11 Time-Saving Techniques to get the Best out of your Busy Schedule
Following my list of 6 common pitfalls when taking up a hobby I thought it's best I elaborate a bit on the time issue.
Studying while maintaining my day job has been such a lesson in making every minute count. Last year I was studying two part-time courses alongside a 37-hour work week, while flat-hunting and moving to another part of the country.
The fact that I didn't have a nervous breakdown should be proof that I know what I'm talking about. So, here's a list of some of the main time management techniques I have adopted over time.
1 Have your routines
This one should be self-explanatory. If you do something always at the same time, or always the same way you'll get quicker and waste less energy thinking about it. Unless you're on the run from the FBI predictability is a good thing.
If you have set days for household activities, such as laundry or grocery shopping you tend to get it done faster. E.g. you can test when the queues at the supermarket are shortest and stick to that.
You could have a wardrobe set for every day of the week, so you waste no time in front of your closet in the morning. Pretty much everything you’re doing regularly can become a fixed routine, from bathing to shopping to working out.
You can find a couple more fun tips on this topic in a post written by fellow bloggers Alex and Lauren from Create and Go, whose “hobby” at the time turned into a full-time blogging business.
2 Make sacrifices
Yes, we all have things we'd do if we had the time, or things we are used to doing because we used to have the time. But if you find you're constantly running short, some of them might have to make way.
When you cook, try simpler recipes that don’t take as long. Possibly also limit your choice. I now have less than ten recipes in my repertoire, all of which I really like and that are quick to make.
This "restriction" also leads to a relatively fixed grocery shopping list. Which means I don't need to spend time thinking about what I want to buy or search for it on the shelves. Naturally I also have days off where I might cook something more elaborate or order takeout.
You need never finish a dull book or film just because you’ve started it, or paid for it. Your time is too valuable. If you’re five chapters in but still kind of bored, throw it out. And don’t start it in the first place if you’re not very excited about it.
Not every book needs to be read and not every TV show needs to be watched, even if everyone is talking about it.
Never finish a dull book or film just because you’ve started it, or paid for it.
If you find that there are just never enough hours in the day it might be time to evaluate all you do during the week and see where you can cut something out (without making yourself miserable) or where you can simplify.
3 Hasten responsibilities
There are tasks during the week that you simply have to do. Things like cleaning, cooking, washing your hair and so on. The trick here is simple. Pick a normal week and try to pay attention to all you're doing that falls into this category and honestly evaluate if there might not be a way to do it quicker.
I'm not saying run around like a cat on speed and fall over your own legs just to save a few minutes. But quite often, especially during menial tasks, our minds drift off and we don't realise that we're moving almost in slow motion.
The prime example here is showering. In most cases cutting that down by a few minutes will get you just as clean and save you money in the process.
You can buy shirts that need less pressing, or put your hair up with a clip, instead of braiding it elaborately. You can wash your pots and dishes the moment you’re done with them, before they start to crust.
If you now think "those five minutes aren't gonna make a difference" I dare you to sit quietly and just look at a clock for the same amount of time. You wouldn't believe how long five minutes can be.
4 Use unused time
It's about those few minutes you're waiting for the train, walking to the shops, or brushing your teeth.
Any time you're not actively doing something, or are doing something that doesn't need your undivided attention. Because there's quite a lot you can actually get done if you move some other tasks to those slots as well. And all those precious minutes add up to make a difference.
You might not be able knit a jumper while you're shaving, or cook dinner when your train is late. But you sure can write the grocery shopping list or read that article you’ve been meaning to for days.
You can listen to audiobooks or podcasts when you’re walking anywhere, and clean the shower when you’re in it, waiting for the conditioner to do its magic. You can use your lunch break at work for online-banking or buying groceries.
You can collect everything you can work in at other times, be it on a tray or bookmarked on your phone, and just grab one whenever there’s an opportunity.
5 Tackle your weak spot
Oh, how I curse the day I discovered that you can watch Netflix in bed on your mobile. It's so easy to waste an hour or two while cuddled up in your feather duvet, waiting to get sleepy.
But as long as I know I have some discipline issues in that regard there’s plenty I can do about it. I can go to bed earlier, or I can use an app that turns my phone off when it's time to sleep, for example.
Whatever your weak spot, find a way to deal with it. If you have trouble staying away from the snooze button in the morning, set the alarm for earlier. Or later, when you absolutely have to get up. Or try one of those alarms that don't turn off unless you solve a puzzle.
