242: Stop Task Switching: The Task Batching Method That Creates Business Momentum (For Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs)

Stop Task Switching: The Task Batching Method That Creates Business Momentum (For Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs)

How to stop task switching with task batching. Cindy Gordon shares the batch processing method for overwhelmed entrepreneurs who lose focus constantly switching between different types of work.

In this episode of The Overwhelmed Entrepreneur, execution coach Cindy Gordon breaks down the task batching method - a way to group similar tasks together so you stop losing 23 minutes of focus every time you switch between activities.

Overwhelmed entrepreneurs don't just have a productivity problem - they have a constant task switching problem. You jump from email to client call to social media to admin work, never getting into flow, and end the day exhausted without finishing anything important. Task batching changes that by helping you group similar work together and stop the costly context switching.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What task batching is (and how it's different from time blocking - MAJOR difference explained)
• Why constant task switching is killing your productivity (the 23-minute focus recovery time research)
• The psychology of context switching costs and why your brain hates jumping between different types of work
• How to identify which tasks to batch together (the 3 types of batchable tasks for entrepreneurs)
• Task batching examples for business owners: content creation batch, client communication batch, admin avalanche batch
• How to stop task switching when everything feels urgent (batching is flexible, not rigid)
• Task batching vs time blocking: when to use each method and how they work together
• The Reality Check Method for choosing what to batch when everything feels important
• How to use task batching during your power hour (connection to EP 240)

Episode Highlights: "Did you know you lose 23 minutes of focus every single time you switch tasks? That's the hidden cost of constant task switching."

"Stop task switching and start task batching - your brain will thank you."

"Every time you switch from one type of task to a different type of task, you lose 23 minutes of focus. Task batching eliminates that cost."

"When everything feels urgent, task batching helps you group what's actually important and stop the constant switching."

"Task batching isn't just about efficiency - it's about building momentum by staying in the same mental mode."

"Time blocking is when you work. Task batching is what you group together. Use both for maximum focus."

🎯 You don't have to figure this out alone! The Growth Collective is your $1/day business support community with weekly office hours, strategic frameworks, and entrepreneurs who get it. Less than your coffee, more than a mastermind. Details at https://exclusivelycindy.thrivecart.com/the-growth-collective/

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Connect with Cindy Gordon - Reality Check Method Coach for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs:

• Website: ExclusivelyCindy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exclusivelycindy/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@cindygordon

