Five Tips to Save You Time Every Day

We could all use another hour a day. Does your schedule get busier while the universal laws of time stay the same? Almost everyone seems pressed for time these days. How can we cope?

The answer is to use the time we have as wisely as we can. Here are five tips to transform your day:

1. Postpone checking your e-mail and calls until mid-morning.

If you are like me, there are some days when it's noon before I start working on my number one priority for the day. By the time I handle e-mails, phone calls, and employee questions—all important and essential—I find the morning has passed me by.

One day, I changed two things. I arrived at the office an hour early, and I postponed checking my calls and e-mail until mid-morning. I had two uninterrupted hours to write, finish my report, and work on my number one priority. I began to make progress on my to-do list and to feel better about my accomplishments each day.

2. Simplify and minimize your "inputs."

By inputs, I mean every way in which you receive information: TV, radio, e-mail, voice mail, snail mail, cell phone, movies, PDAs, the Internet, friends, newspapers. Do we really need to take in all that information? If it's not adding value to your life in some way, then cut it out. Cancel that newspaper subscription, stop surfing the web, skip past that marginally reviewed movie, drop that negative friend. You'll be amazed at how much time you'll save. Time is time, no matter how you save it.

3. Avoid crowds.

Don't do things at the same time everyone else does. To avoid long lines, I go to the grocery store during the weekday when everyone is at work. I go to the post office or the gym just after lunch, when there's normally a slump in the lines. I rarely get caught in traffic because of the way I schedule my appointments. When I do get caught waiting, such as at a doctor's office, I try to use the time wisely: I bring the book that I'm in the middle of reading or even study for an upcoming class.

4. Delegate.

It wasn't until I started hiring employees that I realized I was doing the job of at least three people. Avoid being Superperson, and let someone else help you get things done. Delegate as many tasks as possible. If you give people the responsibility of a job or task, you must consider giving them the authority to go along with the responsibility

5. Align daily tasks with your life purpose.

Are you working on things that matter, or are you simply doing busy work? It's easy to stay busy working on all the wrong things. For every task you do, ask yourself if it will move you toward your life goals. Take a hard look at what you're spending time on. I bet you'll be able to peel away some tasks that do not support your core goals.

When you can use your time wisely, you'll not only get more done, you'll get the things done that matter to you and that help you achieve your life purpose.