Would you rather save a fiver or an hour?

Michael Heppell, author of 'How to save an hour every day guaranteed' tells Confused.com readers how to save time and money.

Ask most people what they would like more of and I’d bet you’ll get time and money at the top of their list. Interestingly, those who are good with their money tend to be good with their time too - and vice versa.

As a coach, author and professional speaker I pride myself on cutting through the clutter and getting to what’s important. It’s the same when I’m blogging so here are seven ways to save time and money without (too much) pain.

Read below to find out how:

 
 

1)   Stop writing to-do Lists and instead write a not-to-do list. Put on it the things which cost you time and money:from watching second-rate TV to buying sandwiches from the overpriced shop: create a not-to-do list and stick with it.

2)   Make frugal fun. There’s a feeling that when you’re cutting back it has to equal pain. That’s not necessarily so. Here’s a challenge:  see if you can only eat food from your freezer, fridge and cupboards for a week. You’ll end up with some interesting combinations by day five, but you save a fortune.

3)   Learn how to say no nicely. If you want to save time then learning this skill is a must. The best way is to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Instead of saying ”I can’t” change it to “I’m unable”, and find some reasons why you have to turn down the offer. It might sound like this: “Thank you for asking, I’m unable to accept right now as I’m really focused on (insert project, family time, etc) and I need to put my energy there. Thanks for asking though.”
The more you practice the easier it gets.

4)   Only carry £1. My friend did this when he needed to save some money quickly. He left his credit cards and money clip at home and simply took a one pound coin each day. He did this for three months and in that time estimated that there was only one time when he really wished he had his credit card. He saved hundreds.

5)   Get rid of the clutter. Everyone knows that clutter slows you down so here’s an extra tip to help you to keep your desk clutter-free.

Step one: have a big clear up. File it, fling it or flip It. Once your desk is clear take everything off it, keyboards, phone etc, and buff the surface with a good quality furniture polish. Psychologically it’s harder to clutter a polished desk than a dirty one. Only replace the most essential items: leave your lucky mascot and old pens in a drawer.

6)   Audit yourself. When I coach people I always ask them to carry out a financial audit to find out how much they owe and own, and their commitments versus income. Even if the results are negative it’s better to know. Get your head out of the sand and take some action.

7)   Know what you want to do with your extra hour. I’m currently running a campaign to save the people of Britain a million hours in May and to do something positive with it.

Set yourself some simple goals, write them down and keep them close at hand. These goals will motivate you, give you focus and keep you on track. Your share of those million hours is within your reach.

So there you have it: a few simple but effective ways to save time and money. For more ideas and to receive a 90-day free personal development programme visit www.michaelheppell.com.

Finally just knowing what to do isn’t enough. You may have just read my tips and thought, “I know that”. If that’s you can I ask: “Do you do it?”

The secret isn’t in the knowing, it’s in the doing, so take one or two of the ideas and test them right now.

Here’s to you saving time and money every day.

Michael’s new book, How to Save an Hour Every Day is available at Waterstones and launched as ‘Book of the Week’ at WH Smith travel stores. It is also available online at Amazon. For more information visit his website.

Comments

[Justin Bieber Shoes]

Hi ,thanks for this post.
******The job market is constantly moving and growing and if HR professionals are not on top of this movement they and their company can be doomed. As second city alum and HR professional, I've always advocated for basic improv training not just in hr, but for all professionals in general.

[Mitesh]

Wow what a wonderful post.I really loved it.
Awesome man !

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[Stock Market]

Great post this post say about save time and money very informative post.