Simple Ways to Find More Time in Your Day

The following post was originally featured on Jill Conyers and written by Jill Conyers, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Fitness.

Do you find yourself wishing for more time in the day? Or is that just me? 24 hours. That's all we get each and every day. Become aware of how you spend your time in a day and make simple changes to find time for the people and things that are the most important.

There's no denying, probably like many of you, my life has been busy. Very busy. With a passion for becoming a personal trainer and now yoga teacher, the idea of a side hustle seemed so simple. I put a lot of thought into working as an independent contractor in the fitness industry in addition to my day job, but there was so much I didn't know about the business side of things.

My point? I'm trying to avoid the glorification of busy, but I've gotten really good at using the 24 hours I have in a day. Don't get me wrong. That doesn't mean I'm doing it all. It means I'm making it work, being happy and doing the things that are the most important to me.

And the best part, all the work and the changes I've made to get it done, are paying off. I've been hired by a yoga studio with my own classes (not as a sub only) and a tennis club to teach yoga and the tennis club is going to let me use their fitness center to work with personal training clients. Bam! How cool is that?

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES WE WISH FOR IT, ADDING A FEW MORE HOURS TO THE CLOCK IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT THERE ARE WAYS TO FIND MORE TIME IN YOUR DAY TO DO THE THINGS THAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU.

Touch it once. Stop creating stacks you'll get to later. The stacks are distracting clutter and you'll use even more time when you get back to it later. Once you touch it do what you need to do with it.

Unplug. The average American dedicates 30 percent of leisure time to perusing the web. According to Neilsen, we now spend a shocking 7 hours a month on Facebook alone. That's 105 minutes each week, 15 minutes a day. Limit your online sessions to tow sessions a day, morning and evening. Or, set a media cut off time every time you log on.

Plan your peaks. We all have times when we feel our best and are most productive. Schedule your biggest tasks at that time.

Get your stuff ready for the following day. Pack your lunch, set out your clothes, and set a time for the coffee pot to auto brew. These are just a few ways you can save time the following morning when you're getting ready for the day.

Be decisive. Avoid analysis paralysis. Set a time limit, weight pros and cons, do research if you need to, make a decision and move on.

Ink it on your calendar. It's amazing how we're more likely to find the time to do the things that are on our calendar. Block out time on your calendar for what's most important for that day. There it is. In writing. Demanding your attention.

Put things in their place. How much time to you spend looking for something you've misplaced? Keys? Sunglasses? Have a place for everything and everything in its place.

Stop multitasking. From the one time self proclaimed queen of multitasking, stop. Have a to-do list, pick one thing and give it your full undivided energy and attention.

Get up 15 minutes earlier. That's 105 extra minutes a week. Even if you don't do anything different in the morning, that extra 15 minutes will be available to you throughout the day.

Turn off the TV. According to Neilsen.com, in 2009, the average American watched 5 hours of TV a day. That's 35 hours a week. Even if you watch less than the average, say 2 hours, that's 14 hours in a week you could use to do other things. And if there are shows you can't miss, record them. Save 20 to 25 minutes by not watching commercials.

I can speak from experience, all 10 of these things work. It takes a little time and adjustment, but you can find more time in your day.

Be the best version of YOU.