Don't wipe!

sewob

Don't leave stuff for tomorrow.
Catch up with books you've left midway at the barbers, in long queues, during commercials, etc.
If it takes less than ten minutes [that can be spared] , then do it right now.
Don't read Lifehacker/Gizmodo for too long :)
Prioritize.
Don't multi=task if you've got ADD. You start out with three jobs, attempt six, get none done.
Calm down.
Take breaks, but limit yourself.
Don't procrastinate.

Nabeel

Make all movement productive. Don't repeat steps. When moving from one locale, like the office or bedroom, to another figure out what needs to leave with you.

When doing commando style cleaning of my house doing this gets more done in less time.

quail

I hack commercial breaks. I can:

Brush my teeth
Floss my teeth
Take out the garbage
Unload the dishwasher
Go to the bathroom.

By the time my show is over, I'm ready for bed!

I hack my shower by soaping up with liquid soap while waiting for the water to get hot. Then, I'm essentially just rinsing off once I get in. By the time I've shampooed my hair, I'm all clean. :)

I brush my teeth in the shower too. No need to use toothpaste to just run a brush over the teeth and tongue a couple times.

Maulleigh

think ahead and focus

leomaz

measure twice cut once

prioritize early and often

if it can be done in 2 mins do it now

drfrog666

Don't own much stuff (the less you have the less you need to clean/store).

The stuff you do own should be well made and maintained (less likely to have to repair/replace).

teqz

@Maulleigh: now that's efficient. i like the commercial break hacks, cause i always feel guilty when i'm watching t.v. instead of doing something. i'm gonna try that out tonight.

startswithone1

Make multiple meals at once: If you make enough for three or four meals, that costs less and you can eat it for lunch and dinner over two days (if you can stand the tedium).

Make multiple lunches at once: Make and freeze sandwiches for a week all at once, then take them out as needed. Or, chop a bunch of vegetables at once and keep them in a container in your fridge to eat salad for two or three days.

Do housework while doing the laundry: If you have a washer and drier at home, do all your cleaning during the 90-120 minutes it takes to wash and dry clothes. It's multitasking, and the time limit encourages you to get things done faster.

Don't use elbow grease on kitchen grease: boil soapy water and soak dirty dishes instead of scrubbing.

Wash and wear: Buy cotton casuals that pass for work and casual wear rather than anything that needs dry cleaning (which is one more chore).

Get your news on RSS or by phone: If you're a news junkie, make a widget or personal feed to get stories important to you, and read them on your phone or PDA while on the bus or subway, or at lunch.

Watch TV while eating: If you must do an empty activity, do one that fills you at the same time.

Do physical activities with your friends: Socialize while you work out by jogging, playing sports or bike riding together. Having partners will also encourage you to keep doing it, plus it means one less trip to the gym.

P_Smith

If there is one thing that has saved me time, it's getting rid of my television. This added 10+ hours to my week and I don't miss it at all.

shonufftheshogun

Don't watch the election return coverage. Just wait until the next day and read the final results. It doesn't really matter if you go a few hours without knowing who won, does it now?

If you think you enjoy the drama, think again. It is not like a competition such as a football game where the results are decided while you watch. With a few exceptions, everyone has already voted. And even then, you're not watching the voting--just the counting.

Wayne Goode

Many people waste other people's time because they don't actually know (or in some cases care) how much time any given activity takes. For example, they think "It takes ten minutes to drive downtown." But they don't add in the time necessary to walk to the car, get in, adjust the seats, and back out of the driveway, and they don't add in the time to find a parking place, park the car and walk to the destination. So they don't budget the proper amount of time to get things done. For some people this means being chronically late and wasting everyone else's time.

Nobody should wait for a chronic latecomer. If they're not where they're supposed to be at the time they're supposed to be there, tough beansies.

infmom

@Maulleigh: Shave in the shower too. I used to use a mirror, but soon it's not necessary. It takes about two minutes in the shower, and saves 5-10.

tgrantt

@infmom:

Correct. Punctuality is important because it's not just your time, but it's other people's time as well.

Showing up late is disrespect for someone else's resources.

mpantone

@infmom: I agree. Especially as someone who used to be chronically late. Guess what helped me figure out that I was really late! (not 1 or 2 min)

Archnemesis_Goldenhair

I leave my ties tied. Just slip 'em over my head without untying. Saves a good bit of time in the mornings.

Fitwit

Hey! I have that clock.. it's awesome, and has a built in timer, which is great for not wasting time ;)

See?!

[ecx.images-amazon.com]

BingleyJoe

Don't bother with viewing election coverage at all. Make your own sock puppets and have fun.

mballai

Do not multitask. It's totally overrated. Studies have shown that you actually do a poorly job by multitasking, rather than focusing on tasks individually.

mpantone

@Archnemesis_Goldenhair: We used to joke that my mom would be 20 minutes late for her own funeral. She could NEVER get anywhere on time, and it was ALWAYS someone else's fault. Even when we started without her or left without her she never did get the idea.

