Since quite a few of us wake up a little foggy in the morining and proceed to run behind for the remainder of the day, I’ve decided to compose a list of 10 time saving tips to help us all stay on top of things.

Tip #1 – Stage Your Day

What does this mean? When it comes to important events in life such as weddings, child birth, and other major events; life takes careful planning. Less effort seems to be put into our mundane day-to-day activites. My big question is, “Shouldn’t every day be an important event in life?”

An easy way to make every day important and “stage” things to run smoothly is by setting your day up for success the night before. Put your clothes out, set up for breakfast, and even consider jotting down an outline of “things to do tomorrow” on post-it note.

By doing this when your brain is still functioning at night you can cut down your “get ready” time in the morning and have a clear picture of what needs to get done during the morning grogginess.

Tip #2 – Are You A Light Sleeper?

Does the refigerator running in the kitchen drive you crazy? Maybe it’s the heater clicking on and off or the crickets outside that are driving you mad! You can easily overcome this nightmare of sleep deprivation with a box of 33 decibel ear plugs and an extra loud alarm clock.

A sleeping mask and some blackout curtains wouldn’t be a bad idea either. If you get 8 hours of sleep every night, but you’re not really sleeping… your just wasting your time and decreasing your productivity.

Tip #3 – If You’re Gonna Do It… Do It Right Now!

Much is lost from procrastination these day. To think where this website would be if I had just written this article over a month ago when I had the idea. The same goes for my pile of laundy in the corner over there /: Hold on a sec… I’m gonna throw that in the wash real quick…

Ok I’m back (: Anyways, when a thought like that crosses your mind then just get it done. Your dishes, filing your taxes, buying a birthday card etc. etc. The TV isn’t going anywhere and by procrastinating you will just stay in the cycle of feeling overwhelmed.

Tip #4 – Automate Your Life

To be successful and to stay successful, it’s neccessary that you put as many things on cruise control as possible. I personally like good old fashioned pen and paper scheduling my time, but a Blackberry or iphone may be your cup of tea. The Blackberry is a great tool for setting reminders for appointments or checking e-mail messages.

Take advantage of services like automatic bill pay through your bank or have your cell phone, internet services, and anything else automatically billed to your credit card every month. It’s one less thing that you have to worry about… just make sure that you have the funds in your account to avoid paying an overdraft fee!

Tip #5 – Stop Checking E-mail

One of my biggest weaknesses is constantly checking my e-mail for lack of something better to do. It’s a bit like channel surfing in that you filter through a bunch of spam and seldom find anything worth your time. So, resist the urge because there are more productive things to do with your time.

Tip #6 – Make Calls in the Car

If you haven’t already then it’s time to invest in a bluetooth. Catch up with friends or family on the commute to and from work so that you can relax when you get home.

The Jawbone and the Blue Ant are 2 of the best bluetooths with noise cancellation. A good bluetooth is worth its weight in gold and the prices have recently come down if you know the right place to look. I would recommend a quick visit to Cell Phone Shop with the bluetooth coupon in our online deals section.

You can get 20% their already low prices on noise cancelling ear pieces including the Plantronics Discovery 655 for $35 (retails for $70), the LG HBM-770 for $45 (retails for $80), and the Jabra BT8040 for $55 (retails for $120).

The Jabra BT8040 was also rated 4/5 stars at Best Buy and got great reviews. It is also the ear piece that I use. The sound quality is great, but it picks up all of the background noise on my end so people ask what all the racket is sometimes.