The 5-Day Batching System That Saved My Sanity (And My Client Relationships)
How I went from feeling busy all the time to delivering better client results in fewer hours. Spoiler: it's not about waking up at 5 AM.
A client Slack message at 9 PM. School pickup at 3 PM. A newsletter deadline looming. QBRs and board calls around the corner. If you're a marketer at a startup, supporting a small team while wearing many hats, or a solopreneur trying to juggle it all, this probably sounds familiar.
I find most "time management" advice feels like it was written by people who've never had to field a client emergency while packing school lunches for the morning, or had to manage 3 clients who all have board calls the same week. The productivity gurus make it sound so simple: just time block everything! Wake up at 5 AM! Right.
I’ve been fielding a lot of ‘How do you make it happen?’ and ‘Where do you find the time?’ type questions lately, so I figured I’d break out of the usual demand gen flow this week and share a bit more behind the scenes.
👋 Hi, it’s Kaylee Edmondson and welcome to Looped In, my newsletter exploring demand gen and growth frameworks in B2B SaaS. If you’re one of the 26 people that have subscribed since last Sunday, hello! So glad you’re here—you’ve just joined 2k+ marketers who read Looped In every Sunday.
The Juggling Act
Here's my current reality: I'm running DemandLoops, supporting multiple B2B SaaS brands from Series A to Series C // $20M - $80M ARR. I'm also a wife, and mom to two girls (ages 4 and 8).
And my truth…some weeks I nail it. Other weeks feel like controlled chaos where I'm putting out fires, scrambling to meet deadlines, and giving myself a hard time about not being more present for the kids.
So if you came here looking for another ‘optimize your morning routine and change your life’ kind of post…sorry to disappoint. What you’ll get instead is a handful of scrappy little tricks that, on a good day, keep me from running in circles.
Why I Swear by Batching
Eight months or so into my solopreneur journey, I was still trying to do everything every day—client work in the morning, newsletter writing at lunch, prospect calls scattered throughout, admin work squeezed into random windows, traveling for clients whenever they requested it.
I felt busy all the time but wasn't making real progress on anything. Most nights I was still typing away at the keys well past 11 pm. And I was getting so burned out.
Then my Spotify queue served me a podcast one day that was talking all about the power of batching. I’ve just spent the last few days sifting and searching trying to find the exact podcast so I could link it for you all, but sadly to no avail. I’ll keep looking and update it here once I find it.
But the concept is simple. In the podcast they were discussing dedicating entire days to similar types of work instead of constantly context switching. The mindset shift was huge: from reactive to intentional time blocking. I thought maybe in this shift to soloprenuership I’d be able to create those boundaries with clients to help slow that burnout curve down a bit.
Why Batching Actually Works (According to Science)
Context switching is expensive. Research shows that switching between different types of tasks requires refocus time—anywhere from seconds to minutes depending on complexity. This "switching cost" compounds throughout the day.
Decision fatigue is real. Every context switch requires micro-decisions about what to focus on and how to approach the work. Batching similar work reduces these micro-decisions because you're staying in the same "mode."
Flow states require consistency. Deep, focused work happens when our brains settle into consistent thinking patterns. Energy management beats time management—different work requires different mental energy.
My Weekly Batching Framework
Monday: DemandLoops Focus + Client Kick-offs
Morning (8 AM-11 AM): All DemandLoops—back-office work, LinkedIn posts, prospect inquiries, research, etc.. This is sacred time for my own business.
Afternoon: "Manic Monday" client weekly touchbases. 3-4 back-to-back relationship maintenance calls—pipeline reviews, quick wins, check-ins.
Why Monday mornings for internal work? If I don't protect time for my own business first, it never happens. Client work always feels more urgent than building my own brand.
Tuesday: Turbo Tuesday Client Sprint
Heavy client touchbase day—4-6 calls, mostly 30-45 minutes. Back-to-back client calls are less draining when batched because I stay in "relationship management mode" all day instead of constantly switching contexts.
