30 Ways to Save 10 Minutes Every Day

Time. There’s only so much of it in the day, and we all seem to need more of it. But what if there were ways to find a little more time each day? Maybe 10 minutes to at least glance at the newspaper or watch one-third of a half-hour television show? Or 10 minutes to do a little reading? Well my friends, you’re in luck. There are things you can do to save yourself 10 minutes every day. And if you use more than one of these strategies, you may even find yourself with an extra half hour. Take a look and play around with these tips until you find the ones that work for you.

1. Use Your Waiting Time Wisely
Going to a doctor’s appointment? If you love perusing those magazines from 1987, you’re in luck – or you can pack your own book, thank you cards that need to be written or bills that need to be paid and take care of those tasks during your inevitable wait.

2. Do Small Tasks in a Single Bound
You know those small little tasks that constantly rear their ugly heads (change a lightbulb, take out the trash, water the plants)? Just do it, and do it now. If you waste time adding a bunch of two minute tasks to your to-do list, you’ll waste more time organizing your list than it would take to get them done.

3. Say Sayonara to Stuff
Some people have a junk drawer. Some people have a cabinet that overflows with this and that. Other people have boxes or totes filled with a miscellaneous mess. Most of this stuff has no purpose and you wouldn’t even miss it if it was gone. So get rid of it. You’ll save time every single day when you go to find something and don’t have to wade through a bunch of clutter.



Keep your list current

4. Keep Your List Current
You’ve heard this a million times, but it bears repeating: make a list of the things you need to accomplish each day or week, and refer to it often. But don’t stop there. Each night before you go to bed, make sure your list is updated and current, so you won’t have to do it in the morning and can hit the ground running.

5. OHIO: Only Handle It Once
This principle works for mail, email, voicemail and a host of other things. Sort your mail and/or messages into three groups: items that need action (put them on your To-Do List), items to file for future reference and items to delete or recycle. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll go back and read something more carefully another time. It’s a waste of time, so just handle it now.

6. Use a Family Calendar
If you’ve got kids, you know how hectic things can get. Post a family calendar in a place that accessible to everyone, and refer to it often to keep you organized. You’ll save time by being able to see who needs to be where and when, with just a glance.

7. Clean a Little Each Day
Many of us devote big chunks of our weekends (or those hours before company arrives) to clean our homes. Instead, clean just a little each day. Besides the obvious things that have to be done each day (dishes, making beds, etc.,) choose one room to really clean each day. That way you’ll have more free time on the weekends and have far less to do before company rings the doorbell.

8. Embrace Routine
Are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of person? Well, if you’d like to find a few more minutes of time each day, stop it! Having routines in place for everyday things (such as getting kids out the door to school) is a big time-saver that you’ll come to love.



Sometimes you just have to say 'no'

9. Just Say No
It doesn’t make you mean. It doesn’t make you disagreeable. It just means you know your limits and priorities and don’t want to overextend your time commitments.

10. Master the Multitask
There are lots of ways to save time by multitasking. Watch your favorite television show while you’re on the treadmill. Phone that friend you’ve been meaning to call while you’re taking a walk or doing dishes. You’ll kill two birds with one stone and find some extra time, to boot.

11. Resist the Multitask
Yes, I know I said it’s good to multitask (above), but there are times when it’s not to your advantage, such as writing a report or doing your taxes. If a task requires a lot of concentration, it’s best to just do it with no distractions. You’ll make fewer mistakes and complete the job more quickly.

12. Don’t Procrastinate
Procrastination is a huge time waster. In fact, you may find that you spend more time coming up with excuses for not doing something than it would take to just do it in the first place.



To save time, let others help

13. Delegate
Although it’s nice to flex your superhuman powers (and remind everyone around you about them), there’s no law that says you have to do everything yourself. Get your kids or significant other to pitch in with the household chores (if you put some headphones on, the whining won’t get to you) or ask a coworker to take on part of your project. Others around you get to feel that rush of accomplishment and you save some time.

14. Clean as You Go
Cooking is great. Eating is great. But the mess that’s left after dinner isn’t so great. You’ll save time by cleaning up as you cook. Wash off that cutting board you used. Put the mixing bowls in the dishwasher while food is in the oven. You’ll be able to clean up after dinner in no time. This works well in many other areas of your life as well.

15. Add and Subtract
How many times have you wasted precious minutes (or hours) looking for that one thing you need among piles or boxes of things you never use? Yeah, me too. I’ve found that it’s helpful to adopt this principle: When you purchase something new, get rid of something old that you don’t need or use anymore. It helps keep your space organized and you’ll gain more time by not having to search for things.

