We would all love to have an extra hour every day. I know I would! Read on for a few simple ways to save time and give you that extra hour.

#1 – Keep all of your passwords and log-ins organized and easily accessible. One way to do this is to keep them in your address book. How this works is you simply make a new “contact” for each of your accounts. In the notes section write in the URL, password and log-in and any other notes pertaining to that account. Set up a code to keep them secure in the event that someone gets their hands on your address book. For example, your code system could be that you make the first and last digits or letters bogus. Your real password is what is in between the first and last digits or letters.

#2 – Simplify Your Email Inbox! There are three types of email: 1. Junk mail. 2. Emails that require an immediate response or action. 3. Emails you want to read or are interesting in content (but do not require immediate action).

Immediately delete the junk mail and respond to the important emails, if you can. Make a “To Read” folder. “Reference” emails should go in a corresponding “Reference” folder. Have a goal to clean out your inbox at the end of every day to keep all your email traffic from getting out of control, or deleting that important email that’s in the middle of the junk mail. When possible, address urgent emails immediately. Never feel obligated to read email forwards, or to even open them! If you do find an email forward interesting in content, make a “To Read” folder and place those types of emails there for you to go through later. Maintain only non-urgent emails in that folder. Take care of personalized emails as quickly as you can and end the interchange when it has served its purpose. Make time at the end of every week to go through that “To Read” folder. Read what you like and delete what you do not need.

#3 – Make the next two weeks a trial period to schedule your to-do list into your daily calendar. Say there is an item on your To-Do list that requires you to “find a party equipment rental service”. So schedule that task into your week-day schedule: “Wednesday, 11:00am-11:15am, find party equipment rental service”. You’d be surprised to find that many things on your To-Do list will take less than 15 minutes, but make a point to schedule each such item for 15 minutes anyway. This leaves you with about 12 “to do” items scheduled in a 3-hour time block. You will most likely accomplish everything on the list early and will have had time to handle unexpected interruptions, like bad traffic and family issues. As a rule, the time frame in which you allow yourself to complete a task is usually how much time it will take. Give yourself two hours for your To-Do list and you will probably get the list done in two hours. Plan it to take you all day and it will most likely take you all day.

When you focus your energy and give yourself a little deadline, you will get more done in less time and usually do it better. It’s like finishing that 5-page college research paper in one night.