Multitasking is like putting Spotify on Shuffle

Batching up similar tasks is an extremely healthy way to be productive. It's the opposite of switching from one type of task to another, which can use much more mental energy. That's commonly known as "multitasking". The art of being busy.

Multitasking is like putting Spotify on shuffle mode, where you get an energetic dance tune, then a slow piano ballad, then a heavy metal tune, then a pop track. Yes variety is the spice of life, but if you're only in the mood for pop, then just listen to pop. If your head and feet fancy for 70s funk, then just pull out that playlist.

You could think of the different activities in your workday like genres of music. Email (pop), meetings (dance), admin (Industrial), calls (Classical), video calls (Theatrical), research (Electronic), brainstorming (Funk), writing (ambient), creating (Jazz), building things (Rock).

When planning and structuring your day or week you group all the similar activities together to do in one session block. You then plan in times, or decide in the moment during the day, which genre to work on. Picking the most suitable batch for your mood at the time.

You won’t be able to do this for everything, as life doesn't always fit our mood. Pressing deadlines, interruptions, and emergencies will happen. More regularly for some than others.

But if you are able to have a say in when you do your work, have a go at batching up similar tasks. Then executing them at a time that fits in with your daily rhythms.