After I had a good handle on the physical clutter in our home, my time, my to-do lists needed a major rehaul. And it was certainly not one and done. I’m unlearning and relearning new habits and reassessing as life goes on. And how often do I put way more on my to-do list than the time that I’m given? I think it’s because I am optimistic. A few of these decluttering time ideas I read recently on Becoming Minimalist’s blog – Joshua Becker, one of the minimalist leaders who inspire me. Today on the blog, I’m sharing with you six ways to declutter your time.
1. Turn off your screens or limit them.
I don’t know about you, but for me, this can be a real-time suck. Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes. An hour can pass by so quickly while on screens. Turning off screens and setting boundaries about when screens are used can be one way to declutter your time. I remember reading in The Five Second Rule how Mel Robbins set her phone away at a certain time every night and didn’t pick up until a certain time in the morning, for instance.
2. Cross off nonpriority tasks on your to-do list.
How often do I put way more on my daily to-do list? One thing I have done is to, as much as possible, push non-priority tasks to the weekend or to a later date. The book Eat that Frog! was also another book that helped me with learning better skills for time management and learning how to better prioritize.
3. Pick one hobby, downtime activity at a time.
I’m creative, so this is a good rule of thumb for me. Focusing on one at a time will also likely save you money if your hobbies are more physical type ones. Bonus!
4. Say no to things that don’t align with your values.
Keep a running list of your values and goals and anytime you are presented with an opportunity or asked to do something, you can quickly know if it’s aligned. Obviously do what works for you too, but having a values list can be so helpful with discerning. If you are unsure of your values, my blog How to Discover Your Values will help on starting to discover them.
5. Delegate more.
If you can pass along a task to someone else, this would be a way to free up more time for yourself. Sometimes it’s easier said than done though, as this is an area I struggle with often.
6. Plan multiple errands, one after another.
We’ve been trying to get most of our grocery errands done within one day or two, depending, for instance. This will help free up time for us compared to doing weekly grocery runs.
PS if this is a struggle for you, you may like what my mail list is receiving for their freebie Friday. The simple guide to finding more time and an attached worksheet. If you’re not on it yet (why not? ), you can email me your email at simplehomemom@gmail.com and I can email you that directly.
Hi, I’m Kelly! I’m a mother of four children - three boys, one toddler girl - and our family lives on the beautiful east coast of Canada. I’m a past elementary teacher, turned stay at home, work at home mom eight years ago after I had my second child. I’ve found that the busier I’ve become and as my children age, that it’s become even more important to figure out what is most important to me and us as a family. Living a simpler lifestyle has helped us in so many ways in our home life - from better routines to faster tidying up times. It has been through my children that I have been inspired to learn how to effectively manage my time and to simplify in all areas of my home and life. I enjoy helping busy moms simplify home life by teaching flexible planning methods and skills. Enjoyed this blog and think it would be helpful to others? I'd love if you shared it. Thank you!