Do you ever find yourself constantly doing the same task over and over again? Perhaps it’s looking for an item like your glasses or your phone. Maybe it’s some item of housework like cleaning up other people’s spills in the bathroom or crumbs from eating.

These tasks generally don’t take up too but you find yourself repetitively spending a few minutes frequently doing them. You do them because it doesn’t take it too much time and at that moment it feels easier to just do it rather than find a permanent solution to the issue.

However, if you commit just a little bit more energy sorting them out, you will find that it starts freeing up more and more time and lots more energy for your day.

One simple way to overcome these little time drains is to have a small notebook. When you find yourself repeatedly doing a task over and over again, make a quick note. You could also note them on your phone if that’s easier. When you have a bit more time and energy, review your note and commit to finding a solution that works for each problem.

Eliminating time drains may not seem a lot but they add up. There is a huge pay off in making your environment a little easier to work in. It will help you find more energy and time to do what you matters to you.

Here are some of my time drains

1.) Looking for phone chargers

All four of us have a phone and I used to spend ages looking for a phone charger. My kids would even unplug my phone and use the charger in their own rooms for their own devices!

A really simple solution to buy a lot more phone chargers. We now have a phone charger for each room and generally, there is always one available when I need it. No more looking for a charger!

2.) Picking up cushions off the floor.

I have cushions on my sofa and two boys. Anybody who has cushions and boys knows these two things don’t mix. I am forever picking up the cushions off the floor. Yes, it takes a few seconds here and there. But this adds up and frankly, it’s annoying.

I have some choices. Get rid of the cushions. Get rid of the kids (lol!). Nag the kids to pick up the cushions and not throw them on the floor (ughh!!). Or another one is to put the cushions away and just get them out when I want them to look nice or need one. I like my cushions and my kids, I’m fed up with nagging so I’m going to try the last one and hopefully eliminate the problem! The other upside of this is the cushions will be used less and so the covers won’t need washing as much.

3.) Looking for a pen that works!

I was looking for a pen this morning. Pens seem to always go missing in this house. So I’m going to keep one for me, in a place that only I know. Will save me a few minutes.

4.) Kids not following my rules.

I caught my eldest boy, eating a cake on the sofa with no plate!! Making a huge mess of crumbs. If I’d not caught him, he’d have got up and left his mess for probably me to clean up.

He was instructed to clean up his mess and use a plate. But this definitely requires better training for my kids. Less of these situations means less cleaning up and less conflict.

5.) Washing white bed sheets

So washing bed sheets that were white always required a separate hotter cycle as I like to get my white clean. So I decided to get rid of any white sheets  I have and replace them with colored ones. They can then go in the same wash as the bed covers.

6.) Looking at your phone

Are you constantly checking your phone for messages, social media notifications and emails? This was one of my time drains which I noted down.

There are a few strategies I brainstormed to eliminate this problem. I quite often put my phone in another room so I’m not distracted by it. I’ve turned off the notifications I get from social media and emails. This has helped me to check it less.

I could also turn off whatsapp and text notifications too. But at the moment I’m happy with the way I have it. The most important thing is to design solutions that work for you.

As a side note, it’s amazing how much time it adds up to when you get distracted by your phone. For many people eliminating distractions from your phone can give you 30 minutes of time back each day. If you’re a bit of a phone addict, it’s well worth trying. And the less you check it, the less you feel you want to (although note it may be harder the first few days).

7.) Washing up saucepans

I’m normally advocating for having less stuff in the home, but it’s still important to have enough items so your home works.

I was finding in lockdown that I was forever washing up a saucepan. We had 3. My husband would always use on first thing in the morning for his porridge. We’d have a couple in the dishwasher from the night before. And I’d want one to cook something in the morning so would have to wash one up. It seems like such a little thing but buying one more, eliminated this task. A few precious seconds in the morning brought back.

8.) Perfection

I’ve just started to create a pinnable picture for this article. I was trying to decide on the right picture but after looking through quite a few, nothing seemed right. I then realised I was looking for something perfect rather than just focusing on something that does the job.

Perfection can be a huge time drain and it can pop up in all kinds of ways and places in your life. Keep an eye out for where you might be trying to achieve perfection rather than good enough. Make a note of it and have a rethink. Most likely you can find a place where you can gain back some of your time here too.

Time drains can come in many forms. Too much clutter. Things that are broken and need repair. Digital overwhelm. Repetitive distractions.

Take a week to note a few down and then spend a couple of hours eliminating them. Doing this can have an amazing accumulative effect in your life.

I am always on the look on for fixing up these leaks. Decluttering, automating tasks and enlisting the help of other people are often good solutions.

Focus on the big stuff first (like a big declutter in your home). But once you’ve done this, focusing on reducing friction and stress by stopping the time drains really pays off