Tips to gain two hours a day

BarcelonaWhat would you do if from now on your days had twenty-six hours instead of twenty-four? With these two extra hours, would you start a new hobby? Would you sleep more? Or perhaps you would do the same as you do now, but with more calm and tranquility? We propose some daily time-saving and productivity habits so that you can choose the ones you like best and dedicate this new time you can gain to doing what makes you happiest.

Do your supermarket shopping online

You save the time of going to the store and wandering through the aisles. In addition, in most stores the product you receive at home comes directly from the warehouse and has not been exposed or handled by customers previously.

Take off your shoes when you enter the house

You would hardly believe how much dirt we carry on the soles of our shoes by the end of the day. Remains of excrement that we bring into the living room or bedroom. Putting on slippers or walking barefoot relaxes your feet and mind. The floor at home will stay cleaner and we won't have to scrub it as often.

Prepare the clothes you will wear the next day

When you take off your street clothes to put on your home clothes, take advantage of the moment to prepare what you will wear the next day. You take advantage of the fact that your brain is thinking about clothes and you will save time every morning, because you will save yourself the habit of rummaging through the closet to find an outfit that minimally motivates you. If you want to optimize this moment, also prepare your accessories, such as jewelry and scarves, and you will see that you start the day more relaxed.

Organize bags and backpacks

In line with preparing clothes, we will also prepare bags or backpacks when we enter the house. As soon as we take out the breakfast lunchbox and the bottle from our children's backpacks, we put in the things for the next day: whether it's socks for doing psychomotor skills or the note we want to write to the teacher. If the children are old enough to do it themselves, we help them with this habit that will serve them for a lifetime. And remember: as soon as we get home, we empty our wallet and leave it in the bedroom, not cluttering the entrance. And we, the adults, will do the same. We empty the lunch container and take everything we need for the next day. It will save us morning rushes and many forgotten items.

Do the one plus one trick so you never run out of a product or ingredient.

A friend who lived in the Pyrenees, a thirty-minute drive from the nearest supermarket, taught me this. We city dwellers, used to popping into the supermarket every time we run out of something, waste a lot of time over the course of the month. The trick of the one more consists of always having one of each product in the pantry, unopened. For example, you have a half-eaten chocolate bar and a new one in the cupboard. When you've finished the first bar, you note on the shopping list that you need to buy one. You don't wait until you're out to note it down. Like this with everything. This trick, which you've done all your life if you're one of those who doesn't like to run short in the kitchen, works very well with live list.

Write down what you are missing in a living list

The live list consists of making the shopping list every day. It's a marvel because you save time and money. What more do we want? It works as follows: as soon as you use a product, you write it down on the shopping list, for example on the kitchen blackboard. If I open a jar of fried tomatoes, I write it on the list. Even if I have one (or two or three) left to open in the cupboard. I can choose to write it down when I open the product or when I finish it. This depends on how often you shop. The live list ensures you always have an up-to-date, current list. The best part is that it saves you the time spent making a shopping list before going to the supermarket: checking the fridge, freezer, cupboards, pantry, laundry room, and bathrooms to see which products we're missing and how many of each, keeping in mind what you want to cook and how often. Forget about that headache. Switch to the living list and you won't fail.

Delete photos instantly

This habit was confessed to me by a photographer. How many of us complain about having our phones and computers full of photos that we will review and organize "someday"? One way to simplify and avoid this eternal task is to delete photos we don't like on the spot. Normally, every time we take a photo, we take three or four more in case the first one didn't turn out well. What I recommend is to keep the good photo and delete the others immediately. This is the way to avoid accumulating and finally have a photo gallery full of only good images and great memories.

Limit social media use

The most drastic way is to not have any. But if you prefer a middle ground, you can set up an Instagram app notification that reminds you that you've been browsing for fifteen minutes and it's time to stop. You can also reduce virtual friendships or the accounts you follow and keep only the ones you love. You'll be surprised how different the experience is.

Cook more quantity

If you feel you spend too much time in the kitchen and you don't feel like starting, get used to cooking more quantity each day. These extra portions will save your dinner for the next day, or other days, if you want to freeze. It doesn't consist of eating the same thing every day, but rather of taking advantage of the fact that you are dirtying the kitchen to have more side dishes, sauces, or ingredients prepared for everyday life. Do this system your whole life and you will reduce your time in the kitchen by half.

These are some easy examples to implement, and each home has its own. Putting them into practice is just a matter of habits. The constancy of maintaining these customs will come on its own, when you see the results and they become your lifestyle.