9 Tips to Make the Most of Your Day ...

We all have them — those friends that just want to call you up and chat about their day or pour out their life's problems on you. Or that co-worker who won't stop asking you what to do about her 13-year-old daughter dilemmas. Or even the cashier who is going on and on about the lovely weather! There's nothing wrong with small talk, but only in its place! People who ramble on and on can cut up to 30 minutes each out of your day. Be polite and kind, but cut those ramblers off and move on with your day!

Do you tend to hit the snooze button? More than once? I know I sure do! There's absolutely nothing wrong with needing to or simply wanting to, but the truth is, that snooze button can cut precious minutes off your morning. One great tip to make the most of your day involves tricking that pesky button. Decide what time you need to be up by in order to get ready and get to work on time, then set the alarm for 10 minutes EARLIER than that time. That way, you don't oversleep and you still get to "snooze"!

Yes, when you are at work, you need to check your messages often so you don't miss an important memo or revision. But do you realize that checking every single time you get a new message cuts a bunch of time out of your day and slows down productivity? Here's what you can do about that to make the most of your day! Set certain time frames during the day to check your messages and then only check them during those times. If you don't want to take a chance missing something from your boss, adjust your email alerts to let you know who the message is from when your little notification pops up.

I don't think many people realize just how much time they waste each day watching TV. It's easy to do when you tell yourself, "Oh, just one more episode." But then it turns into two. Or three! Here's a suggestion for you. Try not turning on your TV for one week. I know, it sounds crazy! But only watch DVD's, and only one per day. You may not realize how much of your time is being sucked away by the tube, but I guarantee you will after this little experiment!

Ugh, mornings! I hate them! My husband and I both need to be at work by 7 a.m., so it makes for rough mornings with crunched time. However, there are a few things you can do to speed up your beauty routine. Take your showers at night to save time blowing out your hair. Choose your clothes the night before so you don't have a "what to wear" dilemma. Figure out which makeup items you use each day so you can put them in their own little bag and save time digging through your bottomless collection. And to save time in the long run? Get a monthly wax to save time shaving, use facial masks to cut down on your acne flare-ups, and try a manicure with CND shellac which are chip-free for up to a month.

Don't wait till the last minute to get something done! Procrastination usually results in you spending all day focused on one thing. Instead, work on your projects a little each day. And don't try and stay late at the office finishing up. Give yourself a deadline to leave work and then meet that deadline. Staying late can result in you feeling overwhelmed and rushing home only to stress more about what you didn't get done rather than feeling accomplished for what you did finish with your day.

One of my best tips to make the most of your day is to utilize the wasted hours you have. Wasted hours? Yes! The time spent in your vehicle, commuting back and forth to work or on errands, time spent on the treadmill at the gym, and time on your lunch break at work. You can squeeze every last drop out of these minutes as well! Combine your trips to the gym with a friend or a sweetheart in order to catch up on your social life. Use your time commuting in the car to make phone calls you've been needing to make or set up appointments. Use your lunch break to run errands or write birthday cards to family members.

Remember the two-minute rule: If something can be done in two minutes, do it right away so it's out of your way and off of your mind. For example, taking out your garbage, reminding your co-workers about the noon meeting, signing your child's papers from school, calling to confirm your dentist appointment and so on. By getting these small tasks out of the way early in the day while they are fresh on your brain, you will eliminate mid-day drag that comes with doing these tiny mundane tasks!

One of my top tips for making the most of your day is making time to relax. If you never make time to unwind, you won't rest well during the night, and that's not a good start to your next day! So allow yourself to let it all go and chill in the evenings, and don't bring work home if you can avoid it! Don't forget the things in life that are most important — and that's family, laughter, and love!

These tips to make the most of your day are just small things that most people don't think about. But just try following these suggestions for one day and just see if they don't make a difference in your times saved (or wasted!) and in your productivity levels. Please comment below if you love my article! Plus, how do you save time? Let me know!

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