes at once.

• Chop all veggies at once.

• Check social media once a week.

Professional:

• Check mails twice a day.

• Work on 1 project for 60 - 90 minutes.

• Schedule all your 1:1 meetings on Thursday 12 - 4 PM.

That’s it!!

I hope this concept helps you make time for what matters. If you found this helpful, share with someone who will benefit.