Using Time Wisely

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2012 Quick Tip Week: Subscribe to Daily Deal Sites

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Mike Lewis)

Today concludes this quick tip week. It has been a catch-up week, and I’m still a little behind. But in moving forward, I am making progress. Yeah! 🙂

If you have missed any of quick tips this week, click on these links to each tip:

The last quick tip this week looks ahead for your travel plans to help in stretching your dollars.

Quick Tip #7: Subscribe to Daily Deal Sites

The value found at daily deal sites is far better than using a coupon. Almost all daily deals are 50% or more off from the regular price.

If you are planning a family vacation or will be traveling for a wedding or anniversary, then subscribe to those destinations at your favorite daily deal sites. For our family, I subscribe to the main cities in South Carolina and then certain cities in Florida, where we plan to spend our vacation with my extended family. As I see deals for activities that fit within our budget, I snag them.

Since the daily deal sites send an e-mail daily with the new deal, I choose to subscribe using my junk e-mail account. I then check my e-mail every other day to view the deals. Usually, the daily deals have a 48 to 72-hour time limit. By checking my junk e-mail account every other day, I can still snag a day-old deal.

My favorite daily deal sites are Groupon and LivingSocial. With so many deal sites popping up, I know of no exhaustive list. However, Biz Tech Day listed the Top 50 Daily Deal Sites as of June 2011.

In using time wisely, I subscribe to my two favorites and one local daily deal site. For these sites, the e-mail subject line identifies the type of deal. If you are not interested, you can just delete it without wasting time checking each e-mail.

As you prepare for your summer travels, use the deals at your favorite daily deal sites to stretch your dollars. By subscribing, I found an annual membership to a garden near a children’s museum that we plan to activate on our trip this summer.

I continue to watch for deals and plan to have a great family vacation while stretching our dollars. Continue using time wisely by subscribing to one or more deal sites. By doing so, the deals will come to you. Happy savings!

Question: What are your favorite daily deal sites?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Butter Bread Before Toasting

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Our week of quick tips is over halfway complete.

If you missed any of the four quick tips from this week, you can click on these links:

#1 – Designated space for “to be filed” paperwork,

#2 – Use disinfecting wipes for quick cleanings,

#3 – Keep your brainstorming notes, and

#4 – Power off your phone.

The fifth tip comes from my children’s food preferences.

Quick Tip #5: Butter Bread before Toasting

In teaching my children to eat the entire slice of bread, including the crust, I have learned to keep the crust soft.

When bread gets toasted, the hard crust makes eating difficult. With their little mouths, my children enjoy soft bread with melted butter.

To keep the crust soft and still get a light toast to the bread, I butter the bread before toasting in my toaster oven. The butter keeps the entire slice of bread soft, and my children willingly eat the entire piece of bread.

This little tip helps to save our family money since my children are receiving the nutrients from the entire slice of bread without wasting food.

In using time wisely, I butter bread before toasting. By eating the entire slice, my children do not need extra slices which saves me money, energy, and time.

As you feed your picky children, who do not like the hard crust on toast, butter bread before toasting. If your children are like mine, then they may eat the entire slice which will save you money, energy, and time. Happy savings!

Question: Do your children eat the entire slice of toast?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Power Off Your Phone

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Hope you are enjoying this week of quick tips to using time wisely. Time constraints arise that limit our choices.

By choosing time-saving strategies, we can coast through the busy times until we make through to the other side. Then we can take the time to catch up and plan.

If you have missed any tips, here are the links to each tip: #1 – Designated space for “to be filed” paperwork, #2 – Use disinfecting wipes for quick cleanings, and #3 – Keep your brainstorming notes. The next tip comes from the miscellaneous category, specifically time management.

Quick Tip #4: Power Off Your Phone

Really?! How can I go without my phone? I understand. When you are in the midst of a big project, you need to stay accessible. However, when you need to get that project done and have a block of time to work, power off your phone and start. Without your phone, you can concentrate and produce without distractions by the texts, rings, and beeps.

Besides my phone, I also close out my e-mail and Google Reader on my computer. Seeing the tabs update at the top of the screen tend to distract me. With time to work, I prefer to cut the distractions by closing the extra tabs on my computer and turning off my phone.

In using time wisely, power off your phone and increase your productivity. Set the timer, power off your phone, and work. When the timer ends, check your messages, and examine your work. As I cut distractions, my level of productivity rises. Try it. This tip works for me, and it may work for you. Happy productivity!

Question: How often do you power off your phone?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Keep your Brainstorming Notes

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Jeremy Mikkola)

Following quick tip #1 from the document category and quick tip #2 from the household category, we move to the category of event planning in our week of quick tips.

Whether you find yourself planning a birthday party, dinner with friends, or a fall festival, this next tip comes in handy throughout the planning process.

When choosing or accepting the role of party planner, I always begin with event notes. These brainstorming notes contain the possible as well as the near-impossible for carrying out the details for the event. Though most of these ideas never get acted upon, use this next tip for future reference while using time wisely.

Quick Tip #3: Keep your Brainstorming Notes

Through my brainstorming sessions, I jot down all sorts of ideas from schedules to themes to contacts for ideas. As the event takes on a form of its own, I have learned to file away my brainstorming notes.

During the execution phase, I have hit snags in the plan. Referring back to my brainstorming notes has offered suggestions and solutions during these need-a-fix-now situations. Keeping my brainstorming notes has saved me time and energy throughout the event planning process.

As you plan your events, remember to keep your brainstorming notes. In using time wisely, you can save energy and time coming up with a solution (again) by referring to your former ideas. Sometimes those notes will prompt another idea for an up-coming event, so save your notes. Happy planning!

Question: What tool do you use to spark your creativity when planning an event?

2012 Quick Tip Week: Use Disinfecting Wipes for Quick Cleanings

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Photograph Credit: Flickr (Nora Warens)

Our week of quick tips continues in the household category. (If you missed yesterday’s post, you can check out Tip #1 from the document category.)

During seasons of busyness, my household may or may not look clean or picked up. Cleaning usually does not occur, but sometimes I must get that bathroom cleaned quickly, especially if company is coming.

This second tip allows me to clean each bathroom in 5 minutes or less. 🙂

Now, I would prefer to clean from top to bottom. However, my schedule does not always grant a designated day of cleaning.

During these quick times, I use this next tip to get the job done while using time wisely.

Quick Tip #2: Use Disinfecting Wipes for Quick Cleanings

With little ones who love to experiment with toothpaste, soap, and shampoo, my bathrooms can get messy rather quickly. When I need to remove the unwanted debris, my go-to cleaning supply is the tub of disinfecting wipes.

These pre-moistened wipes require little energy and get the job done. Depending on the mess, one or two wipes complete the task. I wipe the sink and then toilet. Once the toilet gets wiped, I toss the wipe to prevent spreading germs.

If you prefer to make your own disinfecting solution, check out Bonnie’s homemade disinfecting spray recipe. Besides using less chemicals, Bonnie’s recipe can save you money.

In using time wisely and wanting a clean home, use disinfecting wipes for quick cleanings. When your schedule slows back down, you can return to your regular cleaning schedule. Using the disinfecting wipes keeps my house presentable during busy times, like the month of May. Happy cleaning!

Question: What cleaning product assists you during busy times?