Take Back Your Time

As talented as we are at juggling, shuffling, and holding a phone in one hand while typing with the other, the truth is we would all love to carve out more time for the fun things in life - if we just knew how to speed up those nagging chores. To feel more in control of time, you need to accept you're not going to find more of it - you just need to change the way you perceive it and make the most of yours.

In our recent survey of more than 5300 Women's Health readers, most of you reckon time is the most important thing in your life, whether you're at work or home. Trying to get everything done - especially at this busy time of year - is your most common cause of stress.

Around one-third of you believe lack of time is the number one reason for your stress. And when you're stressed, you're not a happy camper. "Time is a precious commodity and many of us fail to spend it wisely," says WH stress less expert Dr Suzy Green says. "Often we're living in the past (reflecting on what we did or didn't do) or in the future (worrying about what will happen), rather than savouring the 'here and now'."

Reflecting on Leo Tolstoy's classic story The Emperor's Three Questions can help all of us stay mindful of using our time as wisely as possible.

The questions being: What's the most important time? Who's the most important person? What's the most important thing?

The answers are as follows:

There is only one important time and that is now. The present moment is the only time which we have power over... The most important person is always the person you are with. The most important pursuit is making the person standing at your side happy, for that is the pursuit of life.

Here we're focusing on time and how you can make the most of yours. By adding these time-efficiency tricks to your life, you'll end every day and week with the one thing that every woman craves: a few more blissful hours to revel in your happiness.

FOOD SHOPPING

Weekly time saved: 30 minutes

Cruising the produce aisle on a Sunday is like visiting Dreamworld in summer. Instead, shop on the least crowded day, Wednesday. That's when stores commonly distribute their advertising flyers featuring specials - meaning that many consumers get the flyers, take a few days to go through them, and hit the store on the weekend (when they also have more time), according to the Food Marketing Institute. Also keep in mind this universal grocery store truth: supermarkets are less jammed when roads are more jammed - between 5pm and 9pm.

ERRAND RUNNING

Weekly time saved: up to 2 hours

Skip 'em and stay home. Treat the internet like your errand boy. You can shop for groceries online at major outets. For Woolworths and Safeway, go to homeshop.com.au and for Coles, visit colesonline.com.au. And stock your toiletries through epharmacy.com.au.

HOUSEWORK

Weekly time saved: up to 3 hours

Cleaning your house is probably up there with line-dancing on your really-want-to-do list. So divide it up and do a little each day (pick one room every night, for instance). It won't necessarily save you time overall, but it will keep you from using up large chunks of time over the weekend. Or hire someone to do it for you. Reputable cleaning services such as Absolute Domestics (absolutedomestics.com.au) charge about $75 to $120 per visit depending on the size of your home. A trick to save you upkeep time: schedule the cleaner for Monday, after your home has endured the weekend, and the clean should last through the week, says Janet Nelson of the Maids Home Service. For quick bathroom maintenance, hit the shower with a quick spritz of a spray like Shower Sparkle.

"Used daily they can cut scrubbings down to twice a month because soap scum, lime scale, and mildew don't have a chance to accumulate," says Laura Dellutri, author of Speed Cleaning 101: Cut Your Cleaning Time in Half!.

CLOTHES CLEANING AND (YUCK) IRONING

Weekly time saved: up to 1 hour

The average woman spends nearly seven to nine hours a week doing laundry (that number alone is incentive to drop off your dirty load at the laundromat). But if you prefer to handle your own intimates, buy a three-bin-hamper to cut sorting time, Dellutri suggests. Skip ironing by tossing wrinkled clothes into the dryer for 15 minutes with a damp towel - the moisture encourages wrinkles to loosen their grip - and cut your emissions somewhere else.

POST-CHRISTMAS SALES

Time saved (peak season):up to 4 hours

Instead of store-hopping to score the best deal on that camera for dad (and fighting it out for parking with 37 million other folks), just click on shopferret.com.au or getprice.com.au. You can search and compare prices of thousands of items at different stores.

FAMILY FIGHTING

Daily time saved: 5 to 10 minutes

Few of us enjoy telling a five-year-old with a powerful set of lungs that SpongeBob Squarepants is over. So instead of clock-watching when the kids are parked in front of the tube or Playstation, technology expert Kim Komando recommends forking out $129 for a time-scout monitor (time-scout.com). This will give your kids an allocated number of minutes in front of the TV (or video game) and will then shut it off. You won't waste time arguing, negotiating or bribing, and you won't look like the bad guy either.

DINNER MAKING

Daily time saved: 30 to 60 minutes

When ordering takeaway, order an additional meal and pop it in the fridge. "The next night, all you have to do is prepare a side dish or salad," says Meryl Starr, author of The Home Organizing Workbook: Clearing Your Clutter Step by Step. For those nights you can't face the supermarket but crave a home-cooked meal, case your pantry for canned foods. Then hit mealtime.org, which lists more then 300 recipes, all of which require a can opener and not much more. And always stock your pantry with these cans: tuna, salmon, beans, tomatoes, corn, vegetable soup and peaches.

EXERCISING

Time saved: 20 to 30 minutes

Not going to make that spin class? Ten minutes is all you need to maintain your fitness level. The key is to pull off combination moves that raise your heart rate and tone your muscles. Grab a set of weights (2kg to 5kg) and follow this routine:

• Do lunges while pressing weights overhead (two sets of 15 repetitions).

• Try squats when doing bicep curls (2 sets of 15 repetitions).

• Finish with 10 push-ups, 15 bent-knees lower ab crunches, 10 push-ups, 15 oblique crunches and 10 push-ups. Finally hold the plank position for 30 seconds.

BIKINI WAXING

Time saved: up to 30 minutes

Hit the salon during lunch or after work and you'll have to contend with crowds and cranky stylists, especially later in the week. Schedule that wax or manicure on Monday or Tuesday (the slowest trade day), preferably between 8am and 11am (the least busy period), advises spa owner Marcia Kilgore. And get friendly with the people who book appointments - they'll fit you in when you call last minute.