She wasn't late to the funeral but that's because we had it more than a month after she left. :)

infmom

@Archnemesis_Goldenhair: I'm going to guess... a watch? Or someone flat out told you?

I'd like to know because I have a friend we're trying to break of this habit.

ugly

@Maulleigh: I used to do this, but found that using mythtv to cut commercials out completely (and skip intro's etc.) was key. an hour long program only takes 40 minutes, and I'm pretty certain that the other 20 minutes that you'd get by doing chores in line are more efficient focused.

ugly

@shonufftheshogun: Since my kids took over the teevee, I am a lot more productive. Watch the TV on the Web? Network TV? Watching paint dry is more entertaining and more uplifting.

DangerousLiberal

Also, stop being a total pig.

Stop snacking, stop walking to the soda machine, stop dining at fast food places. If you intend on working this stuff off with exercise, you are far better off not putting it in your body to begin with.

By eating less, you will have to spend less time trying to work it all off. That is time saved in a major way.

mpantone

@shonufftheshogun: I second to the above. Accepting TV back into my life would require me to give up some of the stimulative, creative or productive pastimes I've acquired and developed during my 14 years without the tube. TV's passivizing effect is downright scary.

tietoukka

@sewob: I needed a chuckle. Thanks

JonGrant

I do all my telephone calls while commuting...

whoisvaibhav

@sewob: LOL

whoisvaibhav

For those who eat boiled Egg and drink Coffee in the morning. Place and Egg or 2 in the coffee decanter prior to making coffee. Wash the Eggs prior to placing them in your decanter start your brewing. Take your shower or shave by the time you get back your coffee is brewed and your eggs should be done. (never actually used this read it in a article from www.philly.com Dan Brown personal finance) But he said he did it all the time. YMMV!

BigDASH

The person who said don't procrastinate has the best advice. A little bit more on this subject and a few other bits of advice. "If you want work well done, select a busy man - the other kind has no time." - Elbert Hubbard Try to be that busy man. Increase the speed at which you operate, the faster you move the more you will get done. Don't hesitate, make decisions quickly. When you're walking to your desk, bathroom, car. Don't stroll to it, walk with speed. Do things NOW. Do not EVER procrastinate, do everything now. This has large application to emails and mail. If you read an email and put it off to responding later, you will most likely have to read, or at least glance through the email again, and so you've just wasted time reading it. I try to remind myself of the motto every day "Do it NOW." Seriously. If you put this off, you will get backed up big time.

WinonaHippolyta

Cooking: learn to use a pressure cooker, plan your meals and snacks, use your freezer to freeze prepared meals (make double of whatever you are making and freeze the extra). Laundry: buy inexpensive laundry hampers and sort into them frequently, return laundry unfolded to owners--every time you do something for a child that they can do for themselves, you are depriving them of learning or making good habits, and wasting your time. Family Chores: Learn to delegate age appropriate tasks. Make lists. Understand what time wasters TV and most internet is--it's not worth loosing sleep over.

ArdelisMedea

Put your stuff into one of two categories;
Urgent
and
Important

Do the important stuff
Urgent stuff can wait...until it's important.

muddypaws

@sewob:

Holy crap!

thegsusfreek

I rub one off while brushing my teeth, this saves approximately 1 minute for me to do other things later in the day ;)

I prepare my breakfast (egg white omelet) the night before, this way when I wake up all I have to do is throw it in the microwave and it's ready in 45 seconds. I also do my hair the night before and if it's a bit messy in the morning all you have to do is use a water bottle or some more gel to manage the pillow head which only takes a few seconds...

Shady

@P_Smith: "Make multiple meals at once: If you make enough for three or four meals, that costs less and you can eat it for lunch and dinner over two days (if you can stand the tedium)."

Tedium? Just freeze the meals and you can eat them a month later! A safe bet is that it is good up to 3 months!

Trinsec

Plan ahead the best time and route to avoid traffic.
And do things in masses. It helps cut down time wasted on repetitive task.

chrisyeoh

Make a list of things to do for tomorrow before you go to bed. works wonders for me!

birdofterror

I can't believe no one's mentioned these simple ones that will save you tons of time. Don't watch TV or play video games.

RaniaPelops

"Wherever you are - be all there." ~ Jim Elliot.

We have swallowed the myth of multitasking and become a very unproductive bunch of ADD-wanabes. We think trying to text and drive, for instance, is a good use of our time. Schwarzenegger has it right on that one.
In general, though, studies show that focusing on one thing at at time produces a better result. What do you want *your* air traffic controller thinking about?

Disambiguator

Tivo shows. Watch it the next day. Cuts down 33% of time for watching the show.

mynamesafad

@undefined: Agred! Studies have shown that smoking pot hurts your performance less than multitaskin!

nixarn

Use a bike to commute. You're actually saving time.
Because you're getting from one place to another, working out and having fun at the same time. And psychotherapy for some. And saving money on top of everything.

fonfa