How to Use Task Batching to Save Time and Actually Get Things Done
I'll be honest... when I first heard about task batching a few years ago, I thought it sounded great in theory.
But in practice? I convinced myself it would never work for me.
I had too many things going on. Too many random stuff popping up throughout the day. Too many people needing things from me at all different times.
Sound familiar?
Here's what I didn't realize at the time: all those "but what about..." thoughts I was having? They weren't reasons task batching wouldn't work. They were signs that I was putting everyone ELSE'S priorities before my own.
Once I figured that out — and actually gave task batching a real shot — I started saving SO much time and energy each week. I stopped jumping between totally unrelated tasks. I stopped ending the day feeling like I'd been busy but hadn't actually done anything.
And that's the whole point of task batching. You're grouping similar work together so your brain can stay in one mode instead of constantly switching gears. Less mental whiplash. More actual progress.
Ready to try it? Here's exactly how to get started.
Step One || Brain dump everything you do
Before you can batch anything, you need to know what you're actually doing.
So grab a notebook (or a Google Doc, or whatever works for you) and just... dump it all out. Every single thing you do in your business on a regular basis. Don't overthink it, don't organize it yet — just get it all out.
Here's an example of what this might look like:
✔️ Check + respond to emails
✔️ Post on social media
✔️ Write marketing emails
✔️ Update blog posts + write new ones
✔️ Create Pinterest graphics + schedule pins
✔️ Client calls or coaching calls
✔️ Work on bigger projects (sales funnels, course content, etc.)
✔️ Review your numbers + data
✔️ Plan the week ahead
Next to each item, write a "D" for daily, "W" for weekly, or "M" for monthly. This just helps you see how often things actually need to happen.
And for right now? We're only doing this for your business tasks. Not your personal to-do list. Not the laundry. Just the business stuff.
Step Two || Group like with like
Now that you can see everything laid out, start looking for tasks that belong together.
Writing an email and writing a blog post? Both writing tasks. Put them in the same category.
Client calls and coaching calls? Same energy. Same category.
Reviewing your data and planning your week? Both "big picture" thinking tasks. Same category.
The goal here is to end up with about 5 main categories. Don't stress if it's not perfect — as long as YOU know what falls under each one, that's all that matters.
My categories look something like this:
✨ Admin + operations (emails, social media, packing orders)
✨ Data review + weekly prep
✨ Marketing + client calls
✨ Big projects + content creation
✨ Blog posts + SEO + Pinterest
Step Three || Give each category a day
This is where theme days come in — and honestly, this is the piece that changed EVERYTHING for me.
Once you have your categories, you assign each one a day of the week. That way, when you sit down to work, you already know what you're focusing on. No more staring at your to-do list trying to figure out where to start.
Here's what my week actually looks like:
👉 Monday — Admin Day: I review my data, check what's working, and make sure everything is set up for the week ahead.
👉 Tuesday — Marketing + Client Calls: This is for podcast interviews, client calls, writing marketing emails, or updating my sales pages.
👉 Wednesday — Project Day: The bigger stuff lives here — updating my sales funnel, creating content for my SYS Support members, working on anything that needs dedicated focus
👉 Thursday — SEO Content + Member Calls: I'm writing or updating blog posts, creating Pinterest graphics, and scheduling pins. Twice a month I have my SYS Support call here too.
👉 Friday — CEO Reset: This is my planning day. I review the week, prep for the next one, and make sure I'm set up to actually move the needle the following week.
Does every single task fit perfectly into one of those days? Nope. But it doesn't need to be perfect to work. It just needs to give you a STARTING POINT so you're not making a hundred micro-decisions every morning.
Step Four || Handle your daily + monthly tasks
So what about the stuff that doesn't fit neatly into one weekly theme?
For daily tasks: I have what I call my Daily CEO Checklist or Power Hour — basically my workday startup ritual. Every morning from 8:30 to 10AM, I knock out the things that need to happen EVERY day: checking + responding to emails, posting on social media, packing orders, etc. Once those are done, I move into whatever the theme of the day is.
This keeps the daily stuff from eating into my focused work time AND makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.
For monthly tasks: I pick a specific day each month to handle them. For example, if I need to update my P+L or do a bigger review of my content strategy, I block time for that at the beginning of the month. When it has a dedicated time on the calendar, I'm way less likely to procrastinate on it.
Here's the deal... task batching doesn't have to be complicated. The system above probably took you 20 minutes to set up on paper and will save you HOURS each week once you're actually using it.
The goal isn't a perfect system. The goal is to stop wasting energy deciding what to work on — and start actually working on the things that MOVE your business forward.
If you want a tool that helps you plan your week around your priorities (not just your to-do list), the SYS Planner was made for exactly this. It's built on my Plan / Prioritize / Protect method — so you can batch your tasks AND make sure the right ones are getting your best time and energy.
>> Grab the SYS Planner here — it's $37 for the single planner or $97 for the full annual bundle.
And if you want a quick-start tool for planning your week? Download my free CEO Weekly Reset — it walks you through exactly how I set up my week so nothing important gets dropped.
