MB #003: 4 Get Back 25+ Hours a Week With These Hacks

Hey friends,

One of the non-renewable resources in our life that we're asked to steward well and invest wisely is our time. You won't get more of it and it passes whether you like it or not, or whether you are aware of or intentional with it or not.

So let's unpack many of my favorite ways to reclaim more time for both your family and your health:

1. Clothes

In our home, we've leaned more heavily towards the idea of a "capsule wardrobe" and purged and simplified our wardrobe multiple times. You can do this to varying degrees. On the extreme side of this is what Steve Jobs did - he wore the same thing every day so that he never had to spend time and decision-making energy picking clothes. That said, I get that not everyone wants to wear a black turtleneck, jeans, and white shoes every day. So a simple minimalist capsule wardrobe may be the way to go. Here's a great post about it if you want to learn more. This saves an average of 1-2 hours per week.

2. Food

We began using this hack during COVID but realized how much time it saved us and have continued it to this day. People spend over an hour or more each day finding/sourcing their food. This happens through trips to grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, etc. For maximal time savings, I recommend using a grocery delivery service instead of actually going to the store. Once you factor in time, cost of fuel, fighting crowds, etc. it makes a lot of sense to just have it delivered.

I would also recommend things like cooking in bulk on Sunday, using meal replacement shakes on busy days, being ok with becoming a creature of habit, and eating the same meals every day for a while. This saves an average of 5-7 hours per week.

*Topic for another day is the capsule recipe book and how this is a masterful way to approach meal planning, shopping, prep, and eating with a family of young children.