Table of Contents

1) Do you want to save 4 HOURS a week?

2) Trip bundling
3) Leaving work earlier or later than rush hour
4) Get started on assignments sooner
5) Organize your closet
6) Organize when washing dishes
7) E-mail scheduling
8) Make a list
9) Organize your desk
10) Delegate
11) Learn to say no
12) Turn off that smart phone
13) Learn to use computer shortcuts
14) Stop worrying
15) Plan your week on Sunday or Monday morning
16) Keep learning life hacks
17) Get your clothes ready the night before
18) Limit the me
19) Do something when you're wai ng
20) Prepare in batches
21) Plan your travels
22) Avoid travelling during peak seasons
23) Don't worry about perfec on
24) Aim to understand, not memorize
25) Shopping during non-peak hours
26) Create an index or table of contents
27) Do regular maintenance
28) Wash the plates immediately, or at least rinse them
29) Create your own system
30) Upgrade your equipment
31) Be more knowledgeable
Final thoughts
 1) Do you want to save 4 HOURS a week?

Does it feel like you don't have enough me to do everything on your to-do
list?

Do you wish a day has more than 24 hours?

If so, you should read this book. This book will provide ways that you can save me
throughout your week. There is a sugges on for every day of a 30 day month. You can use as
many or as few as you like. If you use just 2 sugges ons in this book, you can easily save 4
HOURS a week. If you use all 30, you'll become a master of me management and can start
doing the things you really want to with all your me savings.

What would you do with an addi onal 4 HOURS a week?

That's enough to watch a Lord of the Rings movie or King Kong by Peter Jackson. You can take a
nap. You can read a book or magazine. You can meet up with friends. You can spend some
quality me with your spouse or children.

I use all of these ps below myself. My friends say I am one of the most efficient people
they know. On top of a full- me job as a CPA professional accountant, I was chair of the Young
Professionals Forum commi ee at the CPA ins tute, served as a leader and organizer for the
CPA Social Networking Group, served as a board member for a charity, and volunteered at
church.

In this book I share with you how I can do it all. The key is in me management.
 2) Trip bundling

The first way to save me is to bundle your trips to a similar area. For example, you have
to go to the grocery store on Saturday, and you also want to meet up with a couple friends on
separate occasions. One lives near the grocery store, and the other lives in another part of town.
If you had the choice, schedule to meet the friend that lives near the grocery store right before
or a er your grocery stop trip. That way, you save the me of making two separate trips: ge ng
prepared to leave the house, and the me to drive there and back.

If ge ng prepared to leave the house takes you 20 minutes and driving takes you 20
minutes, to and fro means 40 minutes. Altogether, you save an hour if you bundle your two trips
(grocery store and mee ng friend that lives near grocery store).

I use this trip bundling strategy o en. If I have to go downtown to meet someone, I try
to book another mee ng with someone else on the same trip. It takes me about 30 minutes one
way to get downtown, on top of ge ng prepared to leave the house. By bundling mul ple
mee ngs, I save over an hour than if I make two trips at two different mes to meet two
different people.

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Using this method, you can save at least 1 hour a week.

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 3) Leaving work earlier or later than rush hour

Rush hour in my city starts in the morning around 8:30am. If I go to work an hour and a
half earlier (7am) or an hour and a half later (10am), there is prac cally no traffic. My 30 minute
drive usually becomes 45 minutes or more during traffic jam mes.

Rush hour in the evening starts at about 5pm. If I leave two hours before (3pm) or two
hours a er (7pm), there is prac cally no traffic. During rush hour, my 30 minute drive becomes
45 minutes or more.

If I save 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening just by avoiding rush
hour, I save 30 minutes a day, 5 mes a week means 150 minutes, or 2.5 hours a week. Mul ply
that by 50 weeks a year means over 100 hours saved per year just by making this small
adjustment.

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Using this method, you can save 2.5 hours a week.

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 4) Get started on assignments sooner

When I was doing my master's degree studies, the beginning of term in September was
generally pre y easy going, and it ramps up to heavy course load in November when all the
projects and final exams were coming.

I like to get started early in my readings and assignments. Many people leave their 20
page essays un l November just weeks before they are due, and they will be cramming for their
exams as well. It seems they don't have any me.

I space out my work evenly from September to November. For example, if I get the topic
of the essay I have to write, I start on it in September. I find that it's easier to be crea ve and the
words flow more easily in my essay if I'm not under pressure.

I also study for my exams way in advance. I prepare a schedule that starts with my exam
date and work my way back to the current date. I space everything out way in advance.

That's why in November, when most of my classmates are scrambling to complete

assignments and essays and cramming for tests, I s ll have lots of me to do volunteering for
the school clubs and go to the gym. It's all a ma er of me management and planning.

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Using this method has saved me up to 4 hours a week.

