Here are some tech hacks to give you back your time.
Imagine what you could do with an extra two hours in your week. Just two! Now imagine several more. Creating more free time is one of the key components to developing a better work-life balance. Unfortunately, most of us are caught between work and play: struggling to finish what we need to at work and scrambling to get things done at home. It’s no wonder that more than 84% of Americans feel significant stress at least once during the workweek.
Working longer hours is definitely not the solution. So, whether you have a love affair or can’t stand technology, it may have a place in helping you get back some time in your week. Here are some tech hacks to give you back your time.
1. Set up email filters
In a perfect world, the emails that would hit our inbox are those we need. But that’s not reality. Being flooded by a full inbox can be a huge stressor not to mention an incredible waste of time. Setting up email filters or, better yet, using an email manager like Clean Email and SaneBox to automatically sort your email will spare you some time. In most email service providers let you automatically create labels, filters, or folders. Many let you establish rules. And some even color-code emails.
To make changes, you’ll need to access the settings tab from your email provider. Email managers also require some set-up time. The big difference between your email service provider and an email manager is flexibility and functions. Email managers are more robust. But if you don’t need the bells and whistles, the features offered through your email provider might be enough.
2. Automate your meeting availability
According to a 2022 survey by Dialpad, 83% of professionals spend between 4 and 12 hours a week in meetings. Now think about how many back-and-forth emails occurred to set those meetings? Using a meeting availability calendar makes sense and saves a ton of coordination time. If you’re part of a team, ask your team leader if there’s a workplace calendaring system.
Often workplaces will use Google Calendar or something similar. Google Calendar has a built-in feature to let colleagues see when co-workers are busy or free. Outlook offers similar schedule visibility.
Two great apps are Calendly and Doodle. Both allow you to share your availability with people inside or outside your company. You share a URL with specific meeting times already set so people trying to meet with you can easily select a time and schedule. The details are automatically linked to your calendar and you receive a notification of the meeting.
3. Use your computers talk-to-type function
Speech recognition software can speed up how you take notes, prepare outlines, and more. you can use your computer’s talk-to-type function to dictate emails or other documents. While voice recognition software has come a long way, it’s not perfect. It’s best to use this feature for first drafts, notes, and brainstorming.
Here are step-by-step instructions if you’re using a macOS Catalina or later. For Window users, here’s your guide.
4. Use a secure password manager
If you’ve ever run through the steps to reset your password, you know how time consuming it can be. A password manager with an autofill function lets you sign in safely and automatically. Most integrate with any browser, saving you countless hours guessing or getting locked out of what you need for a day!
A few to check out include Dashlane, LastPass, and 1Password.
5. Let someone else do the cooking
Weekday meals can take up a lot of time in an already full schedule – including planning, shopping, preparing, and cooking. If you find yourself running to the store every other day or cutting vegetables for 30 minutes, ordering already prepared food might be a great option. Most people equate this to spending a lot of money, but that’s not necessarily true anymore. Pre-cooked meals from Freshly or Veestro can cost less than $12 per plate. They’re made fresh and delivered to your door ready to reheat and eat.
Our greatest commodity is time. Once we spend our time, we cannot get it back. And today, 48% of Americans say that they don't have enough time to do what they want. Take control of your time by giving one of these apps a try. Just remember, there will be a bit of a learning curve so you’re going to have to spend a little bit figuring out the bells and whistles. For that reason, look for apps that offer phone support or have stellar customer service ratings.
Now get out there and play!
