Get more time in your day

Many of us feel that we’re too busy in our lives to do the things we really want to do. It’s pretty simple though to free up time if you’re mindful of your planning and schedules.

1. Learn to say no
   It’s important to learn to say no thanks to things and events you don’t really want to do and attend. If you have a tendency to say yes to everything you’re asked, it’s very hard to find time to do the things you really want. Discover what’s important for you to do and say no to those things which aren’t a priority.
2. Delegate work
   By handling over tasks to other people you will have more time to do what you really enjoy doing. We are many who find it hard to hand over chores to others in our household, but it’s essential for our well-being that we learn to let go. Even if they’re not quite as good at doing it as ourselves. Let the husband do the laundry once in a while, let big children make dinner, allow a friend to do some shopping for you. By not having to do everything yourself, you’ll find yourself with extra time. If this doesn’t work, consider hiring a house-cleaner to come clean once a week while you do something you truly enjoy.
3. Plan the day
   By planning and scheduling you’ll suddenly find yourself finished much quicker. Spend a bit of time every morning planning how to do the tasks and chores of the day and you’ll not find yourself wasting precious time by having to remember what to do next. Of course, make sure you don’t pack your schedule and leave room for unexpected things.
4. Spend time on important things
   Define what’s important in your life and spend your time on that. If it’s not important to you to chat to the cashier at the bakery for half an hour every day, then don’t do it. Instead spend the time talking to someone who means a lot to you. When you define your values and life-goals and know what it is you want out of life, then it becomes easy to determine if that appointment is something that truly matters.
5. Combine things
   If there are several things you want to do, but don’t have time to, see if you can’t do them at the same time. Exercise with friends so you can catch up and be social while you work out. Invite your children to help out with chores at home so you get to spend time together and talk about the day. Use commuting time to catch up on book-reading or learning a new language; audio-books and pod-casts are good while in the car.
6. Stop trying to be perfect
   Many try too hard to be perfect and do things perfectly. There’s a saying that you spend 20% time on doing 80% of the work. Does the house need to be sparkling clean? Do you need to iron the underwear? Does the garden have to be the prettiest in the neighbourhood? Think about what truly matters and just spend time on the important things and leave the rest be.
7. Turn of television and computers
   Many hours are spent every day on watching television or surfing the web. Do you really need to watch every news show in an evening? Does that reality show really contribute to your life? Is it necessary to see the film tonight? Do you really need to read all the status updates on Facebook? You can free a lot of extra time by cutting down on TV and computer use. Time you could spend on the things you’ve defined as important in your life.

Source and inspiration:
http://www.alive.dk/Nyheder/Samfund/2011-33-Saadan-faar-du-to-timer-ekstra-om-dagen.aspx?referer=jp&aid=2516514&sid=2189 based on the book by Dorthe Rindbo “Travle Kvinders guide til mere tid” (Busy women’s guide to more time).