🔁 How I Batch Bookkeeping Tasks (and Why You Should Too)

Ever feel like you’ve been working all day… but somehow didn’t actually finish anything?

Yeah, I’ve been there. Especially back when I was trying to juggle multiple clients, learning to build my business, and still teaching martial arts to a bunch of rowdy 5-year-olds in the evenings.

Here’s the thing: it wasn’t that I wasn’t working hard — it was that I was switching gears way too much.

That’s where batching changed the game for me.

🧠 What Is Batching (And Why It Works)?

Batching means grouping similar tasks together and knocking them out in one focused block.

It’s the exact opposite of multitasking — and it works because it limits distractions and context switching. You’re not jumping between emails and spreadsheets and Slack and Zoom.

You’re just doing one kind of task… and doing it well.

🥋 Real-Life Example (From the Dojo to the Desk)

When I teach martial arts, we don’t flip from punches to kicks to sparring to stretching every 2 minutes. We drill one skill, get it right, and then move on.

It’s the same in bookkeeping.

If you’re reconciling one client, then jumping into another system to send a proposal, then answering a text from a lead, then trying to finish a report… your brain never finds flow.

Batching gives you that flow.

⏳ How I Batch My Week

Here’s a snapshot of how I structure my workflow most weeks:

Of course, I stay flexible — especially when someone needs something urgently or I’m covering at the dojo — but having this rhythm keeps my brain and my business calmer.

🔧 My Top Batching Tips for Solo Bookkeepers

• Use simple systems – I track tasks in ClickUp, but a Google Sheet works fine too.

• Group by task type, not client – Do all reconciliations, then all reports, etc.

• Batch communications too – Check email 2–3 times a day, not constantly.

• Set a timer – I use 25-minute focus blocks (Pomodoro method) with 5-minute resets.

• Mute your phone – I promise you’ll be fine without it for an hour.

🥋 What Batching Gave Me (That I Didn't Expect)

More than just time savings, batching gave me mental breathing room. It allowed me to:

• Finish my work earlier

• Show up better for my mentees

• Be more present when I’m on the mats with my students

• And honestly, enjoy my work again

It’s hard to be creative or strategic when your brain is fried from switching tasks every 15 minutes.

Want My Personal Batching Tracker?

I’ve got a simple template I use and give to my mentees in Black Belt Bookkeepers Mentorship. It helps you see all your clients and tasks at a glance so nothing falls through the cracks.

📥 Drop a comment or send me a message — I’ll send it to you free.