16. The Early Bird Starts the Night Before
Many of us don’t like mornings. They’re usually filled with lots of mini battles and not nearly enough caffeine. You can make them go a little more smoothly and save precious minutes each morning by getting some things ready the night before. Things such as selecting clothing and pack lunches and bags can be done ahead of time. When your alarm clock goes off, you’ll be glad you did.

17. Don’t Do It
Take a long, hard look at your to-do list. Is it filled with things that keep getting moved farther and farther down, or even continually moved to different days or even weeks? If so, just take them off your list. Those tasks obviously are not that important, so quit wasting your time stressing about getting them done.

18. Bunch Up
Got lots of phone calls to make or emails to return? If you really want to save time, group similar items together and do them all at once. It really doesn’t make sense time-wise to answer an email, then return a phone call and then go back to answering an email. You’ll be more efficient if you do all of the like tasks in a bunch.

19. Use a Family Calendar



Family calendars help you save time

If you have a family and you don’t use a family calendar, you’re wasting valuable time each day. Keeping everyone’s appointments in one central location will help you see at a glance who needs to be where and when.

20. Designate a Drop Zone
No, this isn’t your target for when you parachute out of a plane. It’s the place you put your car keys, cell phone, permission slips, movies that need to be returned, and the like. And it’s the same place, every single day. This eliminates frustrating searches each day to find these things.

21. Finish what You Start
I started cleaning out my garage this weekend. Halfway through that project, I decided I should take a little break and sort through a small stack of papers on my desk. Sounds productive, right? Well, once I finished going through my papers (which was really just a procrastination tactic), I couldn’t seem to find the motivation to finish cleaning the garage. So now I’m stuck with a messy garage and a lot of regret. Plus I need to make time to finish the garage. The moral of this story? Just finish what you start.

22. Shop Off-peak Hours
Know how you like to make a quick trip to the grocery store on your way home from work? Unless it’s absolutely vital, stop it, and stop it now. You and everyone else stops after work for those one or two items, so the grocery store is usually packed. If you really want to save time, try going later at night or early in the morning.

23. Cook for an Army
There was a time when most every meal a family had was a home-cooked extravaganza. If your family is still that way, good for you! But if you’re like many people, you can barely find time to make a quick sandwich for the kids and choke down a protein bar yourself before getting everyone off to their various activities. So on those rare nights when you do have time to cook, consider cooking extra. Whether you’re grilling chicken or making a soup or stew, cooking extra and then freezing or refrigerating it can save you loads of time on those nights that are rushed.

24. Map Your Stops
Got a list of errands to run? Great! But have you taken the time to figure out what order you’ll do them in? Mapping out your route will save you both time and fuel.



Stagger wake-up times to gain a few more minutes

25. Make Wake-Up Times Work
If you have children to get ready in the morning, why not stagger their wake-up times by a few minutes? Wake older ones first, and once they’re dressed you can wake younger ones while older ones are brushing their teeth, etc. If you plan it just right, everyone can be ready for breakfast at the same time. You may have to experiment a little to find the schedule that works best for you and your children.

26. Get a Breakfast Plan
Let’s face it – mornings are hectic, but everyone still needs to eat. Calm the commotion a little by planning your breakfasts the night before, so breakfast will just be automatic. You can get everyone’s input the night before or just make an executive decision. Either way, you won’t waste time deciding in the morning.

27. Limit Choices
When it comes to things such as choosing snacks or getting dressed, don’t give your children too many options. If you do, it will take them much longer to make a decision. To save time, keep their choices limited. For clothing, set out two outfits for them to choose from. The same principle works for snacks, choosing activities and many other things.

28. Keep an ‘Emergency Kit’ in Your Car
Besides the usual emergency kit (flashlight, blanket, flares, first aid supplies, etc.,), keep a box or bag in your car filled with snacks, bottled water, bug spray, sunscreen, travel games and other similar supplies. On days when you’re pressed for time, you won’t have to take extra time to pack a bag for your child’s sporting event.

29. Know Where Your Numbers Are
Keep important phone numbers in one central place. This eliminates the need to frantically search several locations to find what you need.

30. Use Paper Plates
Having a big gathering? Or maybe you’re just really pinched for time. If that’s the case, use paper plates at mealtime. No one will object, you’ll save time by not having to do so many dishes, and you can even find recyclable ones.

Tagged as: organization, Time Management, time management tools, to do list