[Ed.: You'll love these. They make so much sense. And you'll
have a good laugh at No. 21! And you'll love No. 23,
especially. (No peeking, you've got to read them in
sequence!)]
Another year has come, and gone, so let's talk about time
— that is saving it, so that next year we won't wonder
where it all went. And with a bit extra, we can always find
some worthwhile way to spend it.
So some tips:
1. Buy anything that you can in bulk. You save shopping time
and often money. Things that can be bought in bulk and don't
take up much room include: school supplies, envelopes,
stamps, greeting cards, nylons, toiletries, kippa
clips, hairpins, and notebooks.
2. Buy several gifts at once. Either for the same
person/different occasion or different people/same
occasion.
3. Have a specific place for everything. We spend so much
time looking for things, which we could save if we knew where
everything was. Have a hook for housekeys, a glasses holder
for your glasses, and a bookmark for your place in a book.
4. Throw a party! If you have no time to see your friends,
throw a potluck dinner for a group of them once or twice a
year.
5. Soak your dishes before you do them. This may even be
easier than loading and unloading a dishwasher.
6. Make lists! I am a devoted list-making enthusiast. It
keeps you organized in ways that nothing else can.
7. Once a week only! Wherever you have to go — library,
bank, supermarket, post office — keep your trips down
to once a week and do everything you have to at the same
time.
8. Use your phone and email. Whatever errands you can do by
phone, mail or email, do them. This also saves money.
9. Keep things you use frequently in each room. Have things
like pens, pacifiers, paper and phone numbers you call often
but don't remember in each room so you don't have to go
looking for them when you're in the middle of something.
10. Spread out major events purchases during the year. This
may sound like it would take more time but it actually
doesn't. If you buy something like balloons when you're in
the toy store anyway, then you don't have to go looking for
them when you have a birthday party. If you buy new dishes
for Pesach when you're buying new cutlery anyway, you'll have
it ready when you need it.
11. Make doubles. Have doubles ready of things you might need
like extra keys for guests — or for when you can't find
yours - glasses or contact lenses and if you find a really
comfortable pair of shoes, buy two pair.
12. Have a bank in the house. Keep a "bank" (in an obscure
place or container) with extra cash for unexpected
emergencies or for when you need extra money for a treat.
13. Order checks for the whole year. Banks limit how many
checkbooks you can order at once but you could, over the
space of a couple of weeks, order all the checkbooks you'll
need for the year. If you calculate how many checks you used
last year and order ten percent less with the promise to
yourself that you won't write more, you'll also save
money.
14. Buy at Gemachs and Bazaars. If you buy things you may
need but are not sure you'll use at gemachs and bazaars, you
won't spend a lot of money, you'll have the thing if you need
it, and, you'll be donating money to a good cause.
15. Pay your bills before they come due. Preferably when they
arrive. Paying bills before they're due takes the pressure
off and eliminates fines and the time necessary to pay
them.
16. Keep the change. Most people always need to make change
for one thing or another. Put your change in a bowl or box
every day (away from small children) so that when you need
small change you'll have it. This can also double as your
"bank" if you do it every day.
17. Keep an inventory. Ever spend time looking for something
and then remember you lent it to someone? Keep a written
inventory of everything you borrow or lend out. That way,
you'll know where everything is.
18. Cook in bulk and freeze. But before you freeze, separate
into smaller portions and label, of course.
19. Prepack. We spend a lot of wasted time packing and
unpacking. Have a prepacked bag ready for places you go
regularly. These can be bags for: the park, standard birthday
or bar mitzvah gifts, a trip to the maternity hospital or a
weekend trip.
20. Attractive Storage. Kids will be more inclined to keep
their rooms neat and their things in place if they have nice
containers, boxes or small bags for their possessions. This
saves cleanup time and cleanup nagging time.
21. Make like a monkey. Well, King Solomon did exhort us to
learn from the animals. You can line up the kids one behind
another in the morning and have them comb each other's hair.
They'll probably have a laugh and get it done more quickly.
This saves oodles of time, if you can get them to comb for
lice this way and you can just do the last nit picks.
22. Double up. Put things you have to do where you do other
things. If you have to sew on a button, or sort laundry you
can do it while you're on the phone. You can grade tests,
while you're in a waiting room. You can file your nails,
while you're filling the tub.
23. Relax. Time taken to relax should be sacred for
relaxation. Of course you could relax by doing two relaxing
things at once — reading a book while having coffee or
doing a crossword puzzle in the bathroom.
24. Call ahead. So much time is wasted when we're given the
wrong information. Call even three times to make sure you
have the right info regarding times, what you need to bring
and whether this trip is necessary at all. If the post office
is really open today.
25. Take delivery. Whatever you can have delivered, have
delivered: your groceries, your computer supplies,
Yated . . .
26. Calculate. Before you let anything into your home, figure
out how much time this thing is going to cost you. If it
needs special maintenance, reconsider.
27. Go digital. Digital cameras are smaller, more fun and
cheaper to use than regular cameras because you only print
the pictures you like. You also have to visit the photo shop
less often to print them, buy film or make reprints.
28. Share your burdens. Isn't it kind of silly that my
neighbor and I both go to the other side of town to get
something and then go to the opposite side of town for
something else? If neighbors and friends pooled their
errands, they would spend less time in transit. Everyone
takes a different part of town and runs errands for everybody
else. This takes a bit of management, but can pay off big.
29. Divvy it up. When faced with overwhelming tasks, we tend
to procrastinate rather than accelerate. If we divide up
large looming tasks into small increments, we can get the job
done sometimes faster even if we do it in small allotments of
time.
30. Email. If you email instead of call and have broadband
connection, you not only save the cost of the phone call, you
save the time of polite chitchat that accompanies every call.
If the person isn't home, you don't have to wonder whether
they got the message and communication is more efficient if
all you want to do is convey a byte of information.
31. Be productive! We all have hours in which we have spurts
of energy or use our time better for certain things. If we
maximize those times, we'll spend both less energy and less
time.
32. Say "Please!" It is human nature that if you take the
time to be considerate and polite, the other person will be
more inclined to make things easier for you. If you are
dependent on someone for their services or assistance, take
the time to make them feel appreciated.
33. Look into the future, as it says in Pirkei Ovos,
and be forewarned. You usually get the message that something
is going to happen before it does. If your washing machine
starts acting up and it looks like the repairman is
boycotting you, begin looking around for a new machine.
You'll be better able to make a decision about what to buy
when it isn't at the last minute.
You should have lots more time at your disposal if you follow
even some of these tips. Use it well!
[Part II next year — for Succos edition.]
