10 hacks to save time
1. Use your phone more – for recurring reminders
It’s easy to forget due dates for bills and other important reminders. So try to set recurring reminders on your phone for bills such as monthly internet or for your 90 days reporting at immigration, Ideally, have it alert you a couple of days before the actual due date just in case it falls on a weekend. This will save you time checking and having moments of sudden panic
2. Use your phone less – for surfing and social media
Answering emails surfing the net getting caught up on social media is a significant source of frustration for many. How often have you found hours eaten up by being on Facebook? Cut down on unwanted emails by allocating them to your spam box. Also, try setting the timer on your phone to limit the amount of time spent scrolling.
3 Simplify and Streamline
Decluttering and streamlining your choices is an easy way to cut down the amount of time you spend making decisions. This can extend to clothes in your wardrobe gadgets in the kitchen and clutter on your desk or workspace. For example organizing your wardrobe by work clothes, weekend/evening clothes or by colour will save you time.
4 Prep the night before
Got an important event – occasion – meeting to go to? Preparing any paperwork you need to take, pre-packing a gym bag if you’re setting off early. even laying out what you’re going to wear the night before will all help save time and effort the following day. Plus doing this 10-15 minutes the night before is often much easier than trying to gather things together in a panic or when you’re feeling a bit groggy first thing in the morning.
5 Use the Freezer
With a blender, you can create a large quantity of your favourite smoothie and separate it into serving-size freezer bags. Move a bag into the refrigerator before you go to bed and your breakfast is basically ready for the next morning. If you don’t have time to go food shopping regularly then keep your freezer well-stocked. Also, try cooking a big batch of meals at the same time such as Bolognese or Chilli to freeze them and use later.
6. Plan your week ahead
Whether you have a computer option such as google calendar or go old school with a diary giving some shape to your week will mean you are able to see at a glance when important things are going to crop up. Don’t forget social events as well, even if making a phone call is something you have been putting off, schedule a time to do it, That way you stop it clogging up your mental in-tray and wasting time deciding when to get it done.
7. To-Do lists
No matter whether you write long detailed monthly, daily, or just jot notes on the fridge the actual act of writing tasks down will often help you remember them and save you time so that these things don’t pop into your head late or even worse in the middle of the night when you’ve no chance of getting them done.
8. Prepare for Meetings
Meetings can be an excellent opportunity to brainstorm and hash out ideas. Unfortunately, they can also be a huge time waster, especially if you leave a meeting without having covered the points you wanted to make. Send out an agenda to give others the opportunity to prepare ahead of time or simply list the questions you need answering. This might even apply to going to the doctor’s as it will save you time having to make follow-up calls or additional appointments.
9. Learn to delegate
This can apply to a working environment or at home, Are there certain jobs that take you an awfully long time either because you can’t stand them or just aren’t good at them? Is there someone in your team that has a knack for something you struggle with? OK at home there may be a cost element to this say for example with laundry, but if you can spend your time more productively why not give this task out if it is onerous to you?
10. Use Mobile Apps
From managing your banking, important bills, and documents, mobile apps have changed the way we interact with the world and you can now put these tools to good use. For example, check to see if your bank has an app to keep track of transactions that way instead of continuously checking to see if you have received a payment you will know the minute it hits your account.