CRAM 36 HOURS INTO YOUR DAY!

Spend your days running around like a mad woman only to collapse into bed, wake up, and have to do it all again? You're not the only one. A recent survey found that 78 per cent of women have days so hectic, they don't even have time to sit down to eat*. So it's no wonder it's hard to find the time to see friends or have a facial. But all is not lost. "The dull things that are sucking up your time now - email, cleaning, work - are areas where you can save time. You just need to use the right short cuts," says Ian Sanders, author of Juggle! Rethink Work, Reclaim Your Life (Capstone, £9.99). Here's how to make the most of your day.

AT WORK

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Make a not-to-do list

We spend 80 per cent of our work time on the 20 per cent of unnecessary tasks we don't have to do," says Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek (Vermilion, £11.99). "For two weeks keep a log to identify the unnecessary tasks that are eating up your time during your working day and include how long you spend on each one. After a fortnight, you can identify where your work time is being wasted." Time saved: Five hours a day.

Practise 'multi-thinking'

Multitasking doesn't work, says a recent study by the University Of London, which found that your IQ falls 10 points when you're constantly reacting to emails, text messages and calls at the same time. "Try multi-thinking instead," says Ian Sanders. "Be mentally aware of everything going on so you can react to emergencies, but physically focus on one thing at a time."

Time saved: Two hours a day.

Ban chairs

"More companies are using the stand-up meeting, sometimes called a scrum," says Ian. "Keep each meeting to 15 minutes and keep points succinct." Even set a timer - meetings at Google HQ feature a 4ft ticking clock projected on to a wall.

Time saved: 45 minutes a day.

AT HOME

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Clear clutter, clean less

Clear out your clutter and you could reduce time spent on housework by 40 per cent**. "Instead of asking yourself: 'Will I ever use this?', ask: 'Have I used this in the last year?'" suggests life coach Talane Miedaner. If the answer's no, either bin it or recycle it.

Time saved: Three hours a week.

Work it out

"Combine housework with working out," says celebrity trainer Kathryn Freeland (Absolutefitness.com). The best burners? Hoovering (119 calories per half hour), scrubbing floors (129 calories) and mowing the lawn (187 calories). "Add lunges when you vacuum," suggests Kathryn. "And during washing-up, help stay toned by pulling in your bum and squeezing your pelvic floor muscles."

Time saved: One hour a week.

Get a gadget

At last - cleaning products that reduce chores. The Omop (£29.99, Methodproducts.co.uk) requires no water, while Doktor Power Clever Cloths (£5.99 for three, Jmldirect.com) dust, polish and kill germs at the same time. Amazing!

Time saved: One hour a week.

HAVING FUN

Take a tech short cut

"The internet isn't just for social networking," says Ian Sanders. "Buy groceries and pay bills online when you can, too." If sites like Facebook are eating up your hours, try Tweetdeck.com, which delivers updates from Facebook, Twitter and your favourite news sites on one web page. Google Reader and Friendfeed.com provide similar services. Clever!

Time saved: 45 minutes a day.

Embrace binge-chilling

"Sky+ and DVD box sets now mean you can watch your favourite programmes when you're ready, and without the ads," says Ian. So bring on the binge-chilling - weekends spent watching your favourites back-to-back (think Sex And The City, The Wire and 24), which frees up your week nights to do, well, whatever!

Time saved: One hour, 15 minutes a day.

ME TIME

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Sleep less

We spend a third of our lives asleep, but it's possible to steal back some time from snoozing. "We need six to eight hours sleep a night, but you can safely shave off 10-15 minutes a night over one week without harming health," says Dr Ebrahim of the London Sleep Centre.

Time saved: 1 hour a week.

Make decisions faster

According to Suzy Welch, author of 10-10-10 (Simon & Schuster, £12.99), when you're facing a dilemma, come to a resolution faster by asking yourself: "What will be the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes? Months? Years?" That will put your problem into focus.

Time saved: 30 minutes a day.

Life swap

Swap chores you hate with someone who enjoys them, advises life coach Cheryl Goldenberg (Cherylgoldenberg.com). "You might love sewing, so offer to turn up a friend's skirt if they do your supermarket dash in return."

Time saved: 25 minutes a day.

The write stuff

Overwhelmed by to-do lists in your head? "Write down everything, from buying cat food to returning calls," advises David Allen, author of Getting Things Done (Piatkus, £11.99). "Group the list into areas depending on where they can be sorted - phone, kitchen, computer, etc. Then, you can save time by working through each list in one go."

Time saved: 25 minutes a day.

PHOTOGRAPHY: CAMERA PRESS, SCOPE BEAUTY *SURVEY BY TOP SANTE MAGAZINE **STUDY BY THE US NATIONAL SOAP AND DETERGENT ASSOCIATION

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