Health & Lifestyle Tips

Make More Time For You


1. Organise

  • Make a To Do list – Keep it with you or keep it visible
  • Use a calendar, fridge or wall planner for the family events
  • Cut clutter in your home or office so you can easily find things
  • Double up on errands (e.g., bank and post office together)
  • Use commuting time for some tasks (e.g., reading, organising your week)
  • Organise your email and computer files into folders
  • Keep a folder or file of home maintenance jobs that need to be done
  • Designate a single place where family members can check for messages
  • Keep a grocery list where the family can see it and add items as they run out
  • Get your exercise gear ready the night before or keep it with you.

2. Prioritise

  • Set priorities on a daily, weekly and monthly basis so you can see the big picture.
  • Rank items as urgent, non-urgent, important or non-important
  • Incorporate work and play times
  • Review your priorities during your day and week
  • Include time for errands, preferably at non-rush-hour times
  • Let more calls go to the answering machine or voicemail
  • Return phone calls when its convenient to you
  • Schedule tasks into your day with room for activity and meal planning.

3. Plan your time

  • Allocate a time limit to tasks and stick to it where possible
  • Set a count-down timer to signal time to stop a task
  • Count back from a deadline to create your timeline
  • Establish a quiet time to block off for non-interruptible tasks
  • Set your alarm to go to bed as well as to wake up
  • Plan your weekly menu and activity times in advance.

4. Delegate

  • Ask family members to help with household tasks (e.g., putting away clothes)
  • Communicate expectations clearly
  • Hire someone to help with the cleaning, if you can
  • Ask nearby relatives for help, if you can
  • Ask children to set or clear the table
  • Let teenagers prepare meals for the family.

5. Learn to say “No!”

  • Avoid saying an automatic “Yes”. Say, you’ll think about it and get back to them
  • Practise saying “No” in the mirror, then do it for real
  • Let people know when you will be available, plus how much time you have
  • Decide exactly which interruptions you will and won’t allow.

6. Avoid perfectionism

  • Be realistic about what you can achieve
  • Avoid over-planning or planning to minute detail
  • Settle for good-enough for more tasks
  • Know it’s OK to reassess your priorities.

7. Reduce procrastination

  • Build an awareness of why you procrastinate. Feeling overwhelmed? Lack of patience? Fear of failure?
  • Break larger jobs into smaller, more manageable tasks
  • Do one job at a time, where possible
  • Do your most important work at times when your energy levels are high
  • Reduce distractions, like emails, so you can focus on the task at hand
  • Consider how putting things off is likely to create more work or pressure.

8. Be flexible

  • Take a break when you hit a wall with a task
  • Allow time for unavoidable interruptions
  • Maintain a sense of humour, especially when your day gets thrown out