With the increasing demands on our time due to family and work commitments, spending this precious commodity wisely is critical to enable us to enjoy a balanced lifestyle. It becomes a juggling act trying to find enough time to enjoy our family, friends, career and of course, life’s little luxuries.

If you are constantly juggling, here are some tips to help you create more time in your day.

• Personal Shopping – OK, some of us use shopping as a leisure activity. However, we do need to spend a certain amount of our precious time shopping for gifts and greeting cards. My tips are to buy a number of gift items during the sales and while you are there, if you see greeting cards you like, buy them in bulk. This way you will have a supply of gifts and cards on hand for any occassion. Internet shopping for gifts is also a great time saver. Don’t forget to tick the gift wrap option if available!
• Grocery Shopping – we all have to eat three meals a day, which means a lot of grocery shopping and a lot of time being used up which could be put to better use. Try planning meals in advance and ordering the necessary groceries online. Think about it, no trip to the supermarket, no triple handling of items and no struggle to carry the bags indoors. Just a few minutes online and the next day your groceries are delivered straight to the kitchen. Don’t forget you can have them delivered to the office too!
• Sitting in Traffic – Don’t you get frustrated with all the hours you waste each week sitting in your car? Perhaps you can use that time to learn a language or read a book! A range of books, both fiction and non-fiction can be purchased online or even borrowed from your local library in CD format, perfect for listening in your car. Also a great option for listening back to lectures or seminars you want to catch up on.
• To Do Lists – These aren’t just for tasks and chores. Make sure you add in fun activities and relaxing moments – it’s so important to make time for yourself.
• Date Night – Make one night each month Date Night and it doesn’t matter who you spend your night with as long as it is a loved one. It could be your partner, best friend or even your whole family, but whoever it is, it is important to make space in your life to spend quality time with the people you love.
• Give It Away – There is nothing more fulfilling than giving away one of your most precious commodities. Working with your favourite charity, local school or even helping an elderly neighbour is a wonderful use of time and helps to put your own life back into perspective. You can make a positive difference to the life of another person and that is what really matters.