Is it ironic that I’m writing this article while on a long car ride? I’m going to go ahead and file that under “practicing what I preach.” In this article I’m sharing how I make time to work on this humble little corner of the Internet. This isn’t a magical hack article where I’m going to tell you how to mysteriously pull time out of thin air or simply wake up at 5 a.m.

Rather, I like to focus on small habits that make a difference. I loved this article by James Clear where he talked about how “Tiny Milestones = More Momentum” and described how author Anthony Trollope used 15-minute increments to publish over 40 books in a 38-year span. I really believe that little pockets of productivity and time saving can help enable you to chip away at your dreams.

Now since this is a productivity article, let’s not waste any time. Let’s dive in!

Batching Bookmarks

One of my biggest productivity learnings is how reducing resistance can positively impact your ability to get more done. It might sound basic, but creating bookmarks for different tasks related to your side project helps shave off a few seconds every time you need to do a task.

I use my Chrome bookmarks bar a lot for this, but another helpful free browser extension called Toby. In one click you can save all the tabs you have open and name them as a group. You can use this method to batch together all the links you need for doing specific tasks.

Free Outsourcing

In the same vein of automating tasks like bill pay, I've been looking for ways to save time in my personal life to allocate more time to my side project. The catch? I don't want to pay for expensive services like grocery delivery.

Here's a list of some things I've found so far that save me time without adding extra costs to my life:

• Prescription delivery (Free through CVS)

• Target Drive Up (Free pickup, great for essentials and grocery staples)

• USPS Package Pickup (I use this for returns. Free pickup on mail days during regular service)

• Running my dishwasher more frequently. Did you know that a dishwasher is more water efficient than washing dishes and can save you up to 100 gallons of water per week? I strive to make any new kitchen purchases dishwasher safe (but also beautiful, like these Epicurean cutting boards).

• Using time waiting in lines to clean my inbox. Why waste working time looking at spam emails?

• Ordering ahead at coffee shops, restaurants, you name it.

Create process templates

When I write new Etsy listings, I have the same amount of steps to do each time. Rather than racking my brain to remember what these tasks are, I create a "Listing Template" card in Notion that contains all the steps I need to create a new listing and a table that has all the text and keywords I need. Not only does this save me time, but it creates an archive of that listing in case I need to reference in the future.

Break tasks down into tiny steps

As I mentioned above, removing resistance to doing tasks helps a ton. Breaking big tasks into actionable steps is one of the best ways to inch closer to your goals. If I have 20 minutes of spare time before I start my day or when I'm eating lunch, you'd be surprised what I can get done!

Things like social media, responding to emails, working on SEO, checking analytics, and random site improvements are great contenders for this type of task. Even simply writing a blog post outline can jump start your productivity.

Spotify Focus Playlist

Call me crazy, but I feel like I've trained myself to be productive when I turn on Spotify’s Deep Focus playlist. It's nice ambient noise that fills the space but doesn't distract me from the tasks at hand.

Pomodoro Timer

One of my best cleaning hacks is setting a 10 minute timer and cleaning as much as I can as fast as I can. Oftentimes I can get my whole kitchen clean in that timeframe! Of course, I also live in a 500 square foot studio, but that's a story for another day.

What does this have to do with my business? The reason why this method works so well is because I'm super focused, purposely avoid distractions, and get the reward of a nice break after. It's SO easy to get sucked into Instagram or Tiktok when you're trying to work so I find that by working in timed blocks, I can get a snowball effect going that helps me knock out tasks much easier. Imagine “oh I have 5 minutes left, that’s enough time to knock out that blog post cover design!”

Learn on the Go

As someone who has a full time job, wants to workout, eat healthy, read books, and learn...it sometimes just feels like a bit much. Similar to the concept of habit stacking talked about in Atomic Habits (link) I like to stack positive hobbies with one another to get the most out of my day. If I'm taking a nice self care shower or painting my nails, I'll listen to a nice audiobook. If I'm out on a walk, I'll listen to a business podcast.

Set app limits

Aliright people, this is it. The big one. The thing with a deliciously addictive TikTok app that I could spend hours on. The fact is that if you constantly feel like “where did my time go?” you might want to take a look at your screen time. The addictive quality of apps tends to make time slip away so before you know it, those little check ins throughout the day really add up.

The first week I used these tactics, I was able to reduce my screen time by 35%. Here’s how:

• A while back, I decided to take a look at how I spend my time and approach it like my monthly budget check ins. If I wanted to do everything I set my mind to, I had to make time for it and cut the excess, just like I would in my budget. I went through and decided how much time was appropriate for “fluff” apps like social media and adjusted my screen time limits for those.

• I avoid checking social media before 10am (working on making that later!). It’s very easy to do and is a much more refreshing way to start your day.

• If you need extra motivation, you can try logging out of apps or deleting them entirely. For example, I deleted apps like Facebook on my phone. But if I ever get that hankering to peruse Facebook Marketplace, I can do so on my laptop as needed. This helps reduce mindless scrolling.

• I try to set my phone somewhere away from where I'm working to reduce the amount of pickups I have.