Contributed post
Whether you are an employee looking to make a little cash online, a small business owner, or a blogger trying to make money from something that you love, it takes time. You need time to commit to money-making ventures, and to find ways to fit in your everyday life, while also getting plenty of sleep, exercise and chances to relax. That’s a lot to do, and not much time to do it. It would be much simpler to just stick to a 9-5, but that’s not always enough, financially or in terms of what you want from your life. To make more money, you need more time. Or, you need to find ways to do more, in less time. This is by no means impossible. There are plenty of fantastic ways to save time in your day-to-day life. Here is a look at some of the best.
Start the Day Right
Getting a good start to your day can make all the difference. Some days, you get up on the wrong side of the bed. The kids are a nightmare or something breaks, you leave for school or work late. You get stuck in traffic or miss your bus. Then you break your shoe running to catch up. You miss breakfast or an important morning meeting. You’re late for lunch and don’t get the time to enjoy your meal. You then spend the afternoon fighting indigestion. You are in a bad mood, and you make all of the wrong decisions. Just because your day didn’t start quite right.
Getting into a good morning routine can make all of the difference to your day. First, try to get up at the same time every day. You’ll body will get used to it, and soon you’ll be waking up before your alarm, slowly, without the sudden, annoying shock.
Then, avoid your phone. Checking your phone first thing in the morning, before you’ve even gotten out of bed, gives it a huge power over your mood. Ignore it until after breakfast unless it’s something important. Instead, do some gentle stretches or go for a run before having a quick shower. This will give you a morning kick-start. Boosting your circulation, confidence and mood, as well as stretching out your limbs and straightening your spine.
Make sure you have a filling and healthy breakfast, like oats or eggs and a cup of coffee. It’s also a good idea to write a to-do list for the day. Write down everything you need to do and give each a little thought. This way you know what you’re doing all day and can organize your time better.
Save Time at Work
Whether you work for someone else, or yourself, you are bound to have specific tasks for each day. They should already be on your to-do list. But, it’s a good idea also to break it down. Give each task its own to-do list. Break down everything you need to do and give it a time-frame. Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. So, if you’ve got tasks with no specific time frame, they’ll take all day, or longer to complete. If you give yourself a realistic deadline, say 20 minutes to read and reply to your emails, you’ll get it done. Just make sure you are realistic.
Do this with meetings too. If you’ve got a meeting scheduled for 10 am, with no end time, it will drag on and on. If you say 10-10:30, you’ll get everything said and sorted in that time frame, freeing up your day immensely.
There are also tools that you can use to get more done in less time during your working day. Sling Employee Scheduling Software can make completing your employee schedules much easier and less time-consuming. Apps can also be used to make sure everyone has the same information. Programs like Evernote are useful if you work from different locations or on different devices, and a Dropbox account is a good idea if you need to frequently share work with other members of your team. Generally, saving to the cloud, instead of printing can save time.
Take Breaks
Taking breaks to get things done faster? Sounds crazy, right? But it can work effectively as long as you manage it well. The Pomodoro technique of working for 25 minutes, before taking a 5-minute break works very well for some. Especially if you team it with Parkinson’s Law, and complete a task within 25 minutes before rewarding yourself with a 5-minute snack, a quick walk, texting your friends or scrolling through social media.
But, while this can be great if you work from home, or run your own business, it isn’t always possible when you are an employee. It is worth trying though. Even if you can’t take an official break, you could slow down for five minutes. For most of us, 25 minutes is the amount of time we can give something our full focus and attention before we start to lose concentration or drift. You could find that by slipping these two five minute breaks into every hour, you actually keep your focus and get a lot more done in the same amount of time.
If this isn’t practical or doesn’t work for you, try to have one short morning and afternoon coffee break at least. This gives you a chance to catch up with office gossip, stretch your legs and change your focus. These short breaks reduce procrastination and can even improve your circulation and posture if you have a desk job.
Dictate
Most of us have a smartphone. Use it. Dictate your to-do list or an assignment while you are getting dressed or getting the kids ready. Dictate that blog post you’ve been meaning to write while you are cooking tea, or use Siri to add appointments to your diary. Use your phone to help you get things done handsfree.
Reward Yourself
We spend so much of our lives focusing on the negatives and denying ourselves. We dwell on things we’ve done wrong. We cut what we love from our diets in an attempt to lose weight, or we stop buying ourselves treats in an attempt to save money. Well, sometimes you need a treat. Sometimes a little reward will motivate you to complete that to-do list and get everything done. Give yourself a square of chocolate for everything you tick off or let yourself have something else that you love.
Get an Early Night
Many of us regularly stay up late at night trying to get that last job done or getting a head start on tomorrow’s jobs. But, if you manage your time properly and work faster, there’s no need. Staying up too late means you are more likely to struggle to get a good night’s sleep, and that you’ll be tired all of the day after. This means that you won’t be able to work to your best. Stop work at a sensible time, spend the evening relaxing and unwinding, go to bed early and get a great night’s sleep. Then you’ll be able to work to your best the next day.
Say No
We struggle to say no. We want to please people, so we say yes to anything asked of us. Learning to say no, means you’ve got more time for the things that are important to you. Whether that’s making money, or taking some time off to rest.
You’re never going to get that sort after extra hour in the day. But, you can spend your time working smarter, to get more done in the same amount of time. Giving you more chance to earn money and be successful, in your job, business or home life.