Yes, the holiday season is here, and along with it comes more business. But that’s not all the holidays bring. Sure, you have more clients to attend to, but you also have less time on your hands. But it’s not just the holiday season that keeps you up. According to St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers (with three locations in Indiana), today’s average working woman is butting about 300 more hours a year – both in the workplace and caring for a household – than she did in the 1960s. Though most women enjoy their jobs, juggling two roles at once can be difficult.

The problem is simply finding the time to fit everything in. It all comes down to time management strategies that can help you gain a few precious minutes each day. Here, some of our readers share their tips on saving time, whether it be at the salon or at home.

Save Time, Reduce Stress

Time and stress go hand in hand. Obviously, when you’re pressed for time stress creeps in. Here are some techniques that can help reduce the pressure and earn you a few more minutes each day. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these techniques can become counterproductive if you become overzealous about planning and saving time. The point of time management is to help you find the time to achieve what you want – and keep your cool in the process.

Set goals. Identify the aspects of your life that are most important to you. Write long-term goals that summarize your desires, then set one-year goals. Set objectives every quarter that will help you attain your on-year goals. For example, if you want to get physically fit, one objective might be to walk for 30 minutes everyday at lunchtime.

Assess how you use time. Keep a record of every activity you engage in during the day – from eating breakfast to getting ready for bed. At the end of the week, look through your record and identify activities that were unimportant or unnecessary. Strategies for dealing with time wasters include letting the answering machine or voice mail get the phone if you’re doing something like reading to your child or taking a bath, and setting a limit on how much TV you watch a week.

Plan and prioritize. Use daily planner and write down important dates as they come up. Make to-do lists that cover both your work and home commitments, then rank each task by importance. Schedule some time for rest a relaxation so you can ensure that you’ll have the energy to stay on top of time.

Employ time-saving systems. You waste time when you’re disorganized. Make sure to reduce clutter and unnecessary paperwork. For example, think about investing in a software program to help you keep track of your finances and bills. And instead of writing out grocery lists, type up a standard list that includes those items you often need. Then, before you go shopping, just circle or add the items you need to get.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, Click here.