How to Use Task Batching to Create Your Online Course
My first course idea came to me in 2014, but I didn’t create and launch it until two years later.
That’s right, two years.
You don’t want to repeat my mistakes.
Here’s what happened (tell me if it sounds familiar):
A few years into blogging and building my reputation online, I had figured out what I was “known” for. And I saw all these business owners doing these big launches of expensive online courses. It was enticing, and I wanted in on it.
But it seemed like SO much work.
Work that as a side hustler, I didn’t have time for. So I put the idea in my back pocket, where it stayed for a year and a half. The problem was that creating an online course seemed like a huge mountain to climb. And I was looking at it as something that needed to be tackled in one sprint of a climb.
Instead, I should have:
- Broken down the big goal into smaller projects (creating my freebie, designing the curriculum, writing lesson scripts, course promotion, etc.)
- Completed those small projects by scheduling batches of a few tasks at a time
Batching tasks is a common productivity and time management tactic, but if you try to batch the wrong tasks, it can hurt your productivity more than it helps.
So in this post, we’ll go over how to use batching effectively to make your course creation easy.
What is task batching?
Task batching is when you group together similar tasks to complete all at one time. You’re likely doing it already, even if you don’t realize it.
For example, do you ever “save” a bunch of email replies for when you have time to give them a thoughtful reply? That’s batching email replies. If you ever schedule a few social media posts at a time, that’s batching too.
With batching, you can group together similar tasks based on things like:
- Where they take place (online vs. offline)
- What kind of thinking they require (creative, tedious, strategic, etc.)
- What tools they’re completed in (website platform, email marketing tool, etc.)
It’s less about what work you’re doing or where you’re doing it, and more about how the work is planned and completed.
Why task batching helps & when it hurts
Batching helps you complete and launch your course faster by taking advantage of focus and momentum.
Working on the same type of work, or in the same tool, for a few hours at a time instead of constantly switching between different things lets you get “in the zone.” More technically, it lets you get into what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi coined as “flow state.”
When you’re in this flow, there’s less friction (both mental and physical) between different steps of a task. For example, clicking through from one email to another in your inbox is faster than reading and replying to each one individually since you’re just opening a new tab and logging into your inbox once. And batching something physical, like product photography, can potentially save tons of difficult, manual work like setting up lighting and tripods.
However, batching can also be draining.
Take video, for example. Depending on the type of video you’re creating, it might require moving around, animating your facial expressions more than usual, or speaking louder than normal. That can take its toll on you.
How to decide what course work to batch
So, how can you figure out what work will become better by batching it, and what kinds of batching will drain you?
It really depends on the kind of work you do, and where your strengths lie.
First, you’ll want to consider whether the task you’re considering batching is high energy or low energy. Low energy tasks are almost always easy to batch without a negative impact on your energy or momentum.
For example, if you can batch record your course video lessons, that means regardless of how many videos you record, you only have to assemble your equipment like lights, setting, camera, and notes once.
However, batching high energy tasks can be draining on both your mind and your body, so tread carefully, especially with video. If you’re going to batch deep work like content production, make sure you give yourself time to rest and recover afterward.
But don’t feel pressured to batch your course content, especially if you’re newer to creating content. Instead, you can batch lower energy work to conserve your time and focus for your harder tasks.
Other options of course work to batch include:
- Outlining curriculum
- Writing video scripts
- Editing course lessons
- Uploading course assets
- Designing course promo materials
- Writing student emails
- Setting up course tech
You can batch pretty much any or all of the work involved in your online course business. Just choose the work based on your own strengths and schedule.
How to schedule your batches
Once you’ve decided which tasks to batch, you’ll want to schedule them into your calendar.
To see the advantages of batching, you’ll want to make sure you’re working on the same batch for at least an hour at a time, but any longer than 3 hours and you’ll want to give yourself a break.
It’s also helpful to create a pattern or routine for your batch schedule so that you can fall into a habit of making progress on your course.
Tips for following your batch schedule
Now that you’re ready to sit down and complete some batches, keep the following tips in mind:
- Consider using the Pomodoro technique to take scheduled breaks throughout your batch work.
- Block out digital distractions using a plugin like RescueTime, which lets you set hours during which it restricts unproductive websites.
- Cut down on offline distractions by communicating your boundaries with those around you and trying to carve out a dedicated space for working on your course.
- Pay attention to your natural tendencies, energy, and focus. You may find after your first morning batch of content creation that your on-camera energy is better in the afternoon. Time management is a learning process.
Batch on & create your course
Batching can be the shortcut you need to create your online course, but only when you plan it strategically. Think about what you really need to get done and where the shortcuts to that destination are, then start mapping your path to get there.