Do whatever it takes to cut down on time you know you're wasting. And if nothing else helps, sometimes you just gotta give yourself a really good talking to.
6 Implement more audio
Good headphones let you listen to audiobooks while hoovering; or even in the shower, if you're not washing your hair that day. It’s a great way to get some reading in if you’re otherwise too busy.
Even better, most mobile phones offer free apps to record your own voice, which is just about perfect for anything you may want to read/listen to repeatedly, such as vocabulary when you’re learning a new language.
Those headphones need not be expensive either, you can get simple Bluetooth headphones for under £30 and they work just fine.
7 Get some help
With pretty much everyone now owning a mobile phone this opens up the vast world of helper-apps for you to dip into. There are countless options out there for some time-management support, free and paid.
For example, the forest app is the cutest little gadget to help you concentrate on a task if you often get side-tracked. All you need to do is plant a tiny tree and set a countdown. If you check for anything else on your phone the tree will die.
I’m no affiliate of theirs, so I don’t get any money for telling you about the app. I just genuinely think it’s neat.
While not everyone’s worst enemy to concentration is their phone, it does make for a good incentive either way, as long as you don't cheat yourself. You can use it for everything, from studying to working through your to-do list to dinner with friends.
The creators have also partnered with Trees for the Future, a non-profit organisation, so you can use the coins you earn in the game to “pay” for the planting of real trees around the world. The free version has all necessary features, but you need the paid version (£2) to request real-life trees.
8 Have projects, not hobbies
This one is oh so important if, like me, you like to obsess over things, or if you're simply starting a naturally addictive activity.
Games are the main offender, of course. Be it your online World of Warcraft or your mobile solitaire, they are, quite literally, designed to get you hooked. Well-written books are also in that category, and so are certain TV shows, especially if episodes often end on a cliffhanger.
Unless you're one of the lucky few who have the self-control to go to bed without knowing how Sherlock could have possibly survived the fall from that hospital roof, you're going to have to find a way to limit yourself, but without limiting yourself.
I dare you to sit quietly and just look at a clock. You wouldn’t believe how long five minutes can be.
Regular intervals during the week, such as an hour per day, make you much more likely to overrun the time you've allocated for the activity ("just one more chapter...") and the guilt and stress to make up that time will cancel out any enjoyment you've had from it.
Instead, do these things in blocks, rather than continuously. Put them on a list and save them for a week of 'all fun and games' at a (quiet) time of your choosing, once every few months or so.
The week between Christmas and New Year for example, or your summer vacation. Looking at these activities as projects that have a beginning and an end (e.g. “knitting a pair of gloves”, “watching season 5”) is the way to go.
9 Find some time to waste
(aka “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”)
There's absolutely nothing wrong with occasionally doing whatever you want whenever you want. In fact, it's quite beneficial to break the rhythm sometimes. It gets things out of your system before they start distracting you.
It’s like when you try to stop eating sweets for a while and end up sitting in kitchen, at midnight, devouring half a jar of almond butter.
At regular intervals or whenever you've finished a big project, take some time off and do whatever you'd usually feel guilty about. No matter how senseless, unprofitable or time-intensive.
Hike that week-long trail, level up your online game until your wrists cramp, knit that ugly Christmas jumper just because it’d be funny for the office party.
10 Don’t always ‘do it now’
"If it takes less than five minutes do it now" is a great rule but don't use it as an excuse to interrupt other tasks you're not keen on. Basically, don't stop writing that assignment you dread in order to get your meter reading.
11 Don’t fall for cliffhangers
A lot of TV shows and books tend to end their episodes orchapters on cliffhangers, to entice viewers/readers to continue immediately. If you don’t have time to binge the entire thing but you also don’t want to spend the next 24 hours thinking about how the storyline might continue, there’s a trick.
Stop reading/watching somewhere in the middle, preferably during a relatively slow scene. This way you'll be less tempted to go down the "just one more chapter"-road.
You'll also be able to sleep better (or concentrate at work) and when you eventually continue reading the slow scene gives you a moment to ease yourself back, rather than throwing you into the utter chaos of last night's cliffhanger. It's a win-win.
All in all, there's just no end to the possibilities and if you put your mind to it you'll be amazed how much time you can free up for whatever is worth it. Be strict but don't make yourself miserable.
Most of all, be creative with it. Everyone has their own rhythm and if you pay a little attention to yours, in time, you'll find whatever works best for you.
You can find an excellent productivity course and other things to try on my Recommended Resources page.
Did you enjoy this article or feel like you have anything else to add? Feel free to leave me a comment below!
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