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20 Genius Hacks for Saving Time in Your Daily Routine

Do you sometimes find yourself wishing you have more hours in a day? In this day and age, time is a valuable commodity. If we want to find that sweet balance between work, family, and our personal commitments, we need to be very meticulous with how we spend our precious minutes.

To help you out, we’ll discuss some useful time-saving hacks in this article so you can make your day easier and much more efficient. Let’s get into it.

Designate a place for your keys and wallet

If you're someone who frequently misplaces your keys or wallet, designating a specific spot for them can help you avoid the frustration, panic, anxiety, and time-consuming process of searching for them. Instead of wasting time looking for your belongings, you can just grab them quickly and be on your way in a jiffy.

Prepare your workout clothes the night before

Are you having trouble keeping your workout goals? Make the decision easier for you in the morning by already packing your gym clothes and stuff in your workout bag the night before. This way, you don’t have to be fumbling for your yoga pants at 3 in the morning (don’t start your day frustrated), all while fighting the overwhelming urge to go back to bed.

Create a meal plan and do your food shopping on the weekends

Probing for ingredients in your fridge, thinking about what you can do with all that, and the entire cooking process can easily take an hour or two off your day. By planning for your week’s meals ahead of time in one go, putting everything you need on a shopping list, and heading to the grocery at once, you can save so much time and avoid so much stress. If you don’t like grocery shopping or don’t have the time for that either, you can order your groceries online and have them delivered to your doorstep.

Plan the week

Knowing what you need to do for the week can help you properly plan your schedule from Monday to Sunday. It also helps set expectations so you can mentally and physically prepare for the demands of the week. If there are no big plans, you can set personal goals for your Personal stuff, Work, Health, and Finances. Here’s an example.

Personal: Meet Jill for lunch on Tuesday

Work: Write pitch deck for a client

Health: Set an appointment with Dr. Kaur for next week

Finances: Sign up for online banking

Your plan for the week doesn’t have to be strictly specific. You can then break each of them down into to-do lists that you can schedule throughout your week.

Make your To-Do list for the next day on the day before

Every minute you spend planning saves you 10 minutes in the execution. That’s why we really encourage our readers to make planning a daily habit — even simply writing To-Do lists. To-Do lists keep you focused on the important tasks. They help you manage the 24 hours you have in a day.

A great way to close your day is to craft your To-Do list for the next day. A lot of the anxiety that people feel can be caused by a sense of uncertainty about what comes next. Writing down a plan helps ease this discomfort by providing you with a sort of temporary solution to the imagined obstacle. It also provides a sense of flow and continuity to whatever project you’re doing.

Schedule time for procrastination

Make room for chaos. The mind has a penchant for meandering and if you don’t let it, it can result in burnout and stress. Make time in your day to do anything else other than something “productive”. Find creative activities to enjoy like writing or doodling. Perhaps pick up some housework or even nothing at all. These unrestricted activities will help you rejuvenate and get back to work more refreshed.

Double-up your meals

For especially hectic days, make two batches of lunch or dinner so you will have some left over for the next meal. Cooking can be tedious and time-consuming — something not everyone can afford, especially when deadlines loom or when a special project is afoot.

Plan your outfits on the weekend

Deciding on what to wear for the day can seem like a no big deal until you have to do it. Sometimes, picking an outfit can be outrageously frustrating. But more shopping is not the answer. Instead, try to audit your wardrobe and mix and match it to your style. Then, assign your pickings to each day of the week. You can even prepare each outfit ahead (with shoes and accessories and all) to make sure everything is ready for you every morning. Once you’ve tried this trick, you’ll immediately notice how peaceful and breezy preparing for work can be.

Related: 6 Easy-To-Do Meal Prep Recipes for Beginners

Prepare a morning makeup bag

Imagine all those precious minutes wasted rummaging through your makeup stash just to find your favorite foundation. Having a designated makeup bag can save you not just time but all that frustration. It also helps you stay organized and reduce clutter in your bathroom or dressing area. By having all your makeup products in one convenient bag, you can make your morning routine more efficient and stress-free. Additionally, a morning makeup bag can be useful when traveling or on-the-go, as you can quickly grab it and apply your makeup wherever you are.

