What is Task Batching?
Grouping similar tasks together and completing them in a single focused session to reduce context switching.
Task batching is a productivity technique where you group similar tasks and handle them in a single, dedicated time block — instead of switching between different types of work throughout the day.
Examples of task batching
- Email batch — Check and respond to emails only at 9am, 12pm, and 4pm
- Meeting batch — Schedule all meetings on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
- Code review batch — Do all PRs in one 90-minute block each morning
- Content batch — Write all social posts for the week in one session
Why batching works
Context switching has a real cognitive cost. Research from the University of California, Irvine found it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to fully regain focus after an interruption. Batching minimizes these switches.
- Reduces setup time — You get into the "mode" for a task type once, not repeatedly
- Lowers decision fatigue — You know what you're doing in each block
- Protects deep work — Batch shallow tasks so they don't fragment your focus time
Batching + Pomodoro
Combine task batching with the Pomodoro Technique: batch your emails into 2 pomodoros, batch code reviews into 3 pomodoros, then give your deep work a full 4-pomodoro block. PomodoroBar's session tracking shows how many pomodoros each batch type takes — helping you plan better over time.