Ways to Save Time
Posted in Time Management
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By Holly Reisem Hanna
Last week I was talking to a friend of mine when she asked me, “Where can I find the extra time to read a business book each month”? I gave her a few suggestions on how I squeeze in reading, but none of these ideas worked for her. You see, her situation is unique in the fact that she has a full-time day job, a part-time franchise, a new business venture that she’s trying to get off the ground, two young children and a husband that need her attention.
For many moms work-life balance is a constant struggle with the end result being that mom doesn’t get any time for herself. I too struggle with balancing my work and personal duties, but here are some different ways I have found extra time in my schedule. Perhaps these tips can help you to start finding extra time in your schedule, to start pursuing your dreams, whether it’s starting a new business, writing a book or just reading a new book each month.
Cut Out Television – TV can be a nice escape from reality but nobody needs more than a few hours a week. In fact it is estimated that the average American watches 5 hours of TV a day, that’s over 140 hours a month! Make time for your favorite programs (mine is the Bachelorette) and then turn it off and use that extra time to work on projects, read or spend face to face time with your family.
Wake Up Earlier – I am a huge believer in getting 8 hours of good sleep at night. For many moms this is a luxury, but if you’re able to spare a few minutes of sleep and wake up 20 minutes early every morning, you’ll gain over 2 hours of “me time” each week. This is definitely enough time to read a book each month or start an exercise routine.
Batch Errands – Cut down on wasted travel time by designating one day each week to run errands. For me this every Tuesday; after I pick up my daughter from her mom’s day out program, we run to the gas station, grocery store, bank, pick up the dry cleaning and usually head to Target and Starbucks. I take this one step further by purchasing all of the gifts and cards that I will need for the month at the same time, so that I’m not constantly driving to and fro. Batching also works well for household chores and tasks.
Menu Planning – What’s for dinner always seems to be the question at hand. If you’re anything like me, this is a daily pattern of frantically searching online for a recipe, finding one that I like, and then searching for the ingredients. Often I don’t have all of the required ingredients, so it’s back to the drawing board, searching online and thumbing through cookbooks to find a new recipe. Not only is this a waste of time, but it’s frustrating. Menu planning saves time by reducing the amount of time aimlessly searching for a recipe, looking for the required ingredients and making unnecessary trips to the grocery store. Today there are so many options for menu planning from weekly menus & grocery lists sent directly to your inbox from an online company like Menu For the Week, to preparing your monthly meals in advance at an establishment like The Studio Kitchen
Buy Time, Not Things – Stop purchasing stuff and spend a little money on buying yourself some extra time. What tasks can be delegated to someone else? Try using a house cleaning service, a virtual assistant or personal concierge to take care chores and unwanted tasks from your to-do list.
Stop Multitasking – For most of our lives we have been taught to multi-task, and in some situations it is called for, but the majority of the time it ends up being inefficient. By single-tasking, you can fully focus on the task at hand and complete it without interruptions. Give yourself a block of time to complete the task, and stop trying to watch the news, catch up on email and answer phone calls, you’ll be surprised at how much more efficient you’ll become.
Email – You could probably send all day on sending emails. Stop letting your email control your day, by scheduling times to read and reply to emails. By shutting it down the remainder of the time, you free yourself from interruptions and distractions. To assist you with this, try placing an auto-responder on your email with the times you answer messages and any other pertinent information.
How do you find time to take care of yourself and pursue your dreams?
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Mix’n'match meals; when I grocery shop, I check online ads for places like Sprouts and NewMarket (Sunflower Market in non-TX parts of the world), and buy foods on special, that will mix and match, depending on what our day will look like.
I’m also a huge fan of using a crockpot, so that none of us have to hover over the stove, and hot food is available for everyone with erratic schedules. In the summertime, don’t be afraid to let your spouse prove his “grillin’ skills”, so that you can have more time to attend to other things.
Oh, and for TV; I use Netflix and Hulu, for the most part; that way, I can choose to watch what I want when it’s “wind-down” time, instead of letting the TV programming rule my world. I have about 3-5 shows a week I enjoy watching, so that’s a few minutes before bed at night. I prefer Netflix streaming, because it’s commercial-free, but Hulu has shows Netflix doesn’t.
Hi Carole,
I love crock pot cooking too, especially in the winter. I’ve used Menu For The Week, which I really enjoyed, but I think I would like to batch cooking and menu planning and try a place like the Studio Kitchen where you plan and prepare you meals for the month.
Great tips for TV watching too!
Hi Carole,
Great tips! Here is a very important one: Pace yourself throughout the day, by taking short breaks every hour to two hours – and recharging ones, such as relaxation/meditation, engaging in something different, rather than mind-numbing ones. It’s one of the things I make sure all my working moms clients (http://www.dailymastery.com/moms/) know and do on a regular basis. It’s amazing what difference it makes.
Another one: get a GREAT haircut. With a great haircut, you look good no matter how much or little time you spent on your hair that morning. :-)
Love your tips!
Karin
Hi Karin,
Great tips! I think taking breaks is especially important for avoiding burnout and guilt (not spending enough one-on-one time with the little ones). I also find that when I spend a good chunk of time totally devoted to my daughter she is more likely to play by herself and give me a decent chunk of time to get a few tasks done.
I spend about 20-30 minutes per day sitting in the pick-up line at school. I get a tremendous amount of reading done then.
I have also gotten very organized with meal planning, which has been wonderful. Trying to decide what to make for dinner used to stress me out daily (and waste a lot of time).
Hi Laura,
I have a similar routine… Whenever my husband is driving us somewhere, I’ll read in the car while he is driving. It gives me a little time here and there. I try to keep my book with me at all times, you never know when you can sneak a few minutes in. :-)
Always love to hear you talk about time!
One of the tips I teach my time coaching clients is the concept of layering (as opposed to multi-tasking). There are some physical activities (like talking a walk or dusting) that require little mental activity so you can layer on mental activities like a conversation (by phone or in person) or planning or even meditating.
This way you accomplish two important things at once without significantly lessening the quality of either one.
Yeah for Schedule Makeovers!
Elizabeth-Time Coach
Excellent tips!
As for me, I have a four-week grocery list. It saves time because I can take out Week 1, Week 2, etc, depending on the week of the month I’m prepping for, and we never eat a particular dish twice in a span of 30 days. This has been working like clockwork for me, and saves me loads of time. I revise the list every other month, so I can introduce new recipes.
I’ve also set my blogging and email checking for my “work hours,” even if I work from home. This is just recent, but after two days, I can see how it can be more time-efficient for me. My goal is to be able to spend more time with my son, after all!
Martine
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That’s a great idea Martine! I need to make a monthly menu, currently I do weekly.