Unsubscribe from annoying emails

Random emails can be a major distraction if you’re trying to work. They ruin your momentum and can be a gateway for more phone distractions. To avoid scenarios like this, spend at least 30 minutes decluttering your inbox and unsubscribing from emails that don’t really serve a purpose. Be ruthless in your purge. Only leave out subscriptions that give you real value.

Label your laundry

Buy different-colored laundry baskets: one for white clothes, one for lightly colored, and one for darkly-colored clothing. Then, ask everyone in the house to properly sort their laundry accordingly. This hack will save you so much time during your pre-wash.

Designate space for everything

If “Where is the…” is a staple phrase in your household, it’s time to set up your command center. Designate a spot in the house for all things family-related. These can be bills, keys, lists, and so on.

Keep a clutter basket

A clutter basket is a designated container where you can quickly gather items that are out of place or don't have a specific home. By having a clutter basket, you can keep your living space tidy and organized without having to immediately put everything away. Instead, you can quickly gather items in the clutter basket and then sort through them later when you have more time. This can help reduce stress caused by clutter and makes it easier to maintain a tidy living space.

Assign chores for everyone

Make everyone contribute. Assigning chores to everyone in the household can distribute the workload, teach responsibility, reduce conflicts, and create a routine.

Line up multiple bags in your bin

Instead of putting only one bin bag, line up three or four. Then, you won’t have to refill the bags every time.

Automate finances

Technology can do wonders for a working individual running a household or just trying to maintain a stress-free routine. By setting up automatic payments for bills and savings contributions, you can eliminate the risk of forgetting to pay bills, which can result in late fees, missed opportunities to save, and damage to your credit score. Automating your finances can also help you avoid impulsive spending and stay on track with your financial goals, such as paying off debt, building an emergency fund, or saving for retirement.

Set a routine for everything

Routines sound boring but if we’re talking about efficiency, nothing is more effective at getting things done than a well-established routine. You can set a routine for everything from your self-care regimen to helping the kids get ready for school. You can also help the kids establish their own routines so everything in the household can work together smoothly.

Do one cleaning task daily

Doing one cleaning task a day can help you maintain a clean and organized home with minimal effort and stress. By breaking down cleaning tasks into manageable steps, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed and avoid procrastinating on cleaning altogether. Additionally, doing one cleaning task each day can help you establish a routine and make cleaning a regular part of your daily life, which can help prevent clutter and mess from building up over time.

Do one load of laundry a day

Doing one load of laundry a day can help you keep up with your household's laundry needs without becoming overwhelmed or spending too much time on this chore. By doing a load of laundry each day, you can avoid letting dirty clothes pile up and prevent the need for marathon laundry sessions on the weekends.

Use an app to access the family schedule

The great thing about this day and age is the availability of so many apps you can use to keep the whole family organized. As a parent running a household, it’s important to know what everyone is up to on a daily basis to make family planning easier for everyone. An effective way to do this other than the traditional way of putting up an actual calendar on the magnet in the fridge is to download a calendar app that everyone has access to. By having a central calendar that everyone can access and update, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to upcoming events, appointments, and commitments. This can help prevent scheduling conflicts and missed appointments, which can cause stress and inconvenience. Additionally, a family calendar can help you plan ahead and make sure that everyone's needs and priorities are taken into account, such as scheduling family time, school events, or work schedules.

Wrapping up

Finding ways to save time in your daily routine can make a significant difference in your productivity, well-being, and overall quality of life as an individual or family. Often, it’s the little decisions we do daily that really make an impact on our lives. Try to integrate the tips above into your routine to make the most out of your time. And while you're at it, make it easy to stay on top of everything important in your life with the ultimate life management tool, TaskSpur. Check it out!

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Related: 6 Easy-To-Do Meal Prep Recipes for Beginners

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