Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Jennifer Snelling

 

Most people make ambitious plans for the New Year including the old standards like getting healthy, organized, or improving themselves as a person.  As the New Year comes in and we’re focusing on our enthusiastic new goals for our lives, it’s easy to forget about the little things that could immediately make our days go smoothly and, in turn, make it more convenient to attain even our loftiest aspirations. 

 

It’s the one thing that could help us all – goals or not – more time.

 

Here are ten easy time-saving tips I’ve picked up that bring more convenience and ease to life.

 

1.  Basket-Case

Baskets are a beautiful and useful way to decorate your house, but they can also save you time.  Baskets provide you with the “place” for “everything in its place” so that when you need something, you know exactly where it is and can simply get it out or pick it up instead of having to hunt or dig.  My favorite use for baskets in my home is the place where we drop our keys.  It is on the way to the door, so as we leave we always know where the keys are and can just grab them.  There is also a flat, open basket nearby where we drop things we often take with us like ink pens and sunglasses.

 

2.  Attire

When I was younger, I never followed my mother’s advice when she said I should decide what I was going to wear to school the night before.  I now know from experience that if I spend a few minutes before bed – even at the expense of going to bed five or ten minutes later – deciding what shirt, pants, or accessories I’m going to wear; the next morning goes smoother and starts the day out right.  If something needs ironing, go ahead and take care of it so that you don’t have the opportunity to change your mind and have to come up with a new plan the next morning.  If you’d like to wear something seasonal that you haven’t tried on in a while, go ahead and try the outfit on quickly to make sure everything fits and goes together.

 

3. Map It Out

When you need to pick something up from the store, think about it before you go.  Remind yourself what part of the store that item might be found in so that you can go right in and pick it up and not spend a lot of your precious time browsing or shopping around.  If you have multiple items – like groceries – try to pick things up in order, from one side of the store to the other, so you don’t end up running back and forth.  Likewise, if you have more than one stop to make while traveling or commuting, plan a path of stops that starts at point A and goes to point B or comes full circle.

 

4. Take Notes

For a while, my boyfriend’s brother carried around a small notebook that he jokingly called his “palm” and used to write down things he needed to remember later for easy reference.  It was basically his home-made personal organizer, and it was a great and inspiring idea.  A small notebook is perfect for making quick notes of reminders, facts, appointments, phone numbers, and financial notes for quick reference or to enter in their proper place later on.  Once you’ve recorded the information in your address book or calendar, or used the information, simply rip the pages out!

 

5. Plan Ahead!

You may know exactly what you need to do each day, but it does a world of wonder to look at it on paper.  You can be as detailed or as open as you want - just put the day in perspective.  Simply write down the hours you are at work and the times you’d like to do other things that day, or go into the specifics of how much time you’d like to spend eating breakfast, cleaning the living room, answering email, etc.  After you see your schedule on paper, you may find that there are places you need to cut current activities short, and you may find time to work new projects in like playing with your children or fixing that loose cabinet door.

 

6. Eye on the Time

If you are a person who has to commute to work or even travel at all during the day, pay attention to the time in which you travel compared to everyone else in the world.  I used to live in a very small town and while it usually took ten minutes to drive to my workplace in the next town, it inevitably took 15 or 20 minutes in the morning when I actually had to drive it and when time really mattered.  Being late is stressful and certainly frustrating, which is not a good way to start a new day or any encounter with another person.  Sometimes, saving yourself that extra ten minutes or more of drive-time is just a matter of missing or beating the traffic by leaving a little bit earlier or reworking your schedule to accommodate a better time for travel.  Plus, getting someplace earlier gives you time to think or simply take a deep breath before jumping into the next project.

 

7. No Jumping In the House

If you find yourself jumping from project to project and never finishing anything, or walking back and forth from room to room while working, you should definitely consider giving yourself a few more minutes and less frustration by reorganizing or using what chefs call “mise en place” (“everything in its place”).  This basically means prep work.  Make sure you have all your supplies, tools, equipment, or ingredients ready to go before you begin.  Keep your tools or supplies in a toolbox or basket that can be easily stored and then pulled out and moved to the location where you need it.  Better yet, if possible, keep them stored near the place where you usually work.

 

8. Or… Don’t Reorganize

Wanting to organize is an admirable goal, but there is a difference between organizing and RE-organizing.  My mother reorganizes her kitchen twice a year in hopes of actually organizing, but she is the only one who knows where to find anything.  In some cases, it might actually be a better idea to consider leaving well enough alone in favor of saving time.  This goes for everything from your kitchen to your closets to your desk.  If you have a system that seems to work, and you know where to find everything, you might actually be better off keeping your current arrangement.

 

9. No Television until Your Homework’s Done

Many homes are accustomed to having a television as an active part of the environment, but television can be very distracting.  You may think it is just in the background, but television programs and commercials are specifically designed to grab your attention and draw you in.  Something as innocent as walking by the TV can make you pause for a moment and end up lost for several minutes.  Consider changing the channel to a music station or using a radio instead, if you have to have something going on in the background.  If turning of the television isn’t an option, just find a different room and avoid paying attention to it however you can.

 

10. Appreciate the Moment

Appreciating every moment of the day, especially the free moments, family and recreation time can leave you feeling satisfied and accomplished.  That contented feeling can refresh you for whatever is coming up and clear your mind for better planning and use of your time.  Stopping to smell the flowers only takes a few moments, but can put a smile on your face and motivate you for hours.  Take time to make time.

 

“Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever…”
-Isak Dinesen

 

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
-John Wesley

 

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