9 Smart Time-Saving Hacks for Your Home

Use Time-Saving Hacks Because Time is Precious

We can make more money, regain connections in our lives, but we can’t get back time. It’s why giving your time to people in your life is your most precious gift to share. We share with you today some time-saving hacks that will let you spend your time more wisely and have more free time in your week. Having more free time in your week lets you do more activities you love that make your heart sing.

 

Many of these time-saving hacks we have used for years and they have saved us countless hours over a year’s time. Some of the hacks we share are solo ideas and others engage your family in adapting new habits to save time and have more fun!

 

Get Ready for Morning the Night Before

 

Now that many of us are remote working some of the habits we had when we were commuting have been left behind. Keep in mind, even if you are retired or working from home getting ready the night before for morning saves you time especially if you still have school age children at home.

Laying out clothes the night before, mixing up pancake batter the night before or making overnight oats for your family, making sure that backpacks, homework, and lunches are prepared and ready to go the night before saves you time and stress in the morning. With all these tasks taken care of fitting in 15 minutes of meditation or yoga to start your day now becomes doable!

 

Make a List of What is In Your Freezer

 

Making a list of what is in your freezer and the date it was put in your freezer and having that list on your refrigerator helps you not over buy and also use what you have on hand in a timely manner. Our freezer list has saved us both time and money. The freezer list has really come in handy listing batch made meals that we have frozen for busy weeks so they don’t stay in the freezer too long.

 

Do Food Shopping Online

 

Until I did food shopping online during the pandemic, I didn’t realize how much time is spent in food shopping each week. If you have a big family the time spent in food shopping is even more of your time on a weekly basis. It can be as simple as ordering online with Whole Foods and picking up your order to keep your shopping local. Also, with rising food prices, during the pandemic I discovered Misfits Market which is a valuable resource for eliminating food waste and cutting your grocery bill by about 40% and still eating organic!

 

Batch Cooking & Baking

Batch cooking and baking can save you so much time. This is a task I usually do on Sunday afternoons and it provides home-baked items and entrees for the week. Stews, soups, casseroles, the makings for burritos, enchiladas, even salads minus dressing can be made ahead. One of my favorite salads that lasts all week is a quinoa, chicken, feta salad-so easy and so delicious!  I also make up enchiladas and lasagna in batches. Even if you are single and cooking for one you can batch cook and just freeze some portions for a later date.

 

Given what bread prices have done, doing batch bread baking is fun and it can be quick. Many yeast breads can be started the night before and baked the next day. I have also started to make the yummiest high protein breakfast bars that put all the store-bought breakfast bars to shame. They are fast and easy and only have 9 ingredients most of us have on hand. Whether you are batch baking or cooking it’s a great activity to get your family involved in for quality family time and fun!

 

Wash Clothes Less Often

 

Washing clothes less often not only keeps cloths in better shape longer, but it also lowers your utility bill while conserving water. I have installed a couple of hooks in each bedroom closet to have each person in our family hang their clothes so they can be worn more than once before washing. Jeans especially can be worn many times before washing unless you are mucking out a barn! Sweaters are the same, they can be washed occasionally and this will extend their wearable life.

 

Place a Mat at Each Doorway

Less dirt means less cleaning and time spent in cleaning your home. Even if you use Crystal Clear Home to clean your home, if there is less dirt it means we spend less time cleaning and a lower cleaning bill or we can devout that time to other important cleaning tasks.

 

I’ve really liked the wet dog mats sold on Amazon and also many other online stores. Not only do these mats trap dirt but they also trap water brought in by pets or on your shoes saving your floors. We have oak floors and so keeping dirt and water off them is important. The other thing to factor in, dirt scratches both tile and wood. and it embeds into carpet, so less dirt and your floors stay looking better longer.

 

Reduce Your Screen Time

Checking social media and news can eat through so much time! We monitor our kids screen time, but we should also see how much checking our phone or email is eating through hours of our weeks. Checking you email first thing in the morning and then checking it once at the end of your workday will keep you on top of most important tasks. If it’s a work emergency someone will call or text along with emailing you usually.

 

Binge-watching Netflix or endlessly scrolling through social media eats through so much time. There are some great apps for your phone and also your desktop computer that will help you monitor your screen time much like Bark helps parents limit sites kids visit and  their kid’s screen time.

 

Know When You’re Most Productive

 

Knowing when you are at your best for tasks at home or work really is a time saving hack! Each of us has a best time of day that we know we are more on our game. and it’s using that time wisely because we will be our most productive and efficient. Some of us are morning people and other people don’t hit their stride till afternoon, knowing what is your best time helps lower stress and helps get your tasks done quicker and saves you time.

 

Have an In-Use Cup or Glass Area

Just like some clothes don’t need to be washed after very wearing, using a cup or glass once and then washing it takes more time, uses more energy, and water. If you have a place on your cutting board or window sill to put in-use cups it does save you time and loading and unloading the dishwasher.

Probably one of the most time-saving hacks is delegating your house cleaning to Crystal Clear Home. When you think what you could do with an extra 2-4 hours a week and then multiply that by 52 weeks a year, we can save you 104-208 hours a year, that’s a lot of time to use doing something you love and spending the time with those you love. Give us a call for a FREE estimate at 707-827-3316 or fill out our FREE estimate form on our homepage and one of our cleaning professionals will be in touch promptly to answer your questions and free up your time!