Without getting into a philosophical conversation about the merits of the statement "Time is money", let's assume that it is true and that by saving time - you're saving money.
What do you do to save time?
Here are a few examples from my bag of tricks:
- If possible, order online and have it waiting at customer pick-up. In addition to this saving me time (the employees of the store hunt for my item, bring it to the front and tell me when it is ready for pickup), it also saves me money by allowing me to use sites like Ebates as well as easily comparison shop
- Keys/Wallet/Etc. ALWAYS go in one spot so I never have to hunt for them
- On the rare occasions I eat out at a restaurant, I ask for the bill when the food arrives and put it and my cash-back credit card out as soon as I'm satisfied the food is to my liking. This allows me to leave when I am finished eating. If there is a wait to be seated, I ask for a menu so I am prepared to order as soon as seated.
- If I'm calling customer service with one of those "we'll hold your place in line and call you back when it's your turn", I use it whenever it makes sense to
- I use Google calendar to send me emails in the future just in time to remember to do things. If it isn't obvious how this saves time, I don't have to spend time thinking/worrying/remembering the activity. I just read my emails once in the morning and Google has sent me emails in the middle of the night telling me what I need to do that day.
- I have shopping days. Instead of going out every time we need something, shopping is only done on certain days. In addition to saving time, this can save a significant amount of money on gas too - especially if you use an app that allows you to minimize the distance between all of your stops.
- Apathy - I don't waste time over things like what I'm going to wear on a day to day basis or hunting for the best/closest parking spot. While there are exceptions to every rule, my norm is picking the first/easiest thing and moving on
Edit I almost forgot my biggest time saver in recent years. I don't watch commercials. Since cutting the cord over 3 years ago, most of what we stream is commercial free anyway (Netflix, Amazon instant video, etc.) but even the stuff from the over the air antenna can be watched commercial free if you don't mind not watching it live. I use free software to remove the commercials before making it available to stream to the TV.
March 14, 2017 at 05:31PM
