By Ann Springer

It’s easy to get to the end of an exhausting day and wonder, “What did I actually accomplish?” With the right methods and tools in place, anyone can be efficient and effective in his or her day.

First, you should inventory your time over a week-long period. Everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day, but some people seem to get much more done in that same period than others. How much TV do you really watch each week? How much time do you waste on Facebook or texting friends? Could you delegate some tasks to your spouse or children?

You should streamline your daily routines. Look at how you can shave off five to 10 minutes from your morning routine and five to 10 minutes off your bedtime routine. Maybe you have a hard time finding something to wear in the morning. Instead of having a fashion emergency every day, check the weather before you hit the sack and lay out your outfit before you are under the gun. When you add those wasted minutes up, you will have an extra 10 to 20 minutes to allocate elsewhere.

Look at where your biggest time suckers lie and then figure out how you can accomplish the same goal in less time. For example, if meal preparation and clean-up absorbs your evening, then consider preparing your meals once for the whole week to save time cleaning and preparing.  Or you may opt to cook once a month and freeze the meals you won’t use that week. This cuts down on time in the kitchen and you’ll waste less food and save money.

The old adage says that “time is money,” so keep this in mind as you determine how you’ll allocate all of the extra time you’ve tried so hard to accrue. Start with a pocket sized/purse sized notebook that keeps you on your goals. Make a master list of things you’d like to do if you had more time. Take each goal and break it down into smaller tasks if you need to. Then put each tasks into categories: 1) errands to run, 2) phone calls to make, and 3) things to sit down and do.

Each night before you go to bed take items off of your master list and write them on a sticky note that will be your to-do list for tomorrow. Slap the sticky note atop your master list and add reminder notes on your to-do list that might not be on your master list (like pick up dry cleaning). This system comes in handy when a client cancels and you’re close to an errand you needed to run from your master list, or you have 10 minutes to make phone calls from your master list while you wait for your son at soccer practice.

You can find yourself running too fast for your own good if you are always running to keep up with your master list. Schedule time for meditation, quiet thought, personal study, and exercise and time with family and friends. The list is meant to help you manage your life, not to manage you.