We are all busy. At times, you may feel like you meet yourself coming and going. The way to try to prevent this from happening is be more efficient with your time. Doing so gives you the opportunity to truly enjoy your life (without worry that it is passing you by).
One way to do this is to just do small things which can add up to a lot of weekly time saved. It may take some getting use to, but once you make these changes, you will wonder why you didn’t do them sooner!
1. Place additional trash bags in the bottom of your trash can
As you pull out a full bag, you will find a fresh one at the bottom of the bin. Usually try to add 4 – 5 bags at time, which means you have to get bags out just once a month.
Read More: 16 Natural Cleaners to Use in Your Home
2. Get ready for the morning the evening before
Set out your clothes (and your kids’ clothes) the night before. You’ll get a jump on your morning and won’t have your kids standing there, staring at their closet, wondering what in the world to wear to school.
Get the backpacks, shoes and coats ready by placing them by the door. Make sure to clean out old papers, sign forms and have things ready to go. You can even place non-perishables in your lunch bag/box, so you only have to add those items from the refrigerator in the morning – but go ahead and have them ready to go so you can grab them.
Set out the cereal bowls, spoons and other items you’ll need for your morning breakfast. You can even set out the bread, or other items you’ll need to prepare your morning meal.
Read More: How to Ease Into a Back to School Routine
3. Presort your laundry
Set up bins for each type of load you need to wash. Then, when items come into the laundry room (or area), they are instantly sorted. Then when it is time to wash the clothes, it is as simple as grabbing the items from a single bin.
Read More: Bringing New Life to Stinky Towels
4. Plan your meals
I sometimes feel like a broken record when I share this tip, but it really does save you time (and money). By having a menu plan in place, you already know what you’ll be making for dinner (as does your family). You can try a service such as $5 menu plan to help you learn how to better plan your meals.
Learn More: How to Create a Menu Plan to Save Time and Money
5. Send out all birthday and anniversary cards once a month
Rather than worry about missing an important date, prepare all of your cards at the beginning of each month and mail them out. I know I’d rather get a card 3 weeks early than not get one at all!
6. Keep your shopping list on your refrigerator (or other handy location)
As you run out of an item, you can write it down on your shopping list. You won’t forget to add it to your list the next time you go to the store. Not only that, you only have to add those few items you need for your meals and snacks, making for quick prep of your list.
7. Make a list of items you are donating and place them in a box as you do so
When you make donations, most will receive a receipt for donations, which you need for tax purposes. As you clean out your cabinet or closet, make a list of the items and then put them instantly into a box, ready to be donated when it is full.
8. Use online filters or apps
There are great apps out there which can help cut down on the email clutter, which wastes your time. One of them is If This Then That – which you can use to automatically respond, file or address emails as they hit your inbox.
Read More: The Organizing Apps You Need
9. Use a Social Media Timer
It is so easy to get sucked into the social media vortex. You might sit down to check in for five minutes and before you know it, an hour has passed. Set a timer to limit your online time. Knowing you only have a few minutes helps ensure you are being more efficient when checking in.
10. Try to limit your daily tasks to 5 or 6 items
Each evening, after my kids are in bed, I make my to do list for the following day. I make sure that I list around 5 items I know I must get done. Then, as I work during the day, if something else comes up, it goes onto the next day’s list. If, when I am done with my list, I find I have more time left to work, I will go ahead and start to work ahead on the next day’s list.
By doing this, I always end my day knowing I completed the items I needed to without the stress of what I didn’t get done hanging over my head.
Read More: Creating a To Do List to Manage Your Day
What other time saving tips do you have to add to this list?