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 5) Organize your closet

I find that when I organize my closet so I can easily find different types of clothes really
speed up the process. I have a sec on for my long sleeve sweaters, T-shirts, casual pants, jeans,
dress shirts, suits, etc.

That way, I can easily pick out what I want to wear.

I put my clothes back from the right of the rack. Each new day I'd just pick something
from the le side, as I know what I just recently worn will be on the far le side. If I just keep
picking from the le side, I won't duplicate what I've just worn the day before.

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If this saves you 10 minutes a day, in 6 days you've just saved an hour.

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 6) Organize when washing dishes

When I wash the dishes, I immediate organize them by type when I put them on the
drying rack. I put utensils in one sec on, sorted. I put cups in one area of the drying rack, dishes
on another sec on, bowls in yet another.

That way, when the dishes have dried, I can easily take the pre-sorted dishes and put
them back on the shelf or inside the cupboard. They are already pre-grouped together, and
saves so much me sor ng them out again if they were just randomly put on the drying rack.

Having a system really saves me. If this saves you 5 minutes a meal, 3 meals a day,
that's 15 minutes a day. In 6 days you've just saved 1.5 hours.

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If this saves you 5 minutes a meal, in 6 days you've just saved 1.5 hours.

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 7) E-mail scheduling

E-mails are quick and convenient, but they can also be the biggest me waster if they
keep interrup ng your work day.

In most offices I've worked, they used Microso Outlook. By default, Microso Outlook
would show you a pop up alert every me you have a new e-mail.

If you decide to check your e-mail then, you have to switch your a en on from
whatever you're doing, which takes a huge amount of mental effort. If you do this 10, 20, or 30
mes a day, think of how much me you've wasted switching your a en on back and forth
from your work and your e-mails.

At first, I didn't know how much this affected my work. A er I realized how I keep
dividing my a en on between my work and e-mails and how my flow is constantly interrupted
leading to inefficiency, I now switched off Microso Outlook's pop up alert func on.

I check e-mail every hour instead of every 10 or 15 minutes. This has made my work
flow a lot smoother, and saves me a lot of me and energy switching from back and forth.

Advanced version: some people only check their e-mail 3 mes a day at fixed scheduled
mes. This has never worked for me because there may be urgent e-mails that require my
immediate a en on at least within the hour. While this advanced version may not be suitable
for everyone, you can keep it in mind and find a balance in between that works for your
schedule.

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If this saves you 12 minutes a day, in 5 working days you've just saved an hour.

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 8) Make a list

When I go shopping, I make a list.

I go into the store, I get what I need, and I get out. My shopping is very efficient.

Making a list and knowing what you wants prevents you from ge ng distracted by the
messages the malls and stores try to get to you.

Of course, this may not work for people who actually like window shopping. If that is
you, you can skip this sugges on and move to the next.

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This can save you an hour a week.

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 9) Organize your desk

I've found that I work nearly twice as efficiently if my desk is clean rather than messy.

My desk naturally gets messy throughout the week. If I clean it up and organize the
papers, the pens, the files, I can find things much easier. I don't get frustrated because I can't
find things.

The good thing about this method is I only need to do this about once a week in the
beginning, and then it lasts pre y well for a few days.

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Organizing your desk can save you 10 minutes a day, and in 5 days you've just saved
about an hour.

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 10) Delegate

If you need to do a task and there are parts of it you can delegate to other people,
delegate. Focus on what you do best. Try to get things off your to-do list and find people who
can do some tasks be er than you.

They'll be happy to help, and you'll be happy they helped.

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Learning to delegate can save you 1 hour a day, and in 5 days you've saved 5 hours.

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11) Learn to say no

This is very hard I know. But I've found that by saying no to some things really save me a
lot of me and energy.

You are busy. You have limited me.

I some mes find it hard to say no. I'll be a nice guy and take on things I'd regret later. I
now learned that if I say no, people will actually respect me more than if I say yes to everything.

I realized I have limited me and energy. If I say yes to too many things, this essen ally
takes me away from my more important tasks and people. By saying no more, I can focus
be er and am actually a lot happier.

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Learning to say no can save you 7 hours a week.

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 12) Turn off that smart phone

Yeah, I know some of us (me included) get "no phone phobia" when we're separated
from our phones. But turning off that phone may be just the best way to save me.

Every moment every day we seem to be bombarded by text messages, Whatsapp

messages, Facebook messages, and all the other apps you use. We get addicted to checking our
phones. There have been studies that show this.

I turn off the no fica ons on my phone on some apps. That way, I don't spend all day
checking messages that demand my a en on that very instant.

Control the use of your phone, not let the phone control your a en on.

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If turning off no fica ons on your phone saves you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've
saved 3 hours.

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13) Learn to use computer shortcuts

If you send 10 e-mails every day, and you learn the shortcuts to create a new e-mail,
bold and italicize, and send the e-mail, you can save yourself a lot of me for more important
tasks.

