How to add an hour to every day by Jen Hubley Luckwaldt on Oct 29, 2015, 12:00 PM  There aren't enough hours in the day.
This would be true, even if you lived on Mars. Work expands to fill the time available, no matter how much time you have. At the same time, most of us aren't totally aware of how we're using time — or wasting it. With a few small changes, you can steal back an hour or so of your workday, every day, and use it on whatever you please. (Something non-work-related, ideally.) SEE ALSO: 7 things you should never say to your coworkers  1. Track your time usage. One of the best ways to figure out where your time is going is to keep a diary. For a day or a week, write down everything you do and how much time it takes. Be honest: if you're checking Facebook, even if it's only for a minute, write down that you're checking Facebook. You might be surprised how many minutes you're losing here and there to things like social media or checking email.
 2. Batch tasks. What do making dinner and compiling reports have in common? Both are loathsome tortures invented by people who hate fun. (Just kidding, cooking aficionados and report lovers. Sort of.) The good news is that tasks like these can take less time, if you group them together. Batching tasks so that you're working on similar things, one after another, minimizes the mental energy loss that happens when you change gears and helps you concentrate on what you're doing. Try answering emails at set intervals, a few times a day. Spend Sunday making a week's worth of dinners and freeze them for the week ahead. Don't be tempted to think you can multitask. Most of us can't. It's science!
 3. Be less available. You train people how to treat you. That goes for your coworkers and your boss as much as your partner or your best friend. If you want to have the evening to spend with your family, don't give in to the impulse to check your work email right before dinner. If you want to get time off, take your vacation time. Some employers do have legitimately demanding expectations for how their workers use their "off time" — but many of us beat them to the punch by asking too much of ourselves. You need time away from the office. It will get easier to take that time once everyone is used to the fact that you don't answer email at 4 a.m.
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