Time Management Techniques – Empowered Warrior

Task Batching vs. Time Blocking (And Where a Hybrid Might Fit)

If you’re trying to get more done in less time without feeling constantly frazzled, you’ve probably come across time blocking and task batching. While each of these time management techniques has its merits, I’ve found that a hybrid approach often works best for me.

Task batching reduces my mental fatigue, while time blocking adds structure and helps me get things done more efficiently.

In this post, I’ll focus on task batching, what it is, how it works, and how you can use it to boost productivity and reduce stress. I’ll also touch on how it pairs well with time blocking to help you stay focused and on track.

What Is Task Batching?

Task batching is a productivity strategy where you group similar tasks together and tackle them in one dedicated time slot. The goal is to minimize context switching.

Here’s why that matters for me: switching between different types of tasks, like writing an email and jumping into a spreadsheet, requires your brain to recalibrate every time. That back-and-forth drains cognitive resources and can lead to mental fatigue.

In contrast, when you batch similar activities, like organizing, photocopying, filing, or restocking, your brain stays in the same “gear,” making it easier to move through tasks with less effort and more focus.

How to Start Task Batching (The Easy Way)

Let’s walk through a simple way to implement task batching into your day:

Make a Master Task List 

Write down all the tasks you need to get done. Don’t worry about the order, just brain dump.

Group Similar Tasks Together 

Cluster tasks that require the same type of thinking. For example, creating a spreadsheet and summarizing the results in an email can be grouped together since they’re both data-focused. Meanwhile, printing, collating, and filing can form another group because they’re more hands-on and require less mental processing.

Block Time to Batch 

Now comes the time blocking part. Assign dedicated time blocks on your calendar or an appropriate time management worksheet to complete each batch. This keeps you focused and gives your brain a break from the chaos of switching between different task types.

Underestimating Time

If task batching ever feels like it’s “not working,” time is often the real issue. Most of us are overly optimistic about how long tasks take. We assume an email batch will take 20 minutes or a report will take an hour, and we plan our day around that best-case scenario.

The reality is that even without interruptions, work tends to take longer than expected. Thinking through decisions, getting into the right headspace, and wrapping things up all take time we rarely account for.

 Even with realistic planning, there’s still one more thing to account for: interruptions.

Interruptions Happen

No matter how well you plan, interruptions are part of real life. Slack messages pop up, emails need quick replies, and sometimes you just need a minute to reset.

That’s why buffer time matters. If a task should take 90 minutes, I block off two hours. That extra 30 minutes gives me breathing room and helps reduce anxiety when things don’t go exactly as planned.

I think of it as padding my schedule so I can under-promise and over-deliver, especially when managing expectations with clients or coworkers.

Once you account for time realistically and buffer for interruptions, task batching can really start to work for you.

Make Task Batching Work for You

The real beauty of task batching is its flexibility. Some days, time blocking with the Pomodoro technique, 25 minutes of focused work followed by a short break, might be the best way to stay on track. On other days, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed, simply grouping and batching similar tasks can bring a much-needed sense of order and calm.

In our first post, Moxie had some great song recommendations for you if you were in need of a reprieve.

Recently, I watched a rebroadcast of Mad About You (Season 2, Episode 3, “Bedfellows”), and in the cold open (the short scene before the credits), Paul Buchman starts singing “Wooly Bully” as he marches from the bedroom into the kitchen.

I hadn’t listened to this song for decades, but when I listened to it on YouTube, I realized how engaging it is. It’s hard not to move around and refrain from singing those silly lyrics, but I also noticed that while I was listening to it, my stress level dropped.

I don’t know if you’ll have the same experience, but if you’re curious, you can listen to the original version by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs here: Wooly Bully

Update: As of March 2026, The Roku Channel is streaming all seven seasons of Mad About You for free.

A Follow-up Memo from Moxie

Moxie here. I want to follow up and let you know that I won’t be receiving my title of Sr. Director of Emotional Risk Management. My Human and I have agreed to disagree.

I’m not complaining, but my job is actually difficult, and let’s be honest, having critical thoughts is a skill.

Absent my deserved title, I’m not sure what exactly my role will be as this blog continues to expand. That said, I read the first post where my Human said that allowing me to be the only one with the map “would probably result in us taking the most chaotic route through the brush.”

I just want to say that from where I’m standing, and from my experiences, stomping through the brush is efficient. Sure, it looks chaotic. But sometimes chaos gets the job done faster.

Anyway, about this “Wooly Bully” song. I’m a natural-born trumpeter, but I appreciate a good tenor sax, and this tune is catchy.

Catchy in a swampy, groove kind of way.

In our first post I recommended three modern tracks but, apparently we’re going vintage here.

In the spirit of collaboration, here’s my contribution:

“Tequila” by The Champs. The tenor sax on this one is punchy.

Punchy in a trunk-swinging, tap-and-stomp kind of way.

Take it for a spin if you can keep up. Tequila

Also, speaking a bit more freely, and I’m not judging, but why do humans play the same four bars of a song in their heads over and over and over again?

Is that a task management strategy, or just a glitch in the software?

Asking for a friend.

Official Briefing Ends. 

Moxie | (Formerly: Sr. Director Applicant)

Okay, circling back to Moxie’s “stuck on the same four bars” comment: her question, not exactly subtle, got me wondering why humans do this.

Admittedly, it really does seem like a quirk. As it turns out, there’s a name for this phenomenon: an earworm. Research suggests that it happens by design.

If you’re interested, here’s an article with a video explaining how earworms happen: The Science Behind Earworms: How Music Sneaks Into Your Brain. Read it here.

I didn’t expect a random song to have anything to do with productivity, but here we are, and I’m starting to think productivity isn’t just about structure. Maybe it’s also about state.