I spend a li le me learning shortcuts on a regular basis.

Say this saves you 6 seconds per e-mail you send, in 10 e-mails you've saved a minute. If
you learn the shortcuts to delete, archive, or save e-mails and organize your inbox more
efficiently, you can save yourself 10 minutes or more a day.

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By learning computer shortcuts it can saves you 10 minutes a day, in 6 days you've
saved an hour.

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 14) Stop worrying

Worrying is the most useless thing in the world. It does absolutely no good and creates a
dark cloud over your head. Most of us (including me), waste a lot of our me worrying.

One of the best way is to tell yourself "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." A great way to do this is to live in
"day compartments". Imagine you can only live in today's compartment. You can't access what
will happen tomorrow, and won't give yourself permission to worry about tomorrow's
compartment. You focus on what you can do today and leave tomorrow's problems for
tomorrow.

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By not worrying, this can save you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved 3 hours.

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15) Plan your week on Sunday or Monday morning

If you have a plan, you work much more efficiently and get more done. If you don't have
a plan, you won't be as effec ve.

Take some me to priori ze your:

 "A" - most important tasks
 "B" - somewhat important tasks
 "C" - not so important tasks

I learned this method while studying to become a professional CPA. Our exams were 4
hour case studies, but it would probably take closer to 10 hours to write a perfect response. This
forces us to priori ze our "A" - most important tasks, "B" - somewhat important tasks, and "C" -
not so important tasks tasks. We spend most of our me on "A" tasks, which typically takes 30
minutes, we spend 20 minutes on "B" tasks, and 10 minutes or less on "C" tasks. Our exams
were graded accordingly to the importance of each task.

If you priori ze the tasks for your week and get all the "A" tasks done, you'll look back at
the end of the week at your achievements. If you don't plan and only get many "C" tasks done,
but not your "A" tasks, you could be in a lot of trouble, possibly meaning over me.

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Planning and priori zing your week can save you 1.5 hours a day, in 5 days you've
saved 7.5 hours. That's a full work day!
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 16) Keep learning life hacks

I spend me every year learning new life hacks. There are hundreds, thousands, if not
millions of websites and videos on the Internet that teaches people how to life hack and save
me.

When I was doing my MBA, I watched numerous Youtube videos and read numerous
ar cles on life hacks for college students. I learned to get the most out of my limited resources,
as I wasn't working when I went back to school. I also learned to make the most efficient use of
my me.

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By learning life hacks, this can save you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved 3
hours.

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17) Get your clothes ready the night before

If you get your clothes ready the night before, and pack your work/school bag the night
before, you're already one step up on your compe on.

Studies have shown that our morning ritual affects our en re day.

If we're running around packing our bags in the morning in a fran c, find clothes, keys,
and other things, we're going to be a mess that en re day. The morning sets the tone for the
en re day.

You want to minimize the confusion and commo on in the morning. The best way is to
prepare in advance the day before.

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By preparing your clothes and work/school bag the night before, this can save you 15
minutes a day, in 4 days you've saved 1 hour.

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 18) Limit the time

Even as I'm wri ng this book, I set a me limit for myself. I set a me limit that by a
certain hour, I must have wri en at least X amount of words.

This keeps me focused and not distracted. If I don't set a me limit, I'd probably get up
and go to the washroom, go get another drink, and get distracted more easily. If I set a target to
write a certain amount of words before I can go to the washroom, I get a lot more done in a
shorter period of me.

So go ahead, you can set me limits for yourself when you clean your house, write a
document, read a book, and so on. Watch yourself become more efficient.

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By limi ng your me, this can save you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved 3
hours.

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19) Do something when you're waiting

In the morning, when I'm wai ng for the toaster to finish my toast, I use the me to get
dressed.

Another words, if you know something is going to take me, plan another task that can
fit within that wai ng me.

Another example is while you're wai ng for the photocopier to photocopy a large stack
of papers at the office, you can bring a report to your colleague and drop it off at their desk. This
is me saved than if you had to take the report to your colleague on a special trip.

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By planning and doing something else while you're wai ng, this can save you 30
minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved 3 hours.

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 20) Prepare in batches

When you're cooking, perhaps you can prep more than just one day's worth of
ingredients. If you need chopped vegetables throughout the week, it may save you me to do it
all at once on one day. This saves you the trouble of ge ng the vegetables out of the fridge
every day, ge ng the knives out, and washing the knives a er and pu ng back in the cupboard.

If you go shopping, try shopping for supplies that will help you last a few days or a week.

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By preparing in batches, this can save you 1 hour a day, in 7 days you've saved 7
hours.