Front-loading relationship work sets the tone. When clients feel heard early in the week, they give me space for deep work later.
Wednesday: Project Deep Dives
Morning: Strategic client sessions—campaign planning, results reviews, complex problem-solving.
Afternoon: Protected time. No meetings. Complex thinking work—building strategies, analyzing performance, creating frameworks.
The shift from relationship management to hands-on delivery works because they require completely different energy types.
Thursday: Execution Mode
Lightest meeting day by design. Multi-hour blocks for execution—building campaigns, writing strategies, creating deliverables.
I protect these blocks fiercely. No "quick calls," no exceptions. This is when I achieve 3-4 hour flow states and produce work that would take 8 hours with constant interruptions.
Friday: Creation & Completion
No meetings. Ever. Strictly enforced.
Morning: Newsletter writing and content creation. Creative work feels energizing after a week of intensive client work. By this point in the week I’m also typically buzzing with ideas of things I want to solidify in my mind and start writing down to help build clarity before publishing.
Afternoon: Finishing deliverables, sending week-wrap emails, handling loose ends. I start every weekend knowing exactly where every client project stands and this helps me respectfully slam the laptop shut til Mondays.
Some Systems That Make It Work *Mostly
1. Batching Similar Work
Context switching kills consultant productivity. Now all relationship calls happen Monday-Wednesday, execution Thursday, creative work Friday. The momentum from consecutive similar work is incredible.
2. Ruthless Prioritization
Every "yes" is a trade-off to something else—family time, existing client depth, or business development. I ask three questions: "Is this worth less family time?" "Will this make me better at serving existing clients?" "Does this align with DemandLoops long-term?"
Most opportunities fail this test.
3. Managing Scope Creep
I’ve learned the hard way that in a fractional role, you have to deliver a lot of tough ‘no’s’ to avoid scope creep. It’s natural—every client wants to maximize the value of your time and their investment. That’s why it’s critical to build clarity and rigor into the scoping process up front: what’s explicitly in vs. out of scope. Having those conversations early makes it easier later to say, ‘No, that’s outside the scope,’ or, ‘We can explore that, but it would require a separate engagement.’
Framing expectations this way not only protects your bandwidth but also helps clients recognize boundaries they might not have considered at the outset.
4. Loom Videos for Async Communication
Instead of 30-minute calls for every question, I record 5-10 minute Loom videos. Clients can watch on their schedule, pause for notes, and re-watch complex explanations. I use Loom for explanation and client deliverables, calls for discussion and brainstorming.
5. Capped Synchronous Availability
Every contract caps weekly face-to-face time explicitly by the hour. When clients know they have limited synchronous time, they come more prepared and focused.
Language I use: "To ensure highest quality strategic thinking, I cap synchronous time at [X] hours weekly. This allows me to spend majority time creating value through execution rather than in meetings."
What Doesn't Work (for me at least)
Time blocking to 15-minute increments: Too rigid for real life with kids and client emergencies.
Early mornings/late nights for "extra time": Burned me out and made me resentful of family and clients.
Perfect batching from day one: I initially tried separate days for every activity type. Too complicated—some activities flow better together.
Biggest mistake: trying to copy someone else's system exactly. At the end of the day exactly what works for me, likely won’t work for you.
The Reality of Flexibility
Some weeks everything goes sideways—client emergencies, sick kids, campaign failures. I don't abandon the system; I ask: "What's the minimum viable version this week?"
Systems should serve you, not the other way around. The goal isn't perfect schedule adherence—it's enough structure to be intentionally flexible when life happens.
Wrapping Up
Batching has given me more control over my time and attention. Not perfect control, but enough structure to do some exceptional client work while making it to school events, all the sports, and never missing a family dinner.
The framework has dramatically improved client relationships. When I show up fully present during dedicated time instead of distracted by 15 other priorities, collaboration quality skyrockets.
What’s time management look like for you? I'd love to hear what systems you're experimenting with—hit reply and let me know.
Here's to finding your rhythm without losing your mind!
See ya next week,
Kaylee ✌