We all have time-wasters that make us feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. Between work, spending time with friends, and enjoying much-needed alone time, it can feel impossible to check everything off your to-do list.
The good news is you can eliminate many of the time-wasting tasks on your to-do list, thanks to subscription services and outsourcing that you may not have yet considered. Use the following ideas to get rid of pesky tasks and start doing more of the things you enjoy.
1. Cleaning your home
There’s nothing worse than spending a sunny Saturday cleaning the baseboards of your apartment. Luckily, you can hire a cleaning service to help you check off your household cleaning chores.
The best part is, websites like Angie’s List, Thumbtack and Home Advisor are great for finding local, highly-rated cleaning services that are both affordable and trust-worthy.
If you don’t have the budget to hire a cleaning service to come weekly, consider hiring someone to come every two weeks or even just once a month for a deep clean that will last you several weeks. You’ll feel less guilty about not getting more cleaning done on your busiest weeks because you know someone else will take care of it.
2. Grocery shopping
Thanks to technology, you can grocery shop at some of your favorite stores while binge-watching your favorite shows. Many nation-wide grocery stores now offer delivery services. You order online and someone brings it to your front door. Tough Nickel rated the pros and cons of online grocery shopping, noting conveniences like avoiding crowds and a short, two-hour delivery window as pros worth considering.
If you want to save even more time, sign up for a meal-planning delivery service, like Home Chef or Plated. These deliver pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to your home weekly, saving you meal-prep time and trips to the grocery store.
3. Doing laundry
How many fun activities have you turned down because you’ve had to do laundry on a Sunday night? The conversation always goes the same, “I really want to go, but I don’t have any X for this week—I need to buy more or do my laundry!”
Rather than waste time watching minutes on the washing machine pass by, use a nearby wash and fold service instead. The benefits of using a wash and fold services extend way beyond saving time, as well, according to 10 Reasons to Use a Wash and Fold Service, including:
- Lower monthly water and electricity bill
- Longer-lasting clothes
- Flexible scheduling
- No folding
- No more nights at the laundromat
4. Waiting in line
There’s nothing more frustrating than pulling up to a popular new restaurant and seeing a never-ending line of hangry people wrapped around the block. Don’t let this throw a good night for a loop. Instead, use an all that let’s you to skip the line. Nowait shows the current wait times for nearby places to eat, and you can even put yourself on the wait list of right from your device.
Now, you can save your place in line in no matter where you are, whether you’re home on the couch or shopping nearby.
5. Planning and organizing
Have you been tasked with planning your best friend’s bachelorette or have a busy month of work ahead of you, and know most other priorities will fall to the wayside? It may sound extreme, but consider hiring a virtual assistant to help.
From travel planning to organizing events and responding to emails, a virtual assistant can help you do just about anything—and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Virtual assistants can be hired for as little as an hour, and sometimes, even just one or two more hours in the week is helpful. Still not sold? Check out this article from Victor Mathieux, who starts by saying, “One year ago I hired my first virtual assistant, and I’m never going back.”
Eliminate tasks once and for all
Take back your precious time and use these five solutions for eliminating pesky, time-wasting activities from your to-do list. You’ll feel more relaxed and get it all done, at the same time—something you may have never thought was possible.
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