- Clean up your stuff. “A place for everything, and everything in its place” is the motto of Unclutterer, a great blog on uncluttered living. As you already know, I’m a decluttering devotee, so this site is a daily must-read for me. I save time by keeping my things neat; that way, I don’t have to waste time looking for them.
- Automate your bill payments and savings transfers. If your bank offers online account management, you can set up recurring payment and transfer schedules so your bills are paid automatically—no more sitting down with the checkbook and roll of stamps!
- Outsource personal chores. Most people regard Tim Ferriss with distaste or at least skepticism, but his advice on outsourcing might be something to consider. If you have the disposable income, consider hiring someone to clean your house, care for your lawn, or groom your dog. Having a professional bathe my dog saves me a lot of time every month, and whenever I’m staying in New York, I make a regular habit of dropping off my laundry instead of spending hours at the laundromat doing it myself.
- Make a landing strip for your frequently-used stuff. File this under “clean up your stuff.” A landing strip is where you drop off all your belongings the moment you walk into the house, so that you can find them easily when you have to leave next. My landing strip is atop a bookcase in my house’s mud room, and it’s the regular resting place for my tote bag, cell phone, coat and scarf, keys, and my dog’s leash and walking supplies. For maximum efficiency, many people also use this as a one-stop charging station, with power cords for computers, mp3 players, and cell phones.
- Multitask during your commute. On the days when I’m commuting via the bus or the train, I’m constantly at work—writing, knitting, reviewing my calendar [and usually surrounded by people working similarly!].When I used to drive every day, I spent my time doing Japanese lessons and listening to the music I had to learn for upcoming shows. [Though, seriously, people? Use some common sense if you're car-bound—don't use your productivity as an excuse to chat on your cell phone or catch up on reading the paper.]
- Limit your social networking time. My colleague Jay knows all about this, and has written about it extensively. Sure, getting rid of your social networking addiction isn’t a cure-all; but if you make it more difficult to use Flickr or Twitter as a crutch when you should be working, you’ll get everything done a lot faster.
- Automate your recurring purchases. In the past I’ve used Petco, Alice, and Amazon to make sure that my house is never without toilet paper, pet food, toothpaste, coffee, or Cheese-Its. The Petco account was particularly helpful; it allowed me to buy in bulk for a lot less money, and saved me from the hassle of lugging an enormous bag of dog food onto the subway in New York City.Even better, I never had to think about it —every ten weeks, it charged my account and then shipped out a forty-pound bag of dry food and two cases of canned stew.
- Filter your email. I’m in complete agreement with Merlin Mann that we should stop jumping every time we hear the “Ding!” of an incoming e-mail message. Filtering is the best way I’ve found to reduce my inbox influx. Unsubscribe to all the useless mailing lists you’re receiving, and set your email to automatically archive the things you may need for reference, but don’t need to read immediately. [My biggest culprit? Facebook messages, with the constant barrage of "Join my aquarium!" and "You've been turned into a zombie!" Ugh. I don't miss those emails a bit.]
What tricks and tips do you use to save bits of time here and there? Let us know in the comments!
Amanda Lee Anderson is a writer and editor living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and New York City. She writes about fashion, music, productivity, and happiness. Read her blog or find her on Twitter.
