Organize + Energize: 5 Ways To Get More Free Time

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalWorcester Organizing Expert

Feel like you're wasting your summer away when you could be relaxing in the sun? Follow these tips and get back on track.

Summer is in full swing and I hope everybody is enjoying the long hot days! Make the most of the rest of the summer by creating more free time for yourself. I constantly hear people say that there aren’t enough hours in the day or they wish they had a few extra hours in their week. Get organized and you will have more free time.

Here are 5 tips that will give you more free time:

1. To-do lists.

Create daily to-do lists instead of weekly to-do lists. Daily to-do lists are less overwhelming and you will be more apt to complete and check off the list if you are just focusing on daily tasks. Get everything out of your head and onto paper/electronics. Mental clutter is a distraction and can be stressful. Write everything on your to-do list. Laundry, exercise, and other activities should be on the list also. Creating a to-do list will save you time, because you know exactly what you have to do and where you have to be. No more wasting time.

2. Plan ahead.

Plan your meals, snacks, and outfits at the beginning of the week for the week ahead. Anything you can plan for, do it! You will be amazed at the extra time you get from planning ahead.

3. Prepare.

Prepare anything you can to make your life easier. Prepare your meals, have pre-packed beach bags, sports and gym bags. The idea is to be able to grab and go.

4. Create systems for everything you do.

By creating systems for everything you do at home you will save time because you won’t be running around the house searching for items, or wondering if you forgot to do something. Have a working organized system for everything you do in your home. It can be from handling your mail to filing to putting away the laundry.

5. Get your entire home organized.

You’ve heard the saying “A place for everything and everything in its place.” You will run an efficient and productive home in turn saving you time if you get your entire home organized.

All of the above sound like simple tasks, but when everything comes together as a whole, you will definitely find you have more time in your schedule. We all want more free time in the day. Did you ever think that by being organized you could have that free time? Yes, you can! It’s proven. Incorporate a few or all of the tips above and watch how much more free time you will have in your schedule. Now that you have all this free time, how will you spend it?

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. Kristin has appeared on air on www.talkstreamradio.com and Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio. Her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Her CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start and is available at the following locations, listed here. She is also available for organizing workshops.