Some things I\'ve found:
If you doing rank & file and they are all pretty much the same:
Do four or five at a time - assembly line.
Paint all the faces
Paint all the boots
Paint all the pants
etc.
You\'ve already got your brush loaded and paints out, so just keep painting with that set of colors.
Paint.
Set aside what time you can and just paint. Nothing beats time in the painting chair. The more you do, the faster and better you get at it.