Eight Secrets To Creating More Time (Without Waking Up Earlier)

I need more time!! I have no time!!

The lament of all us mothers…fathers…aunties…play cousins…people with jobs…people over the age of 18…people alive…ever…

We have so many obligations, and numerous areas of our life requiring huge chunks of our precious time. Whether it be jobs, children, spouses, volunteering, or just a full social calendar, we need to maximize our time so we don’t get burnt out or feel consistently behind the eight ball. That’s added stress we don’t need.

Please don’t tell me I have the same amount of hours in a day as Oprah. That doesn’t do a thing for me but make me dislike you.

I’m still working on breaking the time space continuum so we can get more than 24 hours in a day. Something about my math aint adding up though, and I didn’t take physics in college… so we may still be a few years away from my Nobel prize winning breakthrough. Until then I’m just going to continue to wake up early and get sh*t done.

Heard a rumor though…. A little birdie told me… some folks don’t like to wake up early! Who’da thunk it?! Honestly I’m not sure what’s unappealing about rising bleary eyed at the call of a shrill alarm an hour or two before necessary. On your feet earlier than the sun…and roosters. Sounds great to me! (Are you rolling your eyes yet?)

Since some folks wanna resist the early rise… I got something for ya. A few easy peasy ways to create more time and space in your life without waking up earlier.

Shop Online

I suspect if you’re reading this blog you already are a web savvy chica. So I’m sure you’re doing at least a lil comparison shopping online. Using the interwebs to do your shopping saves time (and gas, and money…. and gas money) that you can spend elsewhere. If you “shop like a man” online it’s even more of a time saver. Just head to the store’s site for the exact item you need, pop it in your cart and be done with it. If you’re like me, and compare for the best deals… you may not end up saving much time at all! (But at least it’ll be convenient!)

(Click here to find out how to save money shopping for anything online)

Review Your Calendar

You have a million events, appointments and obligations filling your days (and nights) so take a moment to review your calendar for the week. What can you gracefully remove? Cut out what makes you groan, or feel anxious, or whatever you’re dreading. (Unless it’s work, don’t cut that out. Even if you’re dreading it.)  Is there a party you’d rather not attend? A date you’d rather postpone? Do it if you’re moved to. And do it guiltlessly.

Recurring Delivery 

Set up recurring delivery of items you consistently use. This saves you time, and a headache. Amazon has a great program and also saves you money when you order your items on subscription. Jet, a newer company, also has subscription service available for your commonly used items.

Simplify 

If you have less choices, you spend less time in indecision. Simplify your life to gain more time to do what you want. A simplified wardrobe means less hours wasted finding something to wear. (Click here to find the easiest way to pare down your wardrobe without stress!)

A simplified eating plan makes food choices easier and meal prep and cooking shorter. What items in your life can you simplify to save time? Every day it seems another convenience product pops up that can help you simplify your life to save time. The meal-in-a-box subscription services are a lifesaver. Check out Blue Apron, Plated or Hello Fresh if you’re interested.

Grocery delivery

If you’d rather have more control over your meals but still want the time saving and ease… try having your groceries delivered. I went a full year using fresh direct every single week back in NYC. It is such a time saver to grocery shop online from anywhere and know your food will arrive within a specific window of your choosing. You save hours! If Fresh Direct isn’t for you, try Peapod. There are more services popping up all over including your local grocery store.

Trim a habit

What habits do you have that you can shorten? Trade a long jog for a shorter HIIT workout. Omit a few (un-necessary) steps from your haircare routine. Opt for a Rachel Ray style 30 minute meal instead of cooking up a longer feast. Think through your habits and see how you can tweak them to be a time saver. Note: this must be a real habit. Something that you do by default each day (or week) and don’t have to force yourself to do.

Rethink TV

I spoke to a doctor, and he informed me that you actually will not die if you don’t find out what happens with Lucius and Cookie, Olivia and Fitz, Analise Keating and her wig, or The real housewives of wherever. So, with that in mind. Rethink catching your shows as they air (or at all). You can free up 1/2 hour up to several hours a day, depending on your TV-watching lifestyle. If you’re getting hives just thinking of missing your shows all-together, just DVR or watch them on-demand on a day you have less obligations pulling on your time, or watch as you do something else. (This post has a great idea of where to fit your TV watching in)

Schedule it in

This is my favorite tip because it gives you a nice chunk of time that you can use as you desire without activating any feelings of guilt or “shouldda couldda wouldda” syndrome. If you schedule your “free” time into your daily planner, and treat it as if it’s any other agenda item, you are golden. What will you do with your chunk of time?

If you get creative and press the easy button with some things, it’s not too hard to create more time in your life. Start with some of these tips and go from there. Now the big question. What will you do with all that time you free up?

How will you create more time in your days?