5 Simple Ways to Reclaim Over an Hour of Your Time Every Day

Who wouldn’t love having more time in their day? After all, we have so much on our plates that it often seems like there just isn’t enough time to manage everything. When you try to rush around, fitting everything into your day, it can cause an overwhelming amount of stress and frustration.

What if there was a way you can get some of that time back? Well, I’m sharing five simple ways to reclaim over an hour of your time every day. These little tricks will help you put more time away so you can tackle more things on your to-do list or even just take some time to relax.

1. Pomodoro Technique

One great way to boost your productivity is through the Pomodoro technique. If you haven’t heard of it before, it’s a simple tactic that’ll help you complete all those lengthy tasks on your to-do list and also allow you to effectively manage your time. It’ll help you plan your day, make the most of the time you have, and also eliminate any burnout you may normally experience.

It works by splitting your day into 25-minute chunks. During that chunk of time, you’ll focus only on the task at hand. You won’t switch to something else or allow yourself to get distracted. You have those 25 minutes of focused work to accomplish as much as you can. There are also breaks in between those chunks, which allow you to rest and clear your mind before getting back to work.

The benefit of this technique is that it tricks your brain into thinking you’re not doing something that’s boring and tedious by since the breaks keep you feeling energized and refreshed.

2. Get Rid of All Your Distractions

The reality is, there are distractions all around us. And you might not realize just how much of your time they’re sucking up each and every day. In fact, research has shown that distractions can take nearly 25 minutes more of your time to return to the original task. That’s why it’s so important to eliminate any distractions that are pulling your attention away from what you’re trying to do. Without the distractions, you can remain focused and ultimately accomplish more.

However, you might be wondering what you can do to eliminate the distractions in your life. Through personal experience, I’ve found that focus-draining websites such as Facebook and Twitter are the worst interferences in my day. To combat this, you can use apps like StayFocused or Freedom (which is for your phone). They work by blocking all those time-wasting sites for certain amounts of time so you can work without temptation.

3. Try Using a Meal Delivery Service

Another trick to help you reclaim over an hour of your time every day is to use a meal delivery service. Instead of stressing about cooking every day, you can let a service such as Pantry Fuel handle all the work for you. 

The reason why meal delivery services are great time savers is because it takes less work off your plate. And that ultimately puts more time back in your day. That means you don’t have to stress out or even think about trying to plan your meals—it’s already done for you.

4. Boost Your Energy

Sometimes it’s just not an option to remove things from your to-do list. When you’re busy and have a ton of stuff that needs to be done, you simply have to power through it. One of the best ways to do that is to boost your energy so you’ll have the motivation to tackle it all.

You can increase your energy levels in a number of ways, but one of the best tricks I’ve found is to try using a nootropic. A nootropic is a supplement that provides some additional brain-boosting power to get you through your day. Think of it like an energy drink for your mind without all the caffeine that causes a crash. They can help you think more clearly, increase your focus, and of course, give you an energy boost. Not only that, but some can help improve your memory, put you in a better mood, and even reduce feelings of anxiety.

There are tons of nootropics on the market today, so you’ll want to do your research to determine which one is right for you. Pay close attention to the ingredients they contain, the benefits they promise, and reviews from customers who have tried it before. That’ll give you a good indication of which one could help you out the most.

5. Delegate or Outsource What’s Taking Up Your Time

Another way to get more of your time back is to figure out which tasks are using up the majority of your day. Then, you can try delegating or outsourcing some of them. It’ll free up time for you to tackle other things on your to-do list. And then you’ll be able to accomplish so much more!

Some things you can try delegating to someone else include scheduling appointments, making reservations, answering phone calls, or conducting research. A virtual assistant can help you do all of these things, making your day go much more smoothly. You can even have someone respond to all those lingering emails in your inbox, which is a major time saver.

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Written by Dan Scalco, who is the founder and marketing director at Digitalux, a digital-marketing agency located in Hoboken, N.J. In his free time he blogs about focus, productivity, and nootropics at BrainWiz.org.  He is best known as a contributing author for Inc. Magazine, Huffington Post, and Entrepreneur publications.