Batch Your Work

People ask me all the time about my system for creating content. Now that I’ve been sharing on Self Improvement Daily for over 7 years and have reached nearly 2300 episodes, the process is pretty dialed in. 

Originally I took Seth Godin’s advice to write every day, so for the first 2 or 3 years that’s what I did. But then out of a need for more efficiency, I started batching my work and it has made things way faster and way more sustainable. 

Basically, when you 'batch your work' you do a lot of the same things at the same time and it can streamline productivity. Rather than needing to find and open resources, get recontextualized, or get in yourself in the mood to do something multiple times... You can just do it all at once. My process isn't perfect but generally I prepare a week’s worth of content in one sitting, record all of it the next, and then add edits.

You’re probably already naturally batching your work. You answer all emails at the same time, run errands one after the next, and maybe even meal prep for the week all at once. It’s not a novel concept but it’s a very effective one, and what I wanted to do today is invite you to consider how you can batch your work more intentionally.

Fundamentally this involves three things: Being clear on what you want to get done in one focused session, creating the time to do it, and protecting it from distractions and other things that might come up. So let’s walk through that one by one.

First, what’s something that you know you need to get done faster, more consistently, or more efficiently? Quantify the task and list it out in more detail… The less specific it is the more space there is for your mind to interpret.

Second, create the time to do it. Get in the habit of creating a schedule for your day where you allocate time for what’s most important. Rather than being reactive to everything the world has to throw at you, you can design your day in advance by being proactive and planning.

And third, you need to make sure you stay focused and don’t slip into distractions. We are inundated by pings, dings, and rings that are constantly interrupting our consciousness and hijacking our attention. Those who can effectively stay on track have a competitive advantage in the world. It’s the reason author Nir Eyal calls being “Indistractable” the skill of the century.

If you feel like you could be more productive and focused throughout the day, and that you aren’t always disciplined enough to follow through on your good intentions, let me show you how I do it. It’s the system I’ve used to consistently create a schedule for the day and maintain the podcast for 7 years. You can use it to improve absolutely anything, and you’ll see what I mean when you watch the video where you can see my Self Improvement Scorecard in action!