Time Saving Tips

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Time Saving Tips

Unless you happen to be Victoria Beckham it's unlikely that you've got a personal assistant, dedicated chef and fitness instructor on hand to keep you organised, fit and healthy. In fact, most of us struggle to fit a five-minute tea break into our busy days let alone exercise and eat a wholesome meal. To help you get more out of your day we've gathered together our favourite time saving tips that could keep you feeling fabulous.

- Featured tip:

- Featured tip:

- Featured tip:

Save Water: Take your morning shower with your partner or kid(s) to save water!!

A place for everything: A place for everything and everything in its place! Don't just abandon stuff around the house, make a conscious decision to "home" it - you'll then be able to lay your hands on your stuff (& the kids') with no wasted looking time, freeing up bags of time & less stress induced panic!

Store your washing!: Don't keep dirty clothes in the laundry basket, just store them inside your washing machine. When full just turn the washing machine on!

Save and freeze: Save any leftovers and freeze them where possible as they make good dinners if you're in on your own one day. Also, I make all of our packed lunches at the start of the week and freeze them - taking them out each morning and they defrost by lunchtime.

Shower and clean!: my best time saver is ...aftre my shower in the morning, i always spray the cubicle with shower cleaner. once i have dried myself and got ready i return to the shower and use the shower head to spray down, 2 jobs done at 1 time. gleaming me and gleaming shower!

'To do' lists...: Write up a quick 'to do' list 10 minutes before you leave work, then go home relaxed, knowing it won't all disappear from your brain!

Quick garlic fix: If you want to save a bit of time peeling garlic, then soak a few cloves in a bowl of warm water for about ten minutes prior to using and you'll have them peeled in no time!

Buy e-cloths: i bought "e cloths " from the local supermarket, and they work wonders, i use them for cleaning my stainless steel in the kitchen, and for cleaning my windows, they save a lot of time and money

Multitask!: Multitask do it all at once then you can use the time you saved to relax and play. For example wash up whilst your cooking its so easy to stop and stir the food every 5 seconds and you can even wash up things as you finish with them. Or Stick a bag to your hoover handle or arm and then you can pick up rubbish or mess to sort as you hoover. Just remember to make the most of the time you save!

Use a basket..: Leave an empty basket at the bottom of the stairs everything that needs taking upstairs can be placed in the basket and taken with you in one trip. Saves all those wasted journeys up and down the stairs. You do the same for items you need to take downstairs and place these in a basket you keep on the landing

Brush your teeth in the shower!: I always brush my teeth in the shower... and the toothbrush also doubles as a microphone if I'm in a really good mood! It saves time with the hairdryer later!

Set your watch early: set your watch and alarm clock at least 5 minutes ahead,you'll never be late,miss a bus or train,and its nice to know when you wake up on a day off with a bit of extra time in bed!

Combine cleaning and fitness: Save time by combining housework and daily tasks with fitness for an extra boost - stretch, dance and work out as you go, and see how fast those chores get done!

Excercise at work: I dont have time to go to the gym.So i bought a large exercise ball,which i use instead of a chair infront of the computer.I'm constantly moving around on it giving my bum,tum and legs a good workout throughout the day

Iron and layout: Iron and layout clothes ready for the next day

Don't look back: The best time saving tip I was ever given: never leave a room without looking to see if there's something you can take with you.

Smoother legs for longer: put baby oil on you legs when they are wet after a showwer and they will look silky but the hair will take longer to grow back

prepare your clothes: I lay out my clothes that i am going to wear the night before- it is all i can do to get up in the morning never mind making fashion choices!

Super fast shower: To have a quick but effective shower, shampoo your hair first, then apply conditionner and face wash/mask but don't rinse yet. Do your legs using a Wilkinson Sword Intuition Plus and then rinse everything off. Ready in less than 10 minutes!

time to chill: To chill have a bath and read a book then you get your wash and relaxation time even if its just a 15 minute bath that you have time for.

quick dinners: When I'm in a hurry, and need dinner fast - i make a stir fry - I boil up some noodles, then fry up some veg with - dinner in 10 mins and not too bad for you!!

play: play on the nintendo wii with the kids, you'll lose weight while having fun and spending time with the family.

be switched on: switch on the oven before starting to prepare dinner. than the oven has warmed up, by the time you need to put it in

get it straight: this might be just a bit of commen sense but i always wash, blow dry and straighten my hair the night before. so in the morning all i have to do is the run the brush through it, or put it a style that you are use to.

pack a bag: have a seperate toiletry bag packed ready to grab when going to the gym or weekends away

