Hey Friends,

Today I am coming at you will a practical post that I hope will help and encourage you as you go about your days! Below you will find three basic time saving tips to help you get more done and have a productive day. Like is said these are “basic” time saving tips but sometimes we forget them and it’s helpful to hear them again so we remember to follow them! Maybe you are already implementing these time saving tips. If yes, then good for you! If not, it’s never too late to start!

Let’s jump right in!

3 Basic Time Saving Tips for Women

1. Cut Back on Media Consumption 

The older I get, the more I realize how much “media” of any kind is an absolute DRAIN. It drains your time, your focus, your creativity, and often – your sanity. There’s only so much one can consume before going crazy. If you want to save time, cut back on your media consumption. Whether it’s watching the news, scrolling Facebook, checking sports statistics, or reading news articles online, find a way to put a cap on the amount of media you consume. If you’ve never done it, I would encourage you to go on a social media fast, or cut our the news completely for a couple weeks. It’s absolutely life-giving! 

Here are some simple ways to cut back on media consumption:

• Stop watching the news. If something earth-shattering happens, you will hear about it!

• Read the headlines only. This is a little trick my husband follows. When scrolling through the news online, he reads the headlines but not the entire article (unless it’s something he really wants to know about!). This way, he gets a good idea of major happenings in politics and current events without having to read the whole article.

• Choose just 1-2 social media platforms to engage with. There’s Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and SO many more. Do you really need an account with each one? If you have a business or large platform, that’s one thing. But for personal use, narrow it down to just one or two social media platforms you love.

• Remove social media apps from your phone. Yes, you read that correctly. Personally, I spend significantly less time on media consumption when the app isn’t there. If I really want to check a social media site I can look it up the hard way through safari or pull out my laptop. Just removing the “ease of access” will discourage you from wasting your time online. 

• Designate a specific time for media. It can be helpful to designate a certain time of day specifically for checking media for the sake of staying plugged in and feeling connected. For you, this could be right after breakfast or right after the kids go to bed. Find a time that works for you and only allow yourself to consume media during this time and no others. 

• Get rid of it completely. This is pretty drastic, and most of us aren’t quite ready for this step yet, but if you just can’t seem to get a handle on your media consumption, try cutting it out completely. Believe it or not, life goes on (pretty smoothly) without being connected to media of any kind. If you’re not ready for such a drastic step, try cutting it our for just a few weeks, or a month and see how it goes. 

If you really want to spend your time wisely and make more time for what really matters most, first take a look at your media consumption and find ways to cut back or cut it out!

Related Post: 4 Social Media Guidelines for Christian Young Women

2. Get Started Earlier 

I don’t know about you, but I am always so amazed by how much more I can get accomplished just by getting up a little earlier. An extra 20-60 minutes in the morning can go such a long way in tackling that to-do list and feeling on top of your day!

{This tip may not work for you if you’ve just had a baby or if you’re in a season of “survival mode” and that’s okay. Focus on setting up a good morning routine so that your day has a good foundation regardless of what time you wake up.}

Planning to get up early and actually getting up are two completely different things! Here are some tips that help me get out of bed and get going in the morning. 

1. Set an alarm. This is a no brainer isn’t it?
2. Set another alarm. You do what you got to do, right?!
3. Set the alarm(s) across the room. So you actually have to get out of bed to turn it off!
4. Don’t get back in bed! You might not get back out if you do. 

Everyone has their own tips and tricks for getting up earlier. Do your own research and figure out what works best for you. Just start small in the beginning by just getting up 10 minutes earlier or by simply setting a goal to get up before the kids. Simple things like this can go a long way in helping you save some time. 

3. Plan Ahead and Follow a List

Sound pretty basic? It is! But often times we need this reminder. 

I’ve been making it a goal of mine not to begin a new day or a new week, without a plan in place – and guess what? I get a lot more done because of it! My “secret weapon of choice” is my daily to-do list. My simple Happy Planner from Michael’s craft store serves as my calendar, weekly planner, and daily planner. There’s a nifty little column at the beginning of each week that I use to write down all the tasks I want to accomplish that week. I write out my meals for each day and then I write down various tasks I want to accomplish on a given day of the week. This list gets checked multiple times during the day and I add tasks and cross things off as needed. If a particular task doesn’t get done, I move it to another day or another week (or decide if it really needs done at all). 

Having a plan in place saves me time because I don’t need to putter around the house trying to decide what needs to get done while wondering if I’ve forgotten anything important. Having a to-do list and weekly list means I already know what to do – and less things “fall through the cracks” as a result.

Everyone likes to go about their to-do lists differently. Here are three common planning styles:

• Old school – use a pencil and regular notepad to write down your to-do’s for the day.
• Tech-y – use the notes section in your phone or download an app to keep track of your to-do’s.
• Planner Girl – use a pretty planner of your choice with a layout that suits your specific needs.

How I Do It:

I already mentioned that I love using my planner! For my daily to-do lists I like to write everything down – big and small. Typically, I make a mental note of the most important tasks I need to get done and try to focus on those. The extra, smaller, tasks are simply a bonus if they get done – if not they get moved to another day. It’s a pretty basic system but it works well for me!

Remember, in order to save time and get more things done, start your day and week with a PLAN!

Related Post: How to Get Things Done with a Toddler

Final Thoughts 

I hope these three basic time saving tips were helpful to you! Sometimes we just need to go back and be reminded of the basics of time-management. 

This is a topic that I feel passionate about because we only have so much time, and the Bible tells us to use it wisely. I would encourage you to never stop learning and doing your best to manage your time (and your life!) wisely. 

My Favorite Time (and Life!) Management Books

As an avid reader, I have read many, many books on this topic – I would encourage to check out some of the books below if you’d like to learn more about managing your time and your life:

• Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George
• More Hours in My Day by Emilie Barnes
• How to Have a 48 Hour Day by Don Aslett
• Take Back your Time! By Morgan Tyree
• Simplify Your Time by Marcia Ramsland
• Eat That Frog! By Brian Tracy

Until Next Time,