More Time In 2023
Self care, time with friends and family, fun, travel, relaxation, working out, etc?
Make Leftovers. Save time cooking by doubling your recipes and eating leftovers a few times a week.
Meal Plan. Plan out your meals for the week so you don´t have to spend time each night deciding what to eat for dinner.
Grocery Delivery. Try ordering your groceries and having them delivered. We shop at Safeway and they will deliver for $3.95. It still takes time to order from my phone but I get to do it from the comfort of my couch. Instacart price gouges so I do not recommend them. I tried them once for Costco and paid 25% more than normal!
Get a robot vacuum cleaner. With kids and dogs, our floor is always dirty. I have had my robot vacuum cleaner for 8 years and it is the best.
Outsource Tasks. Could you cut some unnecessary spending from your budget and get a house cleaner? Scott and I did this over a year ago and it is the best. Not only does it save me a ton of time, it also saves me the mental capacity of trying to figure out when I am going to squeeze in the time to clean the bathroom. The mental freedom is equally as freeing as the time gained.
Reduce Phone Use. Set a timer for phone use. You could give yourself and family the first 30 minutes of getting home to be on devices and decompress. After that, phones are off for the next two hours or more. You have to decide what works for you but you probably need to establish some boundaries around your phone use. Another option: no phones the first 30 minutes of waking up and 30 minutes before bed. Just a few options and thoughts.
Share Chores. Make sure everyone in your household is doing their part. If you have a partner or kids, make sure you review the household list together and decide who is doing what. We also try to do some tasks together. For example, we try to put away laundry together. My daughter is 4 and is perfectly capable of finding her clothes in the laundry pile and putting them away.
Do Less at Work. I know this will rub some people the wrong way but I know too many people that are overachievers. If you get paid to work an eight hour day (hello teachers), then work an eight hour day. Stop being an overachiever. Put systems in place to help you manage the workload and do less.
Here is an example: As a teacher there is a lot of grading and lesson planning and not enough time during the day to do it all. Last year I created a ¨Flex Period¨ which I use on Mondays. During class time students have study hall. This is a good chance for them to work on college apps, catch up on missing work, get help from me, etc. And I have most of the day to catch up on grading, get all of my materials for the week ready and work with students who need the most help. I never take work home and don´t have to meet with students at lunch (tutoring is during class on Mondays). This system change was a game changer for me. If you need help with this, please join my dream class or reach out to me for individual coaching.
Batch your work. For many people. a lot of their work day gets wasted because they are constantly responding to other peoples´ emergencies then have to work extra to get their actual work done. Start setting boundaries in your work day by setting specific hours for answering emails each day, specific times or days for meetings and blocking off time in your day when you are unavailable to get your work done. Make sure you stick to these times and do not address emails outside of your set window.
Disclaimer: I am an educator, not your personal financial advisor. Please make sure to do your own research before moving forward with any actions discussed in this newsletter.
Know that all investments involve some form of risk and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in making, saving, or investing money; nor is there any guarantee that you won't experience any loss when investing. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. Always remember to make smart decisions and do your own research!