Time Savers

Staple coupons to your shopping list so you do not forget them. Keep a pen on a string nearby so you can write a “c” next to the item on the list to remind you that you have a coupon.

Save time by shopping off-peak hours. Try shopping first thing in the morning or later in the evening.

Before you go grocery shopping, plan your meals for the next one to two weeks. You can buy what you need so you will not have to make extra trips to the store.

When you are cooking a meal that will reheat well, make a double batch and freeze it. This way when time is tight you can just heat it up instead of buying fast food.

Use a slow cooker or Crock-Pot. You can throw in all of your ingredients in the morning and it will be finished in time for dinner.

Do not set your clocks 5 minutes faster. You’ll remember you did and subtract the 5 minutes.

Another great way to gain lost time is to call a blackout. Turn off the television, computer, and phone. If you do this for one hour a week, it will give you 52 hours in a year. Have a pretend blackout night and eat by candlelight and play games with your family.

Set a timer to ring ten minutes before you have to leave so you can finish what you are doing and get ready to leave. You can also use a timer to switch tasks. This can remind you how long you have been surfing on the net or been on the phone.

Group your errands together. Begin with the errand that is farthest from the house and progress to the one that is nearest.

Do like tasks together. Make all your phone calls or write all your bills at one time.

Time Saving Tips!

Enlist other members of your household to help you sort laundry, put away groceries, load the dishwasher, etcetera. It may not be done exactly the way you like, but it helps to build their skill and confidence.

Planning a task ahead of time saves countless minutes in the long run. Think a thing through before doing it. Do you have everything you need to complete the task? Have you set aside the right amount of time? Do you know what you need to know? If the answer is “Yes”, proceed. If it is “no”, get what you need before you begin.

For the next week keep track of how long it takes you to do everyday things, for example – how long it takes to get ready in the morning, how long it takes to clean a particular room…..Knowing how long tasks take allows you to better plan your day.

Stop interrupting yourself or allowing others to interrupt you. When you are working on something, allow the phone to go into voicemail, ignore email, and opt to get the job done.

At the start of each month, take a quick scan of what is coming up so you can prepare in advance. Do you need special clothing or gifts? Get it on the list so you have it when you need it. Help yourself by writing on the calendar where you put the item you need. For example, “birthday party June 13 gift in front hall closet.”

Have a central location for writing down what needs to be done. It may be a paper calendar, a calendar on your computer or a PDA. Use what works best for you, something you know you will look at. It will take time initially to input or write everything down, but it will be worth it. Be sure to include, birthdays, anniversaries, school holidays and other important dates.

Throughout the year as new recurring events happen, be sure to add them to your master list.

Whenever you enter an event on the calendar that requires another action, block off time for that action as well. For example, when you write in “shower on April 8”, block off time to buy the gift.

Pick a weekly block of time and use it for organizing because you can’t organize in your spare time. This routine will keep you from falling behind, especially at the busiest times of the year.

Do you have a time of day when you have more energy and feel more productive? Get to know your prime time and choose to do tasks at that time that take more thought, focus, and patience.

You may want to schedule days when you do particular chores for your home. For example: laundry on Tuesday and Thursday, grocery shopping on Friday morning, cleaning the house on Monday. Make sure everyone knows the schedule so they can become accustomed to taking dirty clothes to the laundry room, putting grocery items needed on the list, and when everyone will be involved in cleaning the house.

Don’t schedule things too close together; allot time for traffic accidents, weather delays, someone else running late and so on.

Get started fast by recognizing three of the ways you know you tend to lose time. Then make a plan to reclaim the time.

Making a list of things you need to do (no matter how big or small) will help save time when you have some extra time. You won’t be trying to remember what you could do. You can go to your list and see what you can do. You’ll feel good too as you check items off your list.

Instead of running around in the morning trying to get ready, prepare the night before. Get out your clothes, make lunches, fill the coffeemaker, and then put everything by the door you should take with you.

Run errands with a friend. You’ll both get to accomplish some things and get to spend time together.

Hang a tote bag by the door or on the handle of the door you use the most. Place items you need to take with you in it, for example – mail to send, DVDs and library books to return, directions to where you are going, etcetera. Grab the bag when you leave and put it back when you return.

Put a load of clothes in the washing machine before you go to bed and put them in the dryer when you get up in the morning.

Schedule a time to do little repairs around the house, like fixing a squeaky door, changing a burnt out light, tightening cabinet door handles. By designating a time you’ll have the tools and materials you need to get the job done.

When you change your clocks, schedule some other chores like replacing furnace and air cleaner filters, checking batteries in fire and carbon monoxide detectors, and checking batteries in flashlights and water filters.

Try to take the first appointment of the day or after lunch when scheduling a doctor or hair salon appointment. This way if there is a backup, it will not affect you.

Take something with you to do if you may have to wait for someone in your car when picking them up. You can make phone calls, balance your checkbook, write thank you notes, or read a book or magazine. Pack what you need in your tote bag before leaving the house.

Plan your meals in advance. This will save you time at the store. Make your grocery list according to the meals planned. Ask members of your family what they would enjoy and include those meals.

Make meals in less time by preparing what you can in advance. While making lunches chop extra vegetables for dinner. Make a double batch so you can freeze one batch for another time.

Get your children to help with the easy cooking tasks. This trains them, builds camaraderie, and will save you time.

TIME SAVING TIPS from 1000 Best Quick and Easy Organizing Secrets by Jamie Novak.