Batch similar tasks: emails with emails, calls with calls

The brain pays a so-called "switching tax" — you pay it every time you change the type of work you're doing, even when you don't notice it. Jumping from writing a report to a phone call and back to writing again costs more than just the few seconds it takes to dial; it takes time for the brain to retune itself to the right mode of thinking, and that moment gets lost again with every single switch.

A typical scenario

Jana, an accountant, has her day chopped into pieces: answer an email, then a client calls, then post a few invoices, then read another email, then pick up the phone again. By the end of the day she feels like she "did stuff constantly," but the list of things actually finished is short — every switch cost her a few minutes of retuning, and she lost her train of thought on whatever was mid-progress each time.

When Jana instead keeps email to one fixed block in the morning, posts invoices in one continuous block after lunch, and lines up her calls back to back at the end of the morning, the same amount of work takes noticeably less real time. She switches between types of work only three times a day instead of dozens of times, and stays in one "mode" per block long enough to actually get immersed in it.

How to do it

1. Identify the recurring small tasks that show up in your work daily or weekly: emails, phone calls, approvals, receipts, admin.
2. Give each type of task a fixed daily or weekly block on your calendar — and deliberately don't touch it outside that block, even if it crosses your path.
3. Mute or turn off notifications for that type of task (email client, phone) outside the dedicated block, so the app itself doesn't tempt you into switching early.
4. Line phone calls and similar conversations up back to back — you pay the cost of shifting into "phone mode" (tuning in to talking instead of writing) only once for the whole block, not separately for each call.
5. For tasks that require deep focus (writing, analysis, planning), put them in a priority block at the start of the day when attention is highest, and save small stuff like email for when your energy is lower.
6. If something urgent pulls you off plan, return exactly to where you left off once you've handled it, not to a random next item on the list — that avoids yet another unnecessary switch.

The best tools

• A calendar with time blocking (Google Calendar, Outlook) — a built-in feature most people already have; just add fixed blocks for each type of work.
• Do Not Disturb / Focus modes on phone and computer — mute notifications outside the dedicated block so another type of work doesn't tempt you early.
• Todoist or another task manager with labels — lets you tag tasks by type (email, phone, admin) and see them grouped together when planning a block.
• Time-blocking templates (Sunsama, Motion) — specialized tools that automatically suggest how to lay out your day into blocks by task type.

What you get out of it

• Time: an estimated 30–40 minutes a day saved on the switching tax, easily more for people with a very fragmented day.
• Deeper focus: in a continuous block you get into a state where work goes faster and with fewer mistakes than under constant interruption.
• Less fatigue: switching between types of work is mentally draining on its own, regardless of the actual volume of work done.
• A clearer day: you know in advance when you'll be doing what, instead of reactively responding to whatever shows up.

Pro tip

Start with just one type of task that pulls you off track most often — usually email. Give it two fixed blocks a day (say, morning and after lunch) and close the email client entirely outside them. Once it sticks, add other categories one at a time.