Has it been a while since you’ve seen the bottom of your to-do list? People who fit a lot in their lives know that time is a puzzle, and their smart strategies can help you make all the pieces of your life work together.
- Schedule tight. We all know when you give tasks less time, they take less time. I also recommend booking your meetings back-to-back as much as possible, in chunks, so you don’t have a lot of free time in between. Why? These minutes often get wasted on inefficient email checking or Facebook. As for housework, instead of letting chores take over your weekend, give yourself a block of time, say, 90 minutes, to get them done. If a task doesn’t happen during that time, make a note and reschedule for the next weekend block.
- Double up. Busy people make time for other people by including them in things they have to do anyway. You can ask co-workers to walk with you, and use that as mini-meetings.
- Reclaim any remaining unexpected bits of time. Think you don’t have a chance to read? Try grabbing a book or magazine app while waiting for food to heat up in the microwave. Even if that’s just five minutes a day, that’s more than half an hour per week. You can also repurpose late-night time, when people usually putter (or watch TV), for doing more productive things. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week—which is approximately 20 minutes per day. Wendy Clark, SVP for Coca Cola’s Sparkling Brand Center, hops on the elliptical machine for a short late-night workout. Early birds may find moments of morning putter-time that can be put to similar use.
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