If there is one thing that I always say I wish I had more of, it’s time. More time to catch up with friends, more time to spend with the family, more time to complete work deadlines without feeling (and likely looking) slightly frazzled…. just more time in general to do all the things that are truly important in life. So over the years I’ve worked to trim precious minutes here and there, so that I ultimately get back more time in my life. I thought I’d share them with you today, just in case you could save a little bit of time yourself… especially during this busy season of life….
1.Write It Down: At the beginning of every week, I attempt to write down everything that I need to accomplish over the next several days.. Anything from making doctors appointments, returning items, post deadlines, and planning out meals…. It goes into a list that I then allocate across the week. By writing it down, I’m able to visually see everything that needs to be accomplished, and ensure that I focus my energy on completing these tasks in order to get to the more enjoyable things in life…… I’m the type of person who has to write it down to complete it (simply placing it into my iPhone doesn’t do the trick) so I buy a new planner each year. This year I purchased this floral one, and it’s very similar to the one I used last year (which I was really happy with).
2. Eliminate Distractions: There are so many small distractions throughout the day… my phone being the biggest of them…. that I ultimately end up tacking on extra time when all is said and done. That being said, if I’m trying to be as efficient as possible, I put my phone away in another room. The theory here is out of sight, out of mind, and I can focus on the task at hand. For some people it’s other people (I had co-workers who used to have to wear head phones to let people know not to approach them), television, etc…. whatever your primary distraction is, finding a way to temporarily remove it from your surroundings can help you stay focused and save time. I also recommend this time cube timer…. it can easily help you stay focused for an allotted amount of time.
3. Delegate Help: I’m not the type of person who has a problem asking for help. I know that there are only so many hours in a day, and sometimes in order for everything to get finished, I need help (heck, everyone needs help). Luckily there are so many services out there that make that a seamless process. I like to delegate my grocery shopping to my friends at amazon prime (for whole foods) and instacart for other stores. I don’t do it all the time, but when I do it saves at least an hour to two hours of my day…. which is a lot of time if you think about it. TJ and I share responsibilities around the house… he bathes Harper in the evenings, which allows me extra time to get work done… and we’ve invested in other areas that allow us to have extra time here and there. I also know that I have friends that, if I was ever in a bind, would be able to help out here and there… and I’d do the same for them (the whole ‘It takes a village” concept….). It’s different for everyone, but being able to identify ways to delegate out a few tasks here and there can help save you tremendous time.
4. Prep Work: I’ve always found that spending a little bit of time prepping for the week ahead can actually save me so much time in the long run. This will sound silly, but planning out what I’m going to wear, what I’m going to eat, etc…. can help save precious minutes during crunch time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in front of my closet wondering what to wear… or stood with the refrigerator door open wondering what to eat. If I spend a little bit of time preparing a few meals right before Sunday evening dinner… and writing down a few outfit ideas for the week ahead, I end up moving through those parts of my morning seamlessly. I’d say it saves me, collectively, about 20 minutes…. multiply that by 5 days, and that’s over an hours worth of time I get to spend doing something I love.
That’s it! Nothing mind blowing…. just a few simple and effective ways I save time to spend it doing things I truly value. I’d love to know the ways that you save time throughout your week as well!
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(Post Details || Sweater | Jeans | Slippers)