Transcript

0:00

Did you know that it's estimated that we lose 23 minutes of focus every single time we switch tasks? That's the hidden cost of constant task switching, and it's killing your productivity stop task switching and start task batching. It's the difference between scattered busy work and focused business momentum. Hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, a self-made entrepreneur, busy mom and execution coach. I built and sold multiple digital businesses, ranging from five to six figure successes, and one of the biggest game changers for my productivity was learning to batch similar tasks together instead of constantly switching between the different types of work. So when it comes to managing your time and priorities in both life and work, I get it. Before we dive in, if you are not getting my weekly productivity tips yet, grab them using the link in the show notes. They are the behind the scenes systems that I use to stay productive while running my business. I'm about to show you how to stop losing 23 minutes of focus every single time you switch a task in just five minutes per day. The women in my community tell me that they work all day long, but never actually finish anything. They start out writing content, get interrupted by a client, email, jump to social media. Remember that they need to invoice someone, check their calendar, and suddenly it's 3:00 PM and nothing is done. You're not just busy. You're constantly task switching. Jumping from one type of work to a completely different type of work over and over and over again. You have emails to then a client call to then social media, to admin work, to strategy planning, to putting out all the fires. Your brain never really gets to settle into any one mode before you're yanking it somewhere else. And here's what most entrepreneurs don't realize. Every time you switch from one type of. Task to a different type of task. It's estimated that you lose 23 minutes of focus. I'm not exaggerating here. Research shows that it takes an average of 23 minutes to fully regain your concentration after a task switch. That's the switching cost, and that's exactly why you feel exhausted and unproductive. When you are completely switching between different types of tasks, your brain has to change modes. Writing content uses different mental pathways than responding to emails, which is completely different from bookkeeping and which is totally different from client calls when you batch similar tasks together. Doing your emails all at once or all your content creation in one session, or all your admin work together, your brain stays in the same mode. task. Batching for entrepreneurs isn't just about efficiency. It's about building psychological momentum. When you complete one email and immediately do another, that win creates energy for the next one. You're in email mode and your brain is warmed up and that momentum builds instead of constantly restarting. So here's how we're gonna do it. We are gonna start with our typical reality check. So we're gonna look at your typical day. So let's look at yesterday. How many times did you switch between different types of tasks? Email, then strategy, admin, content, client work, then back to email. All of those things. That's the scattered pattern that we are fixing. Now, here are the three types of tasks that batch Beautifully for entrepreneurs. Type one is communication tasks. Think your emails, your Slack messages, your client follow-ups, all grouped together in one focus session instead of checking constantly all day long. Type two is creative tasks. This is all your content writing, all your strategy, planning, all of your big picture thinking, batched when your brain is in creative mode. The third type is administrative tasks. So these are things like invoicing, scheduling, bookkeeping, file organization. So doing this all in one admin batch instead of scattered throughout your week here is the game changer. So instead of being scattered all day long, you batch them. Monday morning, you do a 90 minute content batch. Write all your social posts for the week. Draft your newsletter, outline your next offer. Tuesday afternoon, you do a 60 minute communication batch. Respond to all your emails, send all follow ups. Update all clients. Wednesday morning you do a 45 minute admin batch. Send all the invoices, update bookkeeping, schedule your appointments, I hear you. You're saying, but Cindy, what about all the urgent things that come up? And here's the beauty of task batching compared to rigid time blocking, batching is flexible. Time blocking says client calls Tuesday from nine to 11:00 AM Task batching says, group similar tasks together when you do them so let's break it down a little bit further. I want you to identify just one type of task that you do multiple times per week. Maybe it's responding to emails, creating content or invoicing. Pick one type of task to batch first. Don't try to batch everything immediately. Next, you're gonna schedule two batch sessions this coming week for that one type of task. So not scattered throughout every day, just two focus sessions. If you picked email, maybe Monday at 10:00 AM and Thursday at 2:00 PM during your batch only do. Emails. This is kind of a tricky part. You might have to remind yourself no switching to other work. Stay in email mode for the entire session. You need to protect your batch from task switching. This is critical when you're in your content batch. You do not check your email when you're in your admin batch. You do not respond to client messages. The whole point is staying in one mental mode without switching. One type of work, one session, full focus, here's what I want you to take away from today. You don't need to overhaul your entire schedule. You just need to stop task switching and start grouping similar tasks together. Task batching isn't just about efficiency, it's about building momentum by staying in the same mental mode. If you like tips and tricks just like this, follow me over on Instagram at exclusively, Cindy. Now go look at your calendar. Pick one type of task that you do multiple times a week. Schedule two batch sessions for just that task type. Stop scattering it throughout your days and watch how much more you accomplish when you stop losing those estimated 23 minutes. Every single time you switch and remember, friend, you've got this.

Speaker: 7:13

Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today. Remember, overwhelm isn't permanent. It's simply your brain's way of saying pause and take a little reality check. If this was helpful, you'll love my weekly email tips where I share the systems that keep me and hundreds of other entrepreneurs on Track Link in the show notes. If you got value in today's episode, please share it with another entrepreneur who needs that reminder. If you're loving the show, I'd be so grateful if you could leave me a quick review. It helps other overwhelmed entrepreneurs find us. Make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss your weekly dose of clarity. For more resources and to connect with me, visit exclusively cindy.com. Until next time, remember you've got this.