Brush your teeth: Brush your teeth in the bath!

don't be a mug: If your mugs or cups have got stains put them in a washing up bowl with 2 dental cleaning tablets with hot water & soak overnight.

key to time saving!: Always put keys in the same place - saves hunting in the mornings!

made up!: If you wake up late in the morning and havn't got time to wash your hair dab and blend some sheer powder into the roots using a blush brush,it will absord the oil.

fruity treat: Prepare fruit and veg on a Sunday night for the week ahead. veg are ready to cook regardless of how busy and a large bowl of fresh fruit salad is a quick and nutritious snack anytime of day.

daily bag: I have a "daily" bag for cosmetics/toiletries etc for the stuff I use every day - saves rummaging forever trying to find the items you need

pack up the night before: my tip is if you have children and always fine the morning a rush then to get all the clothes and bags ready the night before including your own

work out: I do my leg and arm exercises whilst cooking tea. Press ups against the bench, and leg raises whilst holding on to the bench, all while things are cooking nicely on the hob. Even if you have managed to do them earlier in the day then this is a top up!!

make up: Empty your makeup bag onto the table and put each item you use into another bag. This saves you having to rake through piles of makeup to find what you want/need.

Use babywipes: Use babywipes to clean surfaces including kitchen/bathroom, laminate floors, leather suites take marks off walls, paintwork, windowframes etc. no need for lots of products!

you smoothie: i make up a batch of fruit smoothie juice and pour it into plastic ice-lolly moulds,i can grab one out of the freezer any time to make sure i get some of my 5 a day every day and eat it on the run.the kids love them too!

Keep a notepad: Keep a notepad in the kitchen ,every time you finish an item and bin the bottle, tin etc write it down on your list.Even if you forget your list sometimes you might remember what you wrote down or you can phone home for a reminder.

pre make it!: Make up lots of fresh sandwiches freeze them in individual bags and the take out a sandwich every day for lunch, really cuts down on the time spent making up school/work packed lunch. And if you take it out in the morning it will be defrosted and yet still cool by lunchtime.

only read emails once: only read emails once, then either delete them or reply

So many mornings..: So many mornings i relectant to getting out of bed for work. Stay longer in bed by savin time on washing your hair, use dry shampoo instead :-)

tidy painting: when using a painting tray slide over a big enough plastic carrier bag then tie the handles together at the end so when you need to change colour paint it will save time because you will not need to wash out the tray inbetween.

coffee morning!: If your having coffee at a friends why not help her with her housework then you can both take a walk to get some exercise, she will do the same for you.

be organised: When you have a number of phone calls, shopping errands, bills to pay and emails to answer, the quickest way to get through these is to bunch the tasks accordingly. So, for example, deal with all your phone calls between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m., emails 10.00 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. and so on.

use dry shampoo: use dry shampoo (a spray in formula that hides greasy roots - avaialble from Boots and superdrug) to save time spent washing your hair everyday.

Write a list: Write a list at the end fo each day outlining your priorities for the next and stick to it!

group it: Make sure the toiletries you use every day are all together in the same area .

hang flat: shirts and blouses,skirts etc, hang them up straight from the dryer, whilst they are still warm ....saves ironing time.!

nail it: Do your nails in steps in the toilet at work. Every time you go to spend a penny do one thing (remove nail varnish, then file, then paint one hand, then the other). Remember to always use quick drying varnish for this task. You will stop feeling a little bit that feeling of imprisonment and make yourself look nice - even to a horrible boss. One day manicure, the other eyebrows, the other a quick facial, pedicure - and if you just want to walk away from unpleasant people for a quick 5 minutes, why not just go and floss your teeth?

do your nails: do your nails in the loo at work!

buy small gifts: buy small gifts, suitable for you child's age, whenever you see them at a good price. Store them at home, and always be ready when they suddenly tell you they're invited to a birthday party tomorrow-no more last minute rush

wash and spray: When you take a shower, start by spraying the walls with bathroom cleaner. You'll clean the shower while you use it!

have a bath: have a bath as soon as you get up you have the rest of the day to do things

Prepare: Prepare all the veg for the week at one time - blanch and freeze in microwave bags in handy portion sizes root vegetables - Put green veg sliced in portion sized microwave bags in fridge - then when needed just microwave for about 3 to 4 mins. You can also prepare green veg store in fridge in plastic containers and when needed cook the amount required in boiling water all together in one pan - for example Brussels & Broccoli - or cabbage and Brussels - does not effect the taste and as they all cook at the same time - saves on energy & washing up