Really fixed a piece of my schedule that was bugging me

[wantstoinvest]

I have been gushing to my wife about this one and I was wondering if we could have a similar thread about ways to save or better manage time!

My daughter goes to a hearing/speech school in the morning and I drop her and pick her up. She's there for 2 hours so I usually went to a cafe and did some computer stuff while getting a pour over while I waited. The coffee was OK and the time felt a little wasted cause it wasn't enough time to dive into something, I was just passing time.

When I would come home, I would sometimes go to the gym for my weightlifting, but some days I would skip cause I had very limited time left to do other things (work, errands, etc).

I found out my gym has a branch a block away from the cafe. I mulled it over and finally forked over the extra 30 bucks a month to go 'all-access'. I did that lsat Wednesday and I have to say, that window was not ideal for computer work/just passing time, but it is greattttttt for the gym! I have gone 6 days in the last week and going in the morning while I'm already out has been so much easier than going after I get home. I also feel better, I'm not spending 6 bucks for the pour-over (pricey but I was paying for the right to sit) and I just enjoy working out again.

My overall day has just been so much better with a relatively simple change. I was hesitant at first cause I thought it would feel rushed to work out then, I was worried about finding street parking, and I didn't want to pay the extra money for the membership. But now, I have saved the difference in not buying pour-overs, I'm getting my body feeling great, and I have no awkward split to my day if I was to go the the gym after I got home.

Does anyone else have similar stories or tips on how to better manage your time? It's just as important as managing your money, IMO.

[Zikoris]

The biggest one I've managed so far is having a really dialed-down weekend routine that gets all the chores and cooking for the week done simultaneously. It's gotten so time-efficient that now on a typical weekday I have nothing I need to do after work. I also spend zero time daily thinking about food/what to eat, like not even one second. And of course the same applies to my partner, so it's a double-whammy.

The second thing I've done basically forever is move to be close to work. A walking commute of about 15-30 minutes is a massive lifestyle upgrade. It wakes you up in the morning and decompresses you in the evening. You just feel way better. No traffic, no transit weirdos, no stress. Getting to and from work is fast and easy.

I don't really have a frame of reference since I've never lived the opposite, but I suspect my wholesale rejection of smartphones and the beauty industry also buys me a ton of time.

[AMandM]

The second thing I've done basically forever is move to be close to work. A walking commute of about 15-30 minutes is a massive lifestyle upgrade. It wakes you up in the morning and decompresses you in the evening. You just feel way better. No traffic, no transit weirdos, no stress. Getting to and from work is fast and easy.

So true! I have just gone through this the opposite way. Because of new constraints imposed by my father's health, a regular task of mine that used to be a 2-mile walk has become a car errand. It takes less time, but it's way less enjoyable or beneficial to my health.

[Metalcat]

The biggest one I've managed so far is having a really dialed-down weekend routine that gets all the chores and cooking for the week done simultaneously. It's gotten so time-efficient that now on a typical weekday I have nothing I need to do after work. I also spend zero time daily thinking about food/what to eat, like not even one second. And of course the same applies to my partner, so it's a double-whammy.

The second thing I've done basically forever is move to be close to work. A walking commute of about 15-30 minutes is a massive lifestyle upgrade. It wakes you up in the morning and decompresses you in the evening. You just feel way better. No traffic, no transit weirdos, no stress. Getting to and from work is fast and easy.

I don't really have a frame of reference since I've never lived the opposite, but I suspect my wholesale rejection of smartphones and the beauty industry also buys me a ton of time.

This is us as well, we do just about everything to have no routine chores in the evening. We both work from home, so zero commute.

I love having evenings free. Although, now that I don't eat food anymore, I also love not bulk cooking anymore on the weekends.

[glacio09]

My office building just started offering workout classes twice a week at noon. It's amazing. The classes are pretty intense. There's a shower right there. It's a quiet part of my day. I've also discovered that going so often (it also motivated me to go on the other days for some light yoga) has made my running better because I'm starting the run so much less stiff. It only cost a one time fee of $25 for badge access. Such a game changer.

[Zikoris]

This is us as well, we do just about everything to have no routine chores in the evening. We both work from home, so zero commute.

I love having evenings free. Although, now that I don't eat food anymore, I also love not bulk cooking anymore on the weekends.

Not eating food is pretty much the only option that beats bulk meal prep for time/effort spent. People say meal prep takes too much time, but people who don't meal prep probably spend double the time or more due to inefficiencies, just spread out more over the week. I've personally watched people spend an hour trying to decide what to eat for one meal. I can churn out at least 8 portions in a one hour block.