Ways To Save You Time

Do you want more time for fun, but are bogged down by mundane household tasks? Try these tips to save time.

1. Focus on the job. The other day I was cleaning out a closet and became distracted by my family photo albums and a box of old letters dating back to the sixties. I was in the closet for 3 hours!

2. Bank online. This is great and so easy. Ask your bank to set you up for this service. You can pay your bills online, instead of wasting time at the bank or by mailing your payments.

3. Use the ATM. How many times do you find yourself short of cash? Why stand in line at the bank? Use your bankcard to get cash from your account from the bank machine. You can also make deposits and pay for articles at a store with your bankcard. Customer service at the bank will give you all the necessary information to do this.

4. Many companies offer direct deposit of your paycheck into your bank account. Take advantage of this and you'll limit your visits to the bank. This also works for government checks that you receive regularly.

5. Be the first appointment of the day. When making a medical, dental, barber or beauty salon appointment, request to be the first one seen. In that way, you won't have to wait a long time in case the office or place of business is off-schedule.

6. Are you fed up spending too much time waiting for a service-related visit to your house? When calling for a plumber, handyman or other service-related requirements, ask them if they will be at your place morning or afternoon so that way you don't have to stay at home in the morning if your appointment won't be until later that day.

7. Use a cordless or speakerphone. When waiting on hold while on the phone, you can do other things: fold laundry, iron, read the newspaper or dust.

8. Put house or car keys in the same place every time you enter your home. I used to waste time looking for my keys. Now, I put them on a hook that's on the wall next to the front door.

9. Communicate by e-mail. Want to notify your friends about an up-coming event? Use e-mail and you'll save a lot of time calling each person. This also applies when contacting businesses. Instead of waiting on hold, e-mail the company.

10. Save time preparing your meals. Buy a food processor. Less time will be spent on food preparation. Think of simple recipes. Years ago, I made  pasta sauce with meat from scratch. Now, I buy a good quality, ready-made tomato sauce and add a few ingredients, such as herbs and vegetables. I not only save time, it's also healthier.

11. Plan your meals ahead of time. Do not wait until the last minute to decide what you'll eat for dinner. You can plan a weekly menu.

12. Make a much larger portion of food. You can have it the next night or freeze it for other times when you're in a hurry.

13. Shop online. Practically anything is available online. You can comparison shop and order online to save time and in many cases save money as well.

14. Do all errands at the same time. Fill-up at the gas station, return library book, do grocery shopping and whatever needs to be done.

15. Going grocery shopping. Be prepared with a list of what you need. Once in a while, I don't do this and realize on my way home from the supermarket that I forgot to buy an item.

16. Buy non-perishables in bulk such as cleaning products, canned goods or paper products. This only works if you have enough space to store them.

17. Put cleaning products in different places in your home. If you have more than one bathroom, leave bathroom cleaning products in all of them. Same thing if you live in a multi-level home. Store them on each floor. Inthat way, you don't have to run back and forth each time you need a cleaning product.

18. Don't clutter. Get rid of all those newspapers, magazines and papers that you don't need and it will be easier to keep your place neat.

19. Sort your mail. Place bills in one place. Throw out junk mail and put personal mail in another spot. It will be easier for bill payment time.

20. Give a gift certificate. Instead of racking your brain about what gift to give, consider a gift certificate. It can be purchased quickly without looking around shopping malls for the perfect gift.

21. Have a large yard to take care of? Hire a student to mow the lawn.

22. Keep track of appointments and important occasions. Either write them in a daily planner or use a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) for time management.

23. Put your receipts, warranties and user manuals in the same drawer. Need the receipt and warranty of the printer you bought a few months ago? You know where it is.

24. Have your dry-cleaning or laundry picked up and delivered. Some cleaning services do this.

25. Planning to go shopping. Avoid peak times. Some businesses are now open twenty-four hours.

26. Lastly, had a hectic day and the refrigerator is empty, order in. Keep things in perspective. Nobody's perfect.