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21) Plan your travels

When traveling, try to schedule going to several nearby places you've always wanted to
go. For example, go to Australia and New Zealand on the same trip as they are nearby. Go to
England and France, it's cheap to take a flight within Europe. Visit different friends in nearby
places when you travel. You get a lot more done, and save in airfare than if you have to make
separate trips.

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By planning your travels, this can save you 10 hours a week or more.

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 22) Avoid travelling during peak seasons

You save tons of mes at a rac ons that require line-ups like Disney World or Universal
Studios if you go in November instead of August. The airports won't be as busy, and you'll get
cheaper airfare and a rac on admission costs.

I went to the Shanghai Expo in 2011 in late October when the Expo was nearly closing.
The popular China Pavilion usually had an 8 hour wai ng me to get in. I waited un l the
evening when all the tour groups were gone, and went to the China Pavilion just before closing. I
walked straight in without wai ng a minute.

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By avoiding travelling during peak seasons, this can save you 3 hours a day, in 7 days
you've saved 21 hours.

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23) Don't worry about perfection

Let's say I am studying for a test. It takes me 5 hours to learn 80% of the material, and
another 5 hours to learn the remaining 20% of the material. Should I spend 5 hours studying to
get 80%, or 10 hours studying to get 100%?

The answer really depends. For me, ge ng 80% is an acceptable A- grade, then I have to
decide whether doubling my effort to get 100% is worth the me and effort. I could otherwise
put the 5 hours in another task.

Some mes perfec on is worth the me, and other mes it's not worth it. You have to
decide for yourself.

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By not worrying about perfec on, this can save you 5 hours a day, in 7 days you've
saved 35 hours.

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 24) Aim to understand, not memorize

Some mes it pays off to understand a concept rather to memorize something. If you

understand, you retain the knowledge for a much longer period of me than memorizing. If you
just memorize something, you might forget it right a er its useful period like a test is over. If you
have to use that concept again later, you may have to relearn the concept because you didn't
understand it in the first place.

Understanding pays off in the long run.

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By learning to understand, this can save you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved
3 hours.

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25) Shopping during non-peak hours

I like shopping at Costco for low prices. If I go during peak hours on a weekend, I waste a
lot of me figh ng for aisle space with other shoppers and in the check-out line. I try to go
during non-peak hours if I can.

However, I've learned that non-peak hours can some mes turn into peak hours since
everybody's thinking weekends are peak hours, they all go during what they think are non-peak
hours, making peak hours actually less busy. So paradoxical!

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By shopping during non-peak, this can save you 30 minutes a day.

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 26) Create an index or table of contents

On my computer, some mes I create a Word or Excel document that index or creates a
table of contents for my files on my computer.

This allows me to easily find documents that I frequently use.

Also, if I have a lot of files, I might create an index as I go along, so I can easily find
documents that I need in the future.

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By crea ng an index, this can save you 10 minutes a day, in 6 days you've saved 1
hour.

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27) Do regular maintenance

I find that some mes regular maintenance is way be er. For example, if I do rou ne
cleaning of my teeth, my trip to the den st is much less painful and less me consuming. It may
also save me an extra trip if the den st says I have cavi es or other problems that require extra
sessions.

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By doing regular maintenance, this can save you 2 hours a day.

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 28) Wash the plates immediately, or at least rinse them

I find that if I wash the plates immediately, the food remains don't s ck. If I leave them
for a few hours, trying to get the food remains off the plates becomes much harder as they have
solidified.

I soak the dishes in water if I can't wash them immediately. This makes cleaning them
much easier later.

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By washing plates immediately, this can save you 10 minutes a day, in 6 days you've
saved 1 hour.

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29) Create your own system

If possible, adapt an exis ng system created by someone into a system of your own.

We all think differently and process informa on separately, so it's best if you reorganize
in a way that works best for you, assuming it doesn't affect other people.

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By crea ng your own system, this can save you 30 minutes a day, in 6 days you've
saved 3 hours.

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 30) Upgrade your equipment

Some people are s ll running old computers from 10 years ago. They take forever to
boot up and forever to load a webpage or document.

It may be me to say goodbye to that old piece of junk and reward yourself with a new
computer.

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By buying a new computer to replace your old one, this can save you 3 hours a day, in
7 days you've saved 21 hours.

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31) Be more knowledgeable

By becoming more knowledgeable, you save a lot of me. By learning to be be er at

communica on with your spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend, you save a lot of me and headaches
from arguments. You can read books, consult a professional, a end seminars, and so on.

The me will be well worth it. Trust me. I've been there, done that.

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By becoming more knowledgeable, this can save you 8 hours a day, in 7 days you've
saved 56 hours.

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Final thoughts
I suggest you start with one or two sugges ons and turn them into a habit and you're on your
way to save 4 hours a week to do whatever you want. Add more sugges ons as you feel ready.

As you become more proficient at me management, watch yourself have more freedom in
your schedule to do the things that you truly want to do!

Thank you for reading this book!