Batching - Claire's Top Tips for Productivity
Have you heard of the concept of batching? I hadn’t until 2019 and then it seemed to appear in lots of things I read and with coaches I had worked with.
Batching can be applied as a productivity hack and also in my opinion a way to reduce stress.
Some of you have commented on social media sharing your amusement when I have shared the little things I do to make my life run smoothly, with less decisions and reducing stress.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my batch hacks for life because if they help me they may also help you.
1. Plan your clothes
Have you ever noticed you always seem to wear the same combination of clothes or only the clothes from the top of the drawer? Well firstly get rolling or Marie Kondo ing your clothes. That was life changing in our household. On a Sunday evening I look ahead at my week and ask myself, what I am doing, who am I teaching and what is the weather like. I then choose my outfits for the week. Granted it is always variations on a Sweaty Betty leggings theme and I do like to mix it up. If the forecast predicts a dull week I will be sure to pick bright colours to brighten my own and other people’s mood around me. I often joke that “I bring the sunshine!”
2. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day - it really is. A dietitian once told me that it was important to get our carbs and the majority of our calorie intake in the first half of the day. I have to be honest I have never been one to monitor calories or carbs and what I learned from her was I wasn’t getting enough of either at the start of the day, therefore I was craving all sorts at the end of the day. What I do now is soak my mix of chia, flax, mixed seeds and oats with milk overnight, then it’s ready in the morning for a dollop of full fat yogurt & diced mango or blueberries. I also I batch prepare the muesli in a Kilner jar.
3. Prepare Lunch
That leads me into my third batching hack. Most days I eat the same breakfast and then I enjoy family porridge at the weekend. For lunch I have salad during the working week, yes in winter too! In winter I’ll add some warm roast veg. I prepare a mix of leaves and shredded veg, then on the day I just add trout mackerel or salmon with a handful of nuts and grapes or apple, and a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt and pepper.#
It isn’t just the batch preparation, like choosing my clothes in advance it is also the decision making that is batched because I don’t need to choose, source and prepare my lunches so my energy is conserved for other important things. What I eat is very important to me, it is my fuel and energy source, therefore I don’t like to choose the right fuel because it helps me stay healthy and consistent in all my endeavours.
4. Batch Cooking
Much of my batching revolves around food – like I said food is particularly important to me. When we go on holiday as a family of five, we eat a lol, so I prepare by, you guessed it batch cooking. As a family we decide what meals we want and then we prepare them in advance, freeze them and then we have minimal cooking to do for the week. It takes away decision-making, work for someone and hassle of shopping. That way we get to sit back, relax and enjoy our holiday hassle-free.
5. Batch Plan Classes
If you haven’t already realised, I am a planner. I like to be organised and plan so that we are set up for success and also leave space for creativity and freedom. I use the same approach in my teaching. I batch plan my classes so that I have a clear goal in mind for the class and set steps to get us there. This doesn’t mean I always stay on plan. I am flexible, responsive and creative in the moment, responding to the needs, requests and changes as they unfold in front of me. I would even go as far to say I am more creative because I have a plan. When I arrive at the class I then feel 100% present and ready to teach the people who are there with me because I have a plan.
So here we have some of the ways that I like to batch in my life to make things calmer, more creative, energy efficient and productive.
To book a class with Claire, please visit our website, or book via your Mind Body account or on the Mind Body app.
