Category: Family

In the pursuit of finding “the good life,” we often find ourselves busy. And while some busyness is good–it’s great when you get to do things that you love–how often are we just plain busy for no good reason? If you want to find more time in the day for the things that truly matter to you, then it’s time to take action against these five things you are wasting your life on. After all, the less time you waste, the more time you have for the things that truly matter.

1. Games on Your Phone

How many minutes (or hours?) do you spend playing games on your phone each day? Even if it is just a few minutes here and there while you are waiting, chances are that there are better ways you could spend that time. For example, you could pick up a few things around the house, chop a vegetable or two for dinner, write a note to a friend, read your child a story or simply take a breath and relax for a minute!

What to do about it: If you generally find yourself playing for just a few minutes here and there because you don’t think you have enough time to do something else in that time, make a list of 5-minute tasks you need to get done. Then, when you find yourself with five spare minutes, you can use them to get something crossed off your list, not to play on your phone.

2. Making Unnecessary Trips to the Store Do you find yourself frequently making a "quick" trip to the store several times a week? Maybe it's because you need one extra ingredient for dinner or because your children need a school supply that you don't have on hand. While these trips may seem short, the truth is that they can really add up quickly. What to do about it: Avoid unnecessary trips to the store by creating a meal plan and corresponding shopping list every week. This way you'll always have the ingredients that you need on hand. If there are items that you are always running out of, stock up on extras. Try to combine trips as much as possible. 3. Social Media Whether you love Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube or an online chat room, it is all too easy to get sucked into social media and spend hours reading the latest articles and catching up on what all of your friends have been up to. Before you know it, bedtime was an hour ago and you're still up watching funny cat videos or pinning pictures of your dream kitchen. What to do about it: Set aside time for social media, and then set a certain time limit for when you will get off. Use a timer if you have to. Then, when the timer goes off, it's time to get off. 4. Compulsive Busyness Sometimes we are too busy simply because we feel like we have to be. We think we have to sign up for every little thing or that we should be spending our days finding something productive to do. Sitting and doing nothing feels so unproductive and wasteful. Yet, some time for peace and relaxation is absolutely essential for recharging our batteries so that we can be more efficient and productive later. What to do about it: Evaluate your commitments and see if there are any that you have agreed to do just because you feel like you "should." Let them go. Make a to-do list of the tasks that you HAVE to get done, and then let the others wait for another day. 5. Television The fall television line-up is now in full swing, and there are plenty of great shows out there for the watching. And yet, how much more time would you have for better things if you didn't spend two hours camped out on the couch every night? Not that you can never watch t.v., but it shouldn't be an automatic reflex where you always sit down at 8 p.m. What to do about it: Choose a few of your favorite shows to watch and turn the t.v. on only for those shows. Fold laundry, meal plan, or exercise while you watch t.v. to make the most of your time. How much more time do you think you would have if you cut back on some of these tasks that aren't as important? What area do you think you should work on first?

You may have heard that recent science suggests that multitasking can actually make you less productive, rather than help you get more done.

While there is some truth to this, it really depends on the tasks you are trying to pair together. Working and playing on your phone at the same time isn’t likely to work out well. However, when you combine activities that naturally have some downtime or that require less concentration, multitasking really can help you get more done.

In fact, here are eight multi-tasking ideas that, when used together, can actually shave hours off of your day!

1. Clean the Tub While You Shower

You’re in the shower anyway; why not fight some soap scum while you’re at it? Keep a soap filled scrub brush in the shower and give the walls a good cleaning before you get out. The steam from your shower will help loosen the gunk, and the water from your shower will wash the soap right off. It’ll be so quick and easy you might just find you don’t hate cleaning the tub after all!

2. Fold Laundry While Watching TV

Don’t sit on the couch mindlessly while your favorite shows are on. Use the time to get a few household chores done. Laundry and TV make the perfect pair. Laundry doesn’t require much concentration, and you can sit down. Just wait until the commercial break to put the clothes away.

3. Clip Coupons While Helping with Homework

When your kids are working on their homework, you want to be available, but you don’t want to just sit and do nothing for an hour. Sitting down at the table with them to clip or print coupons is a great way to multitask. You’ll be right there if they need help, and you won’t mind being interrupted if they have any questions.

4. Clean the Bathroom While You Supervise Bath Time

Do you have toddlers who still need a little supervision during bath time? Clean the bathroom while they play happily with their toys. You can wipe the mirror, clean the toilet and sweep the floor all without leaving the room. Just be sure to mop real fast after they’re out so you don’t risk them falling on a slippery floor.

5. Meal Plan While You’re Cooking Dinner

Instead of sitting down for an hour to meal plan every week, plan out your meals while you’re cooking dinner. Every time you have a few minutes until you need to stir, flip through the other pages in your cook book. Write down a few new recipes you’d like to try and the ingredients for each. By the time dinner is ready, your meal plan will be too.

6. Dust and Scrub Baseboards While Talking on the Phone

Dusting and scrubbing aren’t difficult, just incredibly time consuming. Why not combine this time with the time you spend on the phone either talking to your friends or on hold with various companies? Get in the habit of dusting and scrubbing every time you’re on the phone and the tasks won’t build up as much, making them much easier to tackle in the future.

7. Combine Errands Into One Trip

Running out to the store every time you need something can be very time consuming. Save your time by setting aside a certain time each week to do all of your errands at once. Keep a running list so you don’t forget anything. Sure, it may take you an hour or two on a Saturday morning to get everything done, but that’s much less time than it will take you to make 30-45 minute trips several times a week.

8. Run the Dishwasher and Laundry Overnight

Do you spend time every morning washing a few dishes so you can eat breakfast or searching for clean clothes for your children to wear? If so, try running the dishwasher and throwing in a laundry each night before you go to bed. This way, you’ll always wake up to a home that is ready for you, not piles of dishes and laundry that prevent you from getting anything done.

How often do you multitask to get things done? What are your favorite tasks to pair together?