At some point or another, we all wish there were two of us to get all of our daily tasks done. When the list of to-dos is piled high and there just seems to be no way to complete it all, wouldn’t it be great to hand over some tasks to another you?

At this point, however, it’s not exactly possible to self-duplicate. That’s why it’s important to use your time wisely to maximize your productivity.

Take a look at these five ways to save time and get more shit done in your day.

Learn How To Delegate

You can’t have another you running around, but you can learn how to delegate tasks to someone else. Though it may be uncomfortable at first to unload some of your burdens onto others’ shoulders, it may be an opportunity to work on being a team leader and team player.

You probably already do this in your daily life. A Perfect example is the grocery store. If your partner is headed in that direction, text them a quick list of the items you need and ask them to pick them up.

Now apply the same principles to your work-life.

For me, when I’m short on article ideas I’ll hire someone for a few bucks to come up with article topics. Without wasting much time I now have dozens of ideas to work with. I can then hire someone else to write the content for me. A different person can create the Pinterest graphics for the blog posts. Finally someone else on my team can promote the posts when they’re live.

You and your team can work together and share progress on your projects using Slack.

By utilizing the strengths of others, you can save time to allow you to carry out the “bigger picture” ideas that make money.

Use Technology To Your Advantage

Technology is a great tool if you wield it properly. Smartphones can either save you time or they can turn into real time-wasters.

In your daily life we use tech to save time all the time. When’s the last time you wrote a check, cashed a check, balanced a checkbook or made a payment in person or by the mail? We just use online bill payment systems to get it handled automatically.

You can use tech tools to help save you time with your online business as well. Here’s some examples of how I use tech to save time.

• I use paypal to make/receive payments and send out invoices.
• I use automation tools like Zapier to help the apps I use work together.
• I use a robust task management app named Trello daily to keep my work on track.
• My smartwatch reminds me to start/stop working to help improve productivity.

Learn To Say No

When you have a day job and a family it can be hard to find time to fit a side hustle into your busy schedule.

There’s extraordinary pressure to say yes to everything you are asked to do, whether it’s for your day job, family trips or your kids’ activities. What happens when you overcommit yourself? You become bogged down with an inordinate amount of tasks and lists of to-dos that you just can’t get them all done. It’s not that you don’t try, it’s just that it’s humanly impossible.

The fix? Strike out some of the activities. You don’t need to be on every committee or go to every event for which you get an invite. It’s unnecessary. It’s stressful. Cut out the excess, commit to less and you’ll be more likely to succeed at your side hustle.

Something as simple as saying ‘no’ is integral to clearing your head and making sure you get the amount of rest you need to allow your brain to focus and refresh itself. Remember, you are a better you when your battery is running at 100%.

Be Okay With Imperfections

For all those perfectionists out there, managing time can be Difficult. There’s the pressure for everything to turn out perfectly, for everyone to love your product and for you to be proud of the result. However, spending so much time focusing on being perfect means you aren’t allowing yourself room to be human. We all have flaws, so let’s not pretend we don’t.

A real life example is during holiday gift giving. You search for the perfect gift, the wrapping paper, the tape, the bow. Then you spend 10 minutes making sure it’s wrapped perfectly, only to have the receiver rip open the package in less than 5 seconds. Those 10 minutes were definitely not a good use of your time.

Instead of trying to be present yourself as perfect, embrace your Imperfections. Accept that sometimes a job, task or to-do item just has to be good enough.

Look at this article for example. Are there imperfections? Of course. I’m sure there are spelling and grammar mistakes. I’m sure the images are not optimized properly. The title could be more concise and impactful. It is not perfect and it will never be and I’m perfectly fine with that.

Get Up Earlier

For night owls, this is difficult, but getting up earlier can end up saving you time. When we get up in the morning we are refreshed, especially after a good breakfast. Nighttime is a time to unwind after a day of work. It’s not just me saying that, the human body is built that way.

It can be difficult to work on your side gig at night. Sure it might be quiet, but your body clock is ticking and it’s telling you it’s time to go to bed. At night is not necessarily the time to fire up your brain and seek creativity.

Another advantage of getting up early is that you can work in the daytime rather than at night. It’s so much better to work by an open window on a sunny day than in a closed off room with unnatural lights on.

In your personal life it’s true that the early bird gets the worm as they say. There are less crowds in the early morning, so commute times will be shorter and the machines at the gym will most likely be more available. You’ll also have more time to eat breakfast and prepare for the day, which can get you fueled and ready to knock out your list.

There’s a lot of advice out there on managing time. Use this list as a way of packing that time management into five powerful punches that will lead to saving energy, sanity and – ultimately – time.