Stop wasting time! 10 Terrific time-savers

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Like most women, you’re probably juggling many balls at once. Most likely you have a job, whether it’s inside or outside the home, as well as volunteer and family-related responsibilities. You might also have a spouse or significant other to attend to; kids to care for; a household to run (and clean!); cats to feed... The list goes on, and on.

The problem is, with 24 hours in a day, eight or more of which are spent in your pajamas, it’s possible – no, make that probable – that you’re not accomplishing as much as you’d like. Chances are, you feel as if there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

But 24 hours is actually a lot of time. The reason why it doesn’t feel like much is that, quite simply, a huge amount of this time is wasted. Squandered, pilfered and frittered away. And before you know it – Poof! – the day is over. Your bed is still unmade; your errands are still undone; your emails are still unanswered, and you’re left there wondering, “Where did the time go?”

The good news is, help is on the way. Below, you’ll find 10 ways to grab your time back, before it slips through your fingers once again (and again, and again)…

--> 1. Make a list, and check it twice.

Buy bread. Replace the heels on your favorite pumps. Fill up the gas tank. Get a mammogram… the list seems endless. How can a person possibly remember all this stuff long enough to actually accomplish it? Simple: Write it down.

Most time-efficiency experts agree: In order to keep on top of things, you need to have a clear, detailed to-do list, to help manage your tasks and declutter your brain. Think about it: If you write things down, each task that needs to be accomplished is no longer a nagging thought in the back of your mind, competing for your attention and wasting your time. Instead, it’s right there in black and white, waiting to be taken care of. If you’re a techie type, check out MyLife Organized, a nifty task-management software program that helps you to prioritize your work and personal projects. For Windows and PocketPC; $46 at http://www.mylifeorganized.net. Later, if you feel like rewarding yourself for a job well done, go for it. You deserve it!

--> 2. Resist the urge to hit the snooze button.

Sure, puttering around the house in your PJs is awfully nice, but blowing the most valuable part of the day, the early-morning hours, is more than a waste of time: It’s counterproductive. Studies have shown that the early-morning hours are, in fact, the most productive hours of the entire day. If you start your around-the-house activities or get to the office a half an hour earlier, say, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. (And don’t forget to tackle your highest-priority projects first, when your brain is at its sharpest.)

--> 3. Multi-tisket, multitask it...

Trying to juggle 10 balls at once is hard, because, ultimately, you’re bound to drop one or two (or all of them!) at any given moment. At the same time, who says you can’t juggle two, or even three if you feel like it? There’s nothing wrong with chatting on the phone with a girlfriend while pasting photos into a scrapbook or photo album, for instance. Or how about folding laundry, ironing or walking on the treadmill while listening to a book-on-tape or the news on your iPod? As long as you’re not trying to accomplish something that requires your concentrated or undivided attention (i.e., writing your dissertation; reading War and Peace; chopping wood), you should be able to handle it.

--> 4. Put yourself on a schedule.

You know the saying, “If you want something done, give it to the busiest person you know”? Well, there’s a reason for that. Most busy people are on a tight schedule. They know that they have a specific amount of time to get something done, so they don’t dilly-dally or waste time. They buckle down and do what needs to be done. If you know that you have only two hours to accomplish a certain task, for instance, you’re more likely to focus on the task at hand and get it done in a speedy, time-efficient manner. In fact, the more time you have to do something, the longer you’re likely to spend doing it (read: all day!) If you’d like to see where your time’s really going, check out TaskCapture, a software program that monitors how long you spend working on files. For Windows and Mac; $79 at [http://www.captureworks.com/taskcapture]. Still not sure? Download a free, 15-day demo.

--> 5. Don’t be a Martha!

With so much going on – emails to answer; calls to make; lunches to pack; clothes to launder; gifts to buy; meetings to attend – keeping your head above water can feel like a Herculean task. One way to handle this stressed-out, overwhelmed feeling is to focus on the big picture and cut yourself some serious slack. For instance, if you need to bake 24 cupcakes for your daughter’s kindergarten class, don’t worry about decorating each one with a perfect little buttercream rosette. You’re not Martha Stewart! The cupcakes will taste just as yummy rosette-free, and no one will notice the difference. The less pressure you place on yourself, the more time you’ll have to stop and smell the roses (or the cupcakes, as the case may be…).

--> 6. Learn how to delegate.

If you’re one of those “If-you-want-something-done-right, do-it-yourself” kind of gals, well… get over it! Like any new skill, accepting help can take time to learn. But once you do it, you’ll be surprised at how good it feels to cede control to others.

Therefore, instead of trying to do it all, superhero-style, ask for help. If you’re the one in your household who usually cooks and serves dinner, clears the table and then washes up afterwards, try this: Have your kids or spouse set the table, or chop and peel vegetables. Have them clear, wash up and take the garbage out. Make your requests known, and your expectations clear. Once you’re in the habit of asking others to pitch in, you’ll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish (or, if you feel like, indulge in some well deserved time to yourself). Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

--> 7. Get more sleep.

As counterintuitive as this may sound, getting more shut-eye actually allows a person to enjoy more waking hours in a day. The reason is simple: people who don’t get enough sleep at night tend to feel cranky, fuzzy, unmotivated and unproductive during the day. And not only are cranky, fuzzy, unmotivated and unproductive people not a lot of fun to be around, they end up wasting gobs of time because they’re too tired to focus – or even function! (Why do you think sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, anyway?) The moral of this story? Get at least seven hours of sleep (eight is better), and don’t feel guilty for hitting the hay early. You deserve a good night’s rest.

--> 8. Step out of line!

Lots of precious time is wasted in the check-out line. In the supermarket; at the post office; the bakery; the bank. Basically, anywhere that you can find a cash register, you’ll find a line. It will be long, and it won’t move. And if it does move, it will move slowly. Very, very s l o w l y. Plus, not only is waiting in line more tedious than watching paint dry, it’s a complete and utter waste of time. Time that could be spent engaged in other, more meaningful activities. One way to avoid these time-sapping lines is by ordering as much as humanly possible – from bananas to bicycles; nail polish to novels; violins to Volvos – online. Buying in bulk helps too (think: toilet paper; diapers; bottled water, etc). The bottom line? One less trip to the store is one less time-waster for you.

--> 9. Block temptations.

As wondrous as the Internet is – and it is! It is! – it is also the greatest time-waster on earth. (Case in point: How many times have you bid on useless junk on eBay, or Googled hapless ex-boyfriends? And let’s not forget about PerezHilton.com!) Now, that’s not to pooh-pooh technology. It’s great, and you can’t stop the steady march of progress. But unless we keep our baser technological impulses in check, well, Houston…we’ve got a problem. Email is a perfect example. They suck up more time than an Electrolux. So, instead of clicking on each new message that bounces into your in-box, check your emails once per hour (or half hour, if you are truly addicted). If demonstrating this kind of restraint feels too difficult or downright impossible, you can always block your computer from certain programs – such as pesky emails – for a set period of time. For Windows only, try a free download at http://www.sourceforge.net/projects/temptblocker.

--> 10. Keep it in perspective.

Of course, keeping lists, multitasking, scheduling, delegating and buying in bulk isn’t for all of us. Like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, some can do it effortlessly while others find it impossibly hard. If you fall into the latter category, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, accept the fact that you, like everyone else, have your limitations, and be kind to yourself. You might also find that having your own system of doing things works best for you. If that’s the case, be inventive. Create your own time-saving devices, and celebrate the fact that you’ve discovered something new. Oh, and don’t forget to share!

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