Making the Best Use of Your Time (Redeeming Your Time Week 3)

Prioritize tasks. When you have a particularly busy week, separate your to-do list into what’s absolutely necessary from what can be put off until another day. Keep your mind focused on the important tasks and temporarily ignore the other things.

Multitask with purpose. Be wary of trying to do too much at one time. Sometimes, we can accomplish more if we only focus on one thing at a time. With all the available technology, the ability to multitask all the time is greater than ever—but that doesn’t mean we should constantly do two or more things at one time. It’s okay to turn off the cell phone or log out of your email for a set time.

Hunt for shortcuts. Find ways to do some tasks in less time. For instance, throwing dinner in a slow cooker before leaving for work in the mornings can make after work time less harried. Another time-saver that works for me is using the timer on my washing machine—I sort the clothes the night before, put a load in the washer and add soap, then set the timer for six hours. That way, the load has finished washing by the time I’m up in the morning, and I have a jumpstart on the laundry.

Readjust your expectations. We all have expectations of how we should do X or Y, but often, we take on how others do X or Y and think that’s how we should do X or Y as well. If we let expectations run over us, we end up busier than ever doing things that are not fulfilling or maybe even necessary. Realize that you are you with your own set of skills, abilities, talents—and limitations.

Develop a relaxing bedtime routine. Experts say going to sleep at the same time each night and waking at the same time each morning is the best for your body. Resist the urge to stay up late working or being online. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes of “downtime” before you crawl under the covers.

Now that you have a good foundation for recovering your time, next week’s lesson will focus on how to build margin into our lives for those unexpected detours.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/toeytoey2530 

Sarah Hamaker is a national speaker and award-winning author who loves writing romantic suspense books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s also a wife, mother of two teenagers and two college students, a therapeutic foster mom, and podcaster (The Romantic Side of Suspense podcast). She coaches writers, speakers and parents with an encouraging and commonsense approach. Visit her online at sarahhamakerfiction.com.