If you are anything like me, your desk has become your surrogate home.

I spend so long in my office chair that I believe I have taken root here.

Between running my business, looking for new business and invoicing clients, I have somehow become the one thing I always disdained – a workaholic.  The rewards of all my work have become secondary to the constant demands upon my time.  Considering this recently, I decided the time had arrived for me to overhaul my thinking, and look for ways to streamline my efficiency and to get more things done in less time.

After researching my options, I was amazed at the wealth of services offered which would save me time, money and stress and I have decided to share these pearls of wisdom with you.  Hopefully they will bring a little relief into your life as well and allow you to take back a little of your precious time.  Let’s take each area of your life individually and see how small changes can make a huge impact.

The Breakdown Blues

I mention your vehicle first on this list for a very good reason.

This was the bane of my life – not only was my car constantly breaking down on me, its maintenance was costing me a fortune. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the time, energy or desire to spend hours, days and even weeks trolling through car yards looking for a replacement.

Finally after spending over $5,000 on attempting to resolve an electrical issue, I said “enough is enough”.  A friend had recommended I utilise the services of a car broker who would go out and actually buy my car, negotiate a discount price and have the car delivered to my doorstep.  Perfect.

The company they recommended was Australian Car Brokers Cars & Co, and whilst there may be others out there who do a similar job, I can’t speak highly enough of Cars & Co.

Home Harmony

Setting up and equipping a home office is one of the best investments you can make to improve your time management.  Sitting in traffic to and from the office every day can sap hours of valuable productivity.  Consider using the services of a virtual office which would enable you to work from home but have access to prestige offices for meetings and travel.

If you don’t have a housekeeper or at least a cleaner, I highly recommend you get one.

For a nominal sum, housework has been taken out of the equation of my life.  When I think now of all the time I spent trying to run a household – cleaning up and feeding the hordes, I lament the waste.  Time that was once spent doing menial chores has now become quality time with my family.

Office Organising

Whilst an office cleaner is mandatory, have you ever given thought to embracing the benefits of a part time assistant?  Before you decry the idea as being expensive and unnecessary, consider how much time you spend sitting in traffic or waiting in queues when you could be at work actually earning money.  The cost of getting a student in to free up your time, is tiny compared to the huge benefits.

Travel Time Savers

Booking travel and accommodation can take up a substantial amount of time and energy.

A corporate travel consultant may be just the lifesaver you need.  They will quickly get an idea of your travel preference and tailor every booking to suit your needs whilst saving you money.  It is a great service, and it’s one that no busy executive can afford to be without.

Technology Taming

Having the right tools to do the job is imperative to any hard working executive.

Standing waiting for a slow printer to get its act together or having a computer drop off line constantly can be intensely frustrating and lower productivity substantially.  Call in some expertise to assess, suggest and streamline your office functionality.

Whilst none of the above are exactly revolutionary ideas and you may be rolling your eyes just at the thought of finding the time to implement anything new in your life – each one, in its own way, will make inroads to taking back small slivers of your precious time.  Put them all together and voila! Suddenly you may find yourself able to steal a little ‘me’ time back into your busy life.  Best of luck!