It seems more efficient to repeat the same task over and over, in part because we expect that we will get better at this simple task the more we do it.
Efficient processes depend on identifying the bottleneck in the process. Here, having to organize and relocate the piles of folded papers and stacked envelopes is the limiting step in the efficiency of the batch-step process. For one at a time approach, it’s the individual user efficiency, which is also a constraint in the batch-step process. However, all the organizing is done at the beginning, eliminating the impact of the limiting step and making the process more efficient. Ask, “what is the limiting step?” And, visualize or sample the process to figure it out.
