A big part of your quest to Forget the Joneses and designing your ideal life is to eliminate things that don't contribute to your goals. In blog posts we've already focused on eliminating wasteful spending. We've also focused on decluttering to eliminate unused and irrelevant things from your home. In doing so, you're able to use your money and your space more efficiently. But we haven't yet focused on time – another great resource that is often wasted.
The way we view time is a lot like how we view money: there's never enough. But yet when we really sit back and analyze how we're spending it, we're almost always guilty of being wasteful in one way or another. It's like money: those who get the most out their time are the ones who see its value.
Don't let inefficient use of time get in the way of a more meaningful life. The less time you waste the more time you'll have to spend on things that nurture you: your friends, family, and hobbies.
What are some of your biggest time wasters?
• Computer Set limits on your computer time. Don't constantly check your e-mail. Instead, pick one or two times during the day to check it and respond back. Spam can also be a huge time hog. Use a spam filter or keep an alternate e-mail account for ordering online and other commercial purposes. Keep surfing at a minimum. Set a timer when you do surf to limit it to a certain amount.
• Turn off the TV Keep the TV turned off if you're not watching it in order to avoid being sucked in. Use a digital recording service (such as TiVo) that will enable you to skip through commercials. Not only will you eliminate channel surfing, you can watch an hour-long show in 40 minutes or a half-hour show in 20.
• Let Call Ring Through to Voice Mail If you're busy, let your phone ring through to voice mail. Set a designated time to return phone calls. Respond by text or e-mail if you can to save even more time. Using a caller ID service can help you avoid taking calls from telemarketers.
• Organize Errand Running Organize errands and limit shopping to 1-2 times per week. Plan your family's meals ahead of time and make sure you have the ingredients on hand avoiding unnecessary trips to the store. Anticipate future needs such as clothing, birthday cards and gifts as well.
• Shop Online Not only can shopping online help you save money on gas, it prevents unnecessary wear and tear on your car. Many grocery stores are recognizing the time demands of families today and are offering delivery service for your grocery order.
What other ways do you minimize wasted time?
One thing that keeps my time organizes is using a flexible routine. I don’t have my day scheduled down to the minute, but it’s a simple routine that keeps me organized and helps me accomplish everything I want to do.
Story time with the kids after cleaning up breakfast, computer time and nap after lunch, clean up time for the kids while I get dinner ready. That sort of thing.
Writing down everything I need to do down on a notepad (sort of a schedule but not so constricting) really helps. Plus, it helps me not forget things I need to do and be panicking at the last minute. Also, I get to cross things off the list which makes me feel accomplished and rewarded after completing a task.
With my three little ones, I have found the tips in this article to be very true. I have also found minimizing phone time when the kids are awake is a life-savor. Something my husband and I began doing is to hold the children accountable for their time (as well as ourselves). We do this by teaching the children through example about commitments, limiting entertainment time (one movie a week), giving service to others, and responsibility (they play with the toys then they spend the time cleaning it up). Teaching our children these things has been amazing to see them make the connections to their actions and the time they are given each day. 🙂