Busy people often struggle with finding enough time to fulfill all their responsibilities while caring for themselves. For many, 24 hours a day isn’t enough to work on their career, create memories with friends and family, care for themselves, do chores, indulge in hobbies, and plan for the future. If you’re in the same boat, you might be actively looking for ways to make your everyday processes more efficient and thereby less time-consuming. Below, we offer 8 practical tips that can help you do just this. 

Be More Conscious of Time

If you want to save time, the first thing that you need to do is shift your mindset just a little. You need to value time, treat it as a finite resource, and be more cognizant of its passing. Measure your tasks by the time you need to accomplish them and determine if those activities are really worth the amount of time that they are consuming. This will help you see which events and tasks should be at the top of your list of priorities.

Make a Habit of Making Lists

Listing things down is a great way to make your everyday processes more efficient. These lists could contain your tasks for the day, stuff you need to bring to work, grocery items, or ideas that you need to think about in the near future. Putting together a to-do list will help you prepare yourself for the progression of activities that you need to do for the day. If you’re planning to shop for tights, for example, listing down the exact qualities of the pair you want will help you cut down on the time you need to find that exact item. Indeed, making lists is a small thing that can have a big impact on how you spend your time. 

Understand the Value of Sleep

A lack of sleep often leads to a lack of focus, the latter of which can cause you to spend more time than necessary to complete your tasks and activities. With this in mind, you should understand the role that your downtime plays in helping you become a more productive and focused individual, and adjust your sleep habits accordingly. Clean up your sleep hygiene and put a good night’s sleep on your list of activities that you should not be willing to compromise.

Plan for Tomorrow Today

Before you go to sleep at night, think about the things you need to do the next day, and plan accordingly. Doing so can help you wake up with a purpose. Just like making a list, doing a rundown of your activities for the next day can help you plot out your actions and schedule. You can also prepare your outfit and meals the night before to make your morning routine easier and quicker.

Schedule Distraction-free Time

Allowing yourself to be pulled into different directions to accomplish a multitude of tasks in one go can take up a considerable amount of time and energy. You may not notice it at first, but shifting between tasks and topics can reduce your level of focus and tire you out easily. That said, give yourself enough time to work on a single task so you can focus on it and accomplish it more quickly. The Pomodoro technique is a great time management method that can help you make a habit of committing to focused work sessions. 

Develop an Anti-procrastination Plan

Keep the urge to procrastinate at bay by developing an anti-procrastination plan. What are the signs that you’re delaying the inevitable and starting to cause problems for your future self? Create a plan of action for these moments.

For example, if you’re compelled to stay in bed for extended periods at the cost of turning up late at work again, try doing a countdown the moment you wake up. Then, commit to getting up once you finish counting. If you don’t succeed at first, keep trying until you get the hang of it. When it comes to saying no to procrastination, practice makes perfect.

Consolidate Your Chores

While multitasking isn’t ideal when you need to focus, there are certain tasks that you can lump together and do in one go. You can, for example, list down all the tasks you need to do outside of your home and dedicate an entire morning to taking care of these errands. Alternatively, you can drop by the laundromat or grocery store on your way to or from work to pick up the stuff you need. If you’re not going anywhere the next day, you can turn your attention to doing a portion of your household chores to maximize your time at home. 

Choose Your Company Wisely

People who don’t value your time will waste it. So if you’re trying to meet a tight deadline, avoid going out with people who have no control over how they use time, as they are likely to mess up your schedule. If you still want to spend time with them, though, perhaps you can schedule these laidback social interactions when you don’t have time-sensitive tasks on the horizon.

Finally, despite your busy schedule, don’t forget to give yourself time to breathe. If you find that your commitments are taking too much from you, take a short break and care for yourself first. After all, you can’t expect to do a good job when you’re sick, tired, or too stressed out. Keep these tips in mind, though, and you should see some improvement in your productivity and efficiency in the days to come.