How to get more time out of your day?

[TimeBurglar]

Now Christmas is coming to a close, my thoughts are now on how I need to have a very different 2023. Basically, I feel time-poor. I am not getting to do the things I want to do, which are basically things for me to help my well-being such as reading, gym, hobbies and grooming. Life; work, teenage DC, DH, house, relatives, dog etc. all get priority.

So, I am looking for time creating tips. I would love someone to assess my day in person, like those TV programs that look at people's expenditure on clothes and food, and shock me into a change when they tell me "last week you spent 2 hours a day on the internet and 2 hours thinking about your annoying relatives".

So far I have come up with:

1. I have 2 park n ride commutes a day with work. Use these to do admin or read. Put audiobooks in the car and listen to them during my drive to work.

2. Don't read or watch the news.

3. Instead of waking up at 5.30 and worrying about stuff or spending that time being annoyed at the drama of the week, get up and do chores.

Other tips most welcome.

I'm interested in this.

Getting up earlier is key (for me) I'm sure. I'd like to get an hour or two work done (either house work or paid work) before the school run drama. I think that would massively help my life but it's so hard to put into practice.

Other tips welcome.

“Life admin” at lunchtime at work
shop online rather than in person
Walk, run or cycle commute for exercise
batch cook
delegate chores to others
try to stick to contracted hours at work
don’t sweat the small stuff
get a cleaner

Stop reading Mumsnet

Delete MN would be a good start for me!

You can’t create time, you have to prioritise, and accept you cannot do everything. The productivity industry has an awful lot to answer for, Oliver Birkman’s 4000 weeks is good.

I do one big thing a day tiny chores everyday Monday walk to Tesco get bits
Tuesday hoover dust
Wednesday bedding washed fortnightly
Thursday free day no bingo for a bit
Friday Tesco
Saturday hibernate in winter in the summer I’ll properly want to be out and about.
Sunday church washing in afternoon
this may seem rigid for most but as have arthritis it helps me I don’t over do things cooking is everything chopped etc. just put in pan or slow cooker. Batches made then frozen.

Turn your wifi / 4g off on your phone so you can call and text only unless at designated ‘sit and scroll for hours’ times.

Delete Mumsnet account

Look at how many hours you are spending on your phone. This always shocks me. Sometimes hours in a day

i do Tesco online shop. Takes me about 10 minutes to order and maybe 15 minutes to put it all away. Much more efficient than going to the shop.

I take photos of letters rather than having loads of paperwork lying around.

I find a bit of organisation helps. Meal plan, do specific jobs on certain days eh bathroom Monday, food shop Tuesday, bed change Friday etc so you don't have to think about it, it just becomes part of the routine. Keep a proper diary and review it at the weekend to plan for the week or two ahead.

I do online for big monthly shop the heavy stuff frozen etc.

Op I could have written your post.

There was a post in the Christmas thread about someone who was going to tidy their house from Christmas day then get ready and go out for lunch today. Unless they got up at 6am how is this possible?? I layed in into 9.30. Made a cuppa then cleaned up from hosting Xmas day, it was 11.45 by the end of it. To then get ready is another 40 mins for me.

I desperately need more time. I go out around 10am on a Saturday morning- having not long just got up - and people are already out with young DC. What hellish time must they have got up at to get DC dressed, breakfasted and out for that time.

After clearing the kitchen today I then went to DM to drop bits off. Got home, bath then it was 4pm and time to meet ILs for dinner. The day was gone

Batch cooking saves me masses of time
Meal planning ditto
If you waste time on SM set a limit on your phone
Do everything you can on line. Shopping, appointments, bills etc.
Food shop- if possible do one big shop a month for all your meat, cleaning stuff then it's just small quick weekly shops for fresh stuff.
Cleaning.. delegate as much as you can. Give each room/job a day of the week and stick to it.

A new one I'm going to try

Make some goals and prioritize them. It's easy for our own things to get overlooked as everyone else's needs take priority.
Have a list of things you absolutely want to do each week/month etc and MAKE the time for it.

Reading with interest. I so often find I have 'run out of time' by the end of a week and all the little jobs I promise myself I'll do just roll on to the next.

I used to be able to get up early. I'd get loads done before 7:30am when the rest of the house wakes up.

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia this year and that seems to have thrown everything out of the window. I go to bed late, limited by pain, and inevitably get up later. I need a better bedtime routine.

I love cooking but as with sleep it's fallen by the wayside. So I've restarted Gousto from Jan. £46 for 5 meals for 2 of us and I know they are both tasty and healthy. DSC are here 3/4 nights per week and I've got a month food plan for them so they get nutritious and varied teas. My Tesco basics and staples shop is set to come each Wednesday. No more stressing about missing this and that. Once I use something it'll be added to the next order. I find taking the mental load off a huge relief.

I've also made myself a new work 'timetable' and I'm sticking to it. Instead of lurching from one thing to another, never getting one things completely finished. Emails will be answered between x and y time.

Some of my work is self employed so I've blocked out time for that.

Household chores ditto. I like a clean and tidy house and no one will dissuade me from that but lately I've just not felt like I have the time.