Do you feel like there are never enough hours in the day or enough days in the week to complete your TO DO list? Despite my best efforts at time management, I feel like I'm constantly trying to beat the clock and jam more into every day. I need to find more time to complete my to-do list AND to do the things that bring me joy.
I've taken a hard look at where I spend my time and have tried to eliminate certain activities and introduce efficiencies to make time. These five time-savers give me an extra few minutes to an hour in each day-- every little block of time counts!
Order Online for In-Store Pick Up- How many times have you wandered through Target to grab that "one thing" and come out with a cartful of stuff you don't need an hour later and $80 poorer??? So many places now offer the convenience of curbside or in-store pickup to save time-- and money! I went through a period where I only did my grocery shopping online. Now P loves to go and people watch, so we make it an outing. But I'm constantly popping into Target and zooming straight to customer service to pick up an order I placed online. I have yet to try CVS curbside pickup but they've been running a $10 off special just for trying it.
Sunday Basket- This genius time saver came from Lisa at Organize 365. I have been listening to her podcast here and there, and I agree that every home should have a Sunday Basket. You know all the junk that arrives in the mail, in the kids' backpacks, etc. every week? You have to deal with it, but you don't have to deal with it NOW. Add it to the Sunday basket, and sort the basket on Sunday (or whatever designated day) processing all of the paperwork that you need for the week. Seems a lot more organized and less overwhelming, right? Lisa just released an Organize 365 app for the iphone yesterday too. Super excited to try it!
Cut out TV and social media; listen to podcasts and audiobooks- Okay, everyone reading is going to disagree with me on this one, but try it! Eliminate or reduce your TV watching, and you will be amazed at how your schedule opens up.
Wake Up Early- Another deep sigh if anyone is still reading! Early morning is my "me" time. It's when I get in my (often very short) workout, take a few minutes to scroll thru Facebook and check emails, have a cup of coffee and just do what I want to do for 30 minutes. Waking up early gives you the chance to focus on whatever fills your soul or whatever you need to get done without any distractions. It supposedly takes three weeks to form a habit. Once you make it a habit of waking early, you won't regret it!
Shopping Lists, Meal Planning and Batch Cooking
If you don't order groceries online, consider typing up a list of foods that you buy at the grocery store nearly every week and group them according to where they're located in the store. Keep your list somewhere handy in the kitchen, and just circle the items on the list as you run out. There's no forgetting to add something to the shopping list if it's right there. I created one of these lists when I was pregnant with P (hello, Mommy brain!) and printed out tons of copies that we continue to use.
Along those lines, plan meals ahead of time. Take the stress and debate out of what to eat every night by listing out your go-to recipes and prepping whatever you can ahead of time. When meal planning, circle any items you need on the list that you've already typed up. It seems like a lot of time and work at first, but it's well worth it and saves a ton of time in the long run!
Other things that I swear by to save time are using a daily planner and really tracking where I spend my time, bundling tasks that make sense to do together, adopting a (semi) capsule wardrobe, and outsourcing if you can swing it. What tips do you have to create time for more joy?
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