Pssst… Today marks five years since I started this blog. Woo! Thanks for reading!

People always ask my husband and I how we seem to do so much. I never quite know how to take these comments, whether they are meant as a compliment or if people are actually curious about our mysterious time-multiplying secrets. (Spoiler alert: there aren’t any.) Admittedly, we do a lot, though not an impossible amount. I stay at home with our two daughters. My husband works full time. We do projects. We blog. We watch films. I sell my art on Etsy.

I genuinely believe that there’s a difference between not having any free time and feeling like you don’t have any free time, and I will guess most people fall into the latter category.

I think you have to really ask yourself how bad you want it. Do you want to write a novel more than you want to watch TV? Anything else is an empty sort of want, like wanting to lose weight, but not wanting to keep track of your eating habits or work out.

What I’ve come to believe is that you have to put what matters to you first. If that’s a perfectly tidy and clean house, that’s wonderful. But for me, I have more important things to do, and I know a lot of others do too.

Time is a lot like money. When you don’t have any to spare, you have to start pinching pennies, or pinching minutes.

So today, I am sharing my time-saving strategies. Do I use all of these tips 100 percent of the time? Of course not. I’m not a robot. Things come up. People get sick. Plans are shifted. And sometimes, I just want to relax. But I really do incorporate many of these tips on a daily basis.

Two things:

• A lot of these tips may only save you a couple of seconds or minutes here or there, but it all adds up.
• Most of these tips are simple but may not be free, because saving time does not always run parallel to saving money.

My time-saving strategies

1. Decide what is most important to you and put your time toward that. Let the other stuff fall away.
2. Be as smart about spending time as you are about spending money.
3. Stop trying to do all of the things.
4. Slow down. Stop feeling that manic busy feeling.
5. Do a “brain dump” every once in a while to clear all the random thoughts out of your head.
6. Make decisions faster.
7. Let other people make decisions about things that don’t matter to you.
8. Stop striving for perfection. It doesn’t exist.
9. Cut corners.
10. Lower your standards.
11. If something annoys you, find a way to correct it.
12. Stop comparing yourself to others (in real life or online). Do your own thing.
13. Turn off the TV. Even if it’s just “in the background” while you’re doing something else. Believe me, it’s dividing your attention and slowing you down.
14. If you have must-watch shows, record them or watch them online.
15. Stop reading magazines with tips about the “right” way to do inane things. They only make you feel like nothing you do is good enough. (I’m talking to you Real Simple. And Martha Stewart.)
16. Similarly, stop looking at Pinterest if it makes you feel bad about who you are or how you live.
17. Stop waiting for a block of time to do what you want to do.
18. But plan what you will do if/when the next chunk of uninterrupted time comes along.
19. Be on the lookout for people who are not considerate of your time. You don’t owe them anything.
20. Tap into your most energetic times of day.
21. Get up early or stay up late on occasion.
22. Stop getting places early. (On time, yes. Overly early, no.)
23. Schedule things.
24. Stop trying to do everything as a family/couple. Split up. Divide and conquer.
25. Batch like tasks.
26. Develop streamlined routines.
27. Pack lunches and lay out clothes the night before to make mornings smoother.
28. Keep lists: grocery lists, to-do lists, would-be-nice-to-do lists, gift idea lists.
29. Write appointments and events on the calendar ASAP.
30. Don’t memorize things. Write them down.
31. Outsource when possible: Pick up dinner, get a babysitter, etc.
32. Fit small tasks into small bits of time. You wouldn’t break a $20 bill for a 50 cent purchase. Don’t waste a big block of time on tiny little tasks.
33. If you have five minutes to kill before you leave the house, put something away, make a quick phone call, reply to an email, file some papers.
34.  Do something when you think of it. Don’t put it off.
35.  If you have to wait somewhere, what can you do while waiting?
36. If you work outside the home, use your lunch hour wisely.
37. If you have a job with a lot of downtime (they do exist, I’ve had them), make sure your work is done, then use the time to your advantage.
38. If you commute by mass transit, use the time wisely! Think, plan, study, write.
39. Live in a smaller house. Less to clean and maintain.
40. Find a job with a shorter commute. Or move closer to your work.
41. Opt for low maintenance things: home furnishings, landscaping, clothing.
42.  If something breaks, get it fixed ASAP. Putting it off will only become mental clutter.
43. If you don’t know how to fix something, hire a professional.
44. Find trusted service providers, so you know who to call when something breaks.
45. Let magazine subscriptions expire if you don’t read them.
46. Recycle your magazines and newspapers right after you read them (so you don’t forget you’ve already read them).

