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Twelve Tips To Save Time And Trouble

Posted: 1/21/2011

Necessity is the mother of invention and innovation: Because they are crunched for time, women are coming up with creative ways to fulfill their obligations and still see to the things that matter most.

(NAPSI) - A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for HealthyWomen, the nation’s leading independent health information source for women, reveals how women are spending their time versus how they wish they were spending it.

Women today are busier than ever. The top duties that keep women from doing the things they’d like are:

• Household chores

• Running errands

• Communicating with others

• Beauty and hygiene.

Survey Shows

The study also found:

• The largest percentage of women (38 percent) feel most pressed for time from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and one-fifth report the biggest time pressures from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., when many families are preparing for and eating dinner, as well as finishing up tasks from the day

• When asked which activities kept them from doing the things they wanted to do, almost half of the women surveyed cited domestic chores. A similar number cited paying bills or running errands. And almost a quarter included activities such as making phone calls, texting and e-mailing as significant time sinks.

• If they had more time, the majority of women would use it for entertainment, such as reading, watching TV and using the Internet. Most women would also choose to spend time with friends or family, and 46 percent on physical activities such as working out or running.

• Health and hygiene are more time-consuming for younger women. Younger women also are much more likely to say that personal hygiene takes up too much time, and dealing with their menstrual cycle keeps them from doing the things they want to do.

Time-Savers

To help, here are HealthyWomen’s Top 12 Time-Saving Tips:

1. Make Friday leftover night. You’ll clean out the fridge and save time and money.

2. Use TV commercial breaks to squeeze in end-of-day chores—sort laundry, start the washer, vacuum a room, unload the dishwasher, organize the kitchen counter.

3. Sign up for free automatic bill-paying services for all recurring bills such as utility bills, and so on. Then set up an online bank account for free, one-click payment of all other bills—it saves time, postage and gas.

4. Combine as many errands as you can into one outing, grouping them by location and reducing travel time.

5. Ask for help. Keep a list of your errands and an ear open in case your spouse, relative or friend is headed to the same place.

6. Ride your bike, walk or run as you do errands, eliminating the need to take time to exercise later.

7. Set a schedule and establish boundaries throughout the day. For example, at the beginning of each conversation, tell others how much time you have available, such as saying, “I’m glad you called but I’ve only got about 10 minutes to chat...”

8. Make e-mail more efficient. Unsubscribe from junk e-mails for an inbox with just the information you want and you’ll spend less time deleting the stuff you don’t.

9. Take public transportation to work and use that time to read, update your to-do list or answer personal e-mails.

10. Don’t shampoo every day. Your hair will be healthier and shinier and your shower will be shorter.

11. Keep your period light—at least packing for it. You can safely wear an Instead Softcup menstrual cup all day, which saves time changing and packing your feminine protection.

12. Set your clothes out the night before. Don’t waste time trying on different outfits or having to iron at the busiest time of the day.

Learn More

To see more tips and learn about menstrual cups, visit HealthyWomen at www.healthywomen.org. Softcups are available at major drug stores including CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Duane Reade.

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