The following may be the understatement of the year: life is busy.
If this resonates with you, you are far from alone. Many people have difficulty getting through their daily To-do lists, some of which seem longer than the Declaration of Independence.
Here’s some good news. While you might not be able to remove certain items from your daily responsibilities—like your job or schooling—there are ways to make your list of tasks seem much more doable. One of the most effective ways to do this is by moving as many “in-person” tasks as you can online. For instance, consider the following four examples:
Become Friends with Online Banking
As Discover notes, online banking is easily one of the greatest routes to easier living. If you pay your bills by check, go to the local branch to make a transfer or get your current balance, you can easily do all of this and more online. Your can set up automatic bill pay for most, if not all of your monthly recurring expenses, and you can check your balance and transfer money in and out of accounts from your smartphone or other device. When tax time rolls around, you can also print out your bank or investment statements online, and you can pay your credit card bills as well. As a bonus, your online bank is open 24/7—you can either visit the website or download the app right onto your phone.
Order Groceries Online
Shopping for groceries is definitely one of life’s necessities, but it can be time consuming. Fortunately, this is another chore that you can do online. Most grocery stores allow you to place your order through their website, and they will either deliver it to your home or bring it to your vehicle in their parking lot at a time that is convenient to you. There are also online shopping services like Instacart that will deliver to your home. As The American Heart Association notes, online shopping can help you save not only time but money, due in part to reducing the temptation to impulse buy things that aren’t on your list. In addition to doing your shopping online, you can also load coupons and deals onto your grocery store account; they will automatically be deducted from your total. This will save you from having to clip coupons the old fashioned way and then remember to bring them with you to the store.
Send a Fax From the Palm of Your Hand
Not that long ago, sending a fax meant either using your own personal fax machine at home, or finding a local business that offers fax service, and paying to use it. Now, thanks to services like eFax, it is convenient and easy to send a fax online. As for how to send a fax online with eFax, it is quick and user-friendly. After signing up for the eFax service, you upload your documents the same way you would in an email. Add a cover page, and then hit “send” and voila—you just successfully sent a fax online.
Skip the Dressing Room
When you need new clothes or shoes, you could drive to the mall and go from store to store trying on new duds and kicks, or you could order everything you need from an online retailer. Granted, you might prefer to try on new-to-you brands and styles, but if you always order size 9 tennis shoes in a certain brand and you know they will fit you, ordering them from a place like Zappos can save a lot of time. The same goes for clothing you wear frequently; you can easily shop online for tried and true brands and sizes and have your wardrobe delivered right to your door.
Free Up Valuable Time with the Help of Your Computer
It can be stressful to feel like you are always playing catch-up with your To-do list. Thankfully, you can free up a lot of time by moving as many tasks as you can to online. From banking and grocery shopping to faxing, buying clothing, and other tasks you might discover on your own, you should find it easier to finish that daily list of chores.Â