Home/Cleaning/Cooking

47. Clean as you go.
48. Don’t clean things that aren’t dirty.
49. Ask your kids for help. (Doesn’t have to be official “chores”, you can just ask them to help as needed.)
50. Make your kids put away one toy before getting the next one out.
51. Keep toys and puzzles with lots of little pieces in zip plastic bags.
52. Put things away right after you use them.
53. Give things a “home” so you know where to put them away.
54. Designate a home for your keys. (Mine’s in a specific pocket on my purse. My husband keeps his in a bowl by the door.)
55. Dust while you’re watching TV.
56. Open and process the mail as soon as you bring it in the house.
57. Unsubscribe from catalogs you no longer want. 
58. Clean up the kitchen while you are making dinner.
59. Figure out what’s making a room look messy and find a way to fix it. (Eliminate throw pillows, get a storage bin/basket for toys or throws)
60. Incorporate cleaning into your day (wipe down the bathroom sink while you are brushing your teeth, etc.)
61. Clean the bathroom while the kids are taking a bath.
62. Split up tasks. (Like clean one thing in the bathroom each day for a week and by the end of the week, it’s all clean.)
63. Get a dustbuster and make the kids vacuum under the table after dinner.
64. Use your dishwasher. A lot.
65. Get a vacuuming robot if you have to.
66. Or even a cleaning service.
67. Get minimal with your home decor. Less to dust around.
68. Clean out the refrigerator while dinner is cooking.
69. Wipe out the refrigerator shelves one at a time.
70. Declutter so you’re not reaching past the junk to get to the stuff you really use.
71. Never leave a room empty-handed.
72. Put dishes straight from the table into the dishwasher.
73. Stop decorating for holidays. (Or just do it up simpler. No one needs fourth of July decorations. I promise the world will not end.)
74. If you must decorate, decorate for seasons instead. Fall instead of Halloween. Winter instead of stuff that must come down after Christmas.
75. Dress simpler.
76. Stop ironing everyday clothes.
77. Buy clothes that don’t need dry cleaning, ironing, or hand washing.
78. Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll move quicker.
79. Simplify your beauty routine.
80. Use products that save steps (2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, BB cream, etc.).
81. Make simple meals.
82. Meal plan. Doesn’t have to be elaborate or a month at a time, but think ahead at least a few days.
83. Make dinners that you can eat for two or more nights. If you don’t want to have the same thing two nights in a row, space it out or freeze one portion.
84. Use a slow cooker.

Shopping

85. Stock up on household goods when prices are good.
86. Buy in bulk so you don’t have to shop as often.
87. Have someone pick something up from a store to save you a special trip.
88. Stop shopping for fun. (Yes, even Target.)
89. Combine errands.
90. Get groceries delivered, if that’s an option where you live. Many things are also available from Amazon.
91. Look into a make-ahead meal service or structure your own once-a-month/freezer cooking day.
92. Pay for convenience sometimes. (rotisserie chicken from the deli, pre-washed salad, portion controlled snacks)
93. Keep your reusable grocery bags in the car.
94. Shop online when practical. (Don’t get sucked into over-researching purchases, though.)
95. Run counter to crowds. Don’t go to the grocery store when it’s busiest. Don’t go to Target on the weekends.
96. Park next to the cart return. You’ll remember where your car is and you can return the cart quickly.
97. Put away groceries and other purchases right after you bring them home.
98. Don’t make special trips for one thing. Substitute or make do.
99. Keep a little bit of cash stowed away to avoid a special trip to the ATM.
100. Shop end of season clearance sales for kids clothes.
101. Order stamps online instead of going to the post office. (Or pick them up at the grocery store!)
102. Buy durable and dependable cars and appliances. Consult Consumer Reports.
103. Plan ahead. Know when birthdays and gift-giving occasions are.
104. Have things like birthday cards, sympathy cards, and gift wrap on hand.
105. Have a couple of generic gifts on hand so you don’t have to run out to the store should a birthday party come up. Don’t stock up too much, and don’t buy anything that is perishable or will look dated soon.
106. Take note of holiday gift ideas year round.
107. If you see a gift for an upcoming occasion, just buy it. If it’s expensive, make sure you can return it. Be careful buying ahead with clothes and technology, but otherwise, just squirrel it away. This goes for stocking stuffers too. Don’t guess and don’t assume. Make sure these are no-fail items.

Life with Kids

108. Bring out a new-to-them activity or toy that needs little involvement from you for some uninterrupted work time. In our house, an empty cardboard box and some crayons or stickers is a great diversion.
109. Figure out how to work alongside your child.
110. If your kids still nap, use this time wisely. Naptime is a gift. Do not spend it cleaning or doing chores. Figure out a way to work those into other parts of the day.
111. Make sure your kids are going to bed early enough. Kid sleep requirement charts can be found here.
112. Get all of your mom jobs and house chores done on mom time. When you’re off duty, you’re off duty.
113. Play with your kids, but also teach them to entertain themselves.

Use Technology

114. Use auto bill pay.
115. Set up automatic transfers for savings, college, or retirement accounts.
116. Unsubscribe from emails you don’t want. You’re wasting time deleting them.
117. When you buy something online, opt-out of promotional emails at checkout (unless you really really want them).
118. Set up the “Send & Archive” button in Gmail.
119. If you have multiple email addresses, set up all of them to forward to a single Gmail account. They don’t have to be Gmail addresses and you can choose which address to reply from when you write a response.
120. Make sure your email account is set up properly on your phone so you are not having to read or delete messages twice (once on the phone, once on the computer).
121. Stop unnecessary phone notifications from apps or social media.
122. Take a picture of something instead of writing down a lot of details (like, a specific product you need to buy, a recipe, a flier for an event).
123. Stop checking email or Twitter or Instagram or Facebook so often.
124. Set alarms or timers when you want to focus so you’re not constantly watching the clock.
125. Create shortcuts on your desktop to often used files or folders.
126. Delete distracting apps and games from your phone.
127. Computer nagging you to update something? Just do it. Every message is an interruption.