Mike Bainbridge

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Issue #014:

Plan > Focus > Execute

Hello Reader and welcome to my newsletter.

Each week you'll receive a single email sharing my experience of work productivity. It's designed to help you save time at work, so you can be more efficient and do more of what you love.

There are many day-to-day tasks we perform at work that we don't optimise. No one shows us how to do them and there is no training. This is what I'll address. By thinking about how you work and trying a different way, over time you'll build your own set of habits and systems to power your day.

Thanks for subscribing - let's dive in!

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In this issue: ​

Topic of the day Task Batching ​

Topic of the day

Task Batching

Plan > Focus > Execute

Be more efficient at work and spend time doing the things you love.

When we try to improve efficiency it's important to learn from experts.

In the 1960s the Japanese motor industry build systems and process to be efficient. Then during the 1973 oil crisis they were able to capitalise on the fuel efficiency of the cars they produced.

However, the main advantage came with the rate they could deliver to meet the increased demand along with the constant focus on quality.
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There are many reasons behind this success - if you'd like to understand more, I'd recommend reading "The Toyota Way".

But mainly they improved on the production line approach pioneered by Henry Ford. Not only did they have a single person, doing the same task over and over again. They used the "Kaizen" approach to make constant improvement.

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​This lesson of unprecedented success can motivate you today.

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Batching your tasks - doing the same things repeatedly is just as relevant to your daily work. Find tasks that you do regularly and do them together.

In my experience this works incredibly well.

• It works because it stops you shifting focus (context switching).
• You know what to do next, so it reduces the chance of procrastination.
• It's great for simple tasks that don’t require periods of focus.
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How can you do it:

Start by identifying something that you do regularly. Review your task list, take a look at your calendar. Does anything stand out?

Here are a few examples:

1. My email inbox review - I do this a few times per day. Most emails need 2 mins or less for a reply. Afterwards, I can close outlooks and remove distractions.
2. Daily LinkedIn engagement - I like to learn by engaging the posts from people in my network. I like to read them and leave comments. Most posts take 2 mins or less to read.
3. Ironing my t-shirts - something I don't enjoy, so want to do it all in one go!

The more you complete a single task, the more you get into a routine. You'll notice ways to complete the task more efficiently.
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Blocking time in your calendar and making your task batching part of a routine will help you even more.

Give it a try and see what happens - when you start with a simple plan it's amazing how this can give you a sense of progress and achievement.

Let me know how you get on.

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Did you enjoy this issue? If you think someone else might benefit please consider sharing it with them. Also, if you have any comments or questions then I’d love to hear from you. Either email me or send a DM on LinkedIn.
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Thank you for subscribing, have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week.

Mike