Your Time Saving Tips (For Sharing & Learning)

Coach Patrick

Every once in a while you do something and you want to kick yourself for not having done it for the LAST TEN YEARS!  I do kick myself quite often, but somehow I still manage to learn a few tricks. Would love to hear your tips for just making tri-life that much easier...here are  few of mine:

• Exercise Clothes Laundry Basket -- Now I keep all my stinky clothes in one basket and I do that load of laundry 3x a week. All other laundry (I am Mr Mom) is done on Sunday. I realized I was doing massive amounts of laundry just to get to my training clothes...massive time saved!
  
  
  
  
• Bluetooth Upload from Garmin Devices -- I never used to upload my data, now it just syncs wirelessly and makes staying on top of my training super easy!
  
  
  
  
• Monthly Tasks as Calendar Reminders -- From changing air filters to starting the generator, it's all in here so I can't possibly forget. Again, so easy I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. 
  
  
  
  
• Shared List for Groceries -- No more post-it notes...when either of us food shop we have the master list on our phones. But latest rule has been "no adding to the list when Patrick is actually shopping!!!"

So...how about you?

baprince15

How do you keep a shared grocery list?

The tip that comes to mind for me is setting my bills so that the billing period ends about the same day and can all be paid online in one quick setting. None are missed and I only have to deal with it for about 3 min each month.

Peter Noyes

- Dedicated trainer computer. This saves me 5-10 minutes each ride, used to have to setup laptop, find Ant+ stick, etc...
- We use 'OurGroceries' app for grocery list, works really well for us
- We have a bunch of stuff on auto-buy from amazon, even food items like cereal
- I make lots of food on Sunday to eat throughout the week
- Getting a cleaning lady has made life much easier
- Every morning I plan out exactly what I will eat for the day on myfitnesspal based on anticipated calories burned.

I love that bill tip!

I love this thread! With training, a full time job, and a wife and kid I feel like every single minute of my day is accounted for. I need optimizations!

Jacklyn Moore

I only work part time but I feel that trying to get everything in is difficult too. One thing I do is break up my house cleaning into 15 minute pieces. You would be amazed how much you can clean in that small piece of time. I find I get alot more done that way. 

I also break up my chores into upstairs one week, downstairs next week ( other than bathrooms). 

I station cleaning supplies on each floor so i'm not chasing cleaners and tools in buckets with rags ready to go.

I load and run the dishwasher every night before bed no matter how full. So that I have a clean slate the next day. 

I prepack all my food for work. Snacks and all. Then it's grab and go. I'm out of the house in 15 minutes. 

I cook big and put some in the freezer. If i'm making a mess I might as well make extra for later. 

I struggle with yard work. I am an organic gardener and trying to get all the maintenance done is a challenge.Look forward to reading what others post.

jaleslie

Love the grocery shared list and the separate laundry basket for sweat-laden stuff.

Peter mentioned the OurGrocery App....is that how you do it Coach?  

My only addition is checking tire pressure/inflating the night before a morning ride....nothing starts a ride worse than getting ready to roll and then finding out you have a flat.  

Great thread....thanks Coach.

Mark Maurer

I always cook extra and when I'm putting it away after dinner I pack some for my lunch the next day, then as Jacklyn said I grab it in the morning and put it in my lunch bag. Good nutritious food and I know exactly what's in it.

I set out my clothes for the day the night before so I don't have to make decisions the next morning.

If I'm swimming in the morning before work I get the backpack ready the night before (except for the water bottle) so all I have to do is grab it and hit the road.

I have almost all my bills on auto pay. I get the statement, look at it, and file it. The bank takes care of the rest (unless I have to transfer money to take care of the credit card balance {I pay it off every month} because I bought my wife a bike).

We found a college student who does really good yard work and hire him throughout the year to do things like weeding, raking and heavy clean up. It helps both of us.

We plan menus on Saturday or Sunday night while eating dinner. I like to cook but I don't necessarily like to plan all the meals. Besides I met my wife when she was a menu planner at a meal coop at Oberlin College. (I was looking for a recipe book because I was cooking.)

Brad Marcus

Super great thread, Coach! Lots of great ideas out there, many of which I'll defeinately try.

@Coach P - how are you uploading with Bluetooth using Garmin with non Bluetooth devices?

Much of what I've done revolves around family/kids. My wife and I are both triathletes and with 2 kids (9 & 11), it can be a challenge to find and balance time:

- I usually try to get a midweek run in when kids are on a sports field for practices (if I'm not coaching). Lots of times they are at or near a school with a track, so this works out well.

- Many times my wife or I will run or bike to or from a weekend game that one of our kids has depending on distance and proximity.

- I'm a big prepper the night before for an early morning workout. The hardest part is getting out the door!

I'll post more as I think of them!

Phil Mills

The separate hamper for work out clothes was implemented mid season last year. The Wife was tired of stinky, sweaty clothes laying around to dry. Also, she refused to continue washing them. It's so much easier to grab that hamper and wash them all at once. PS. I am now in charge of all of the clothes washing, beats dishes.

Packing w/o clothes the night before.

Cooking in quantities enough for 2+ nights meals. Now only cooking 4 nights per week.

Most important. Set up the coffee press the night before. Cleaned, filled with water and grounds ready to go.

Mix bottles the night before a bike w/o. Everything moves slower in the morning.

Al Truscott

I don't need to save time anymore, but back (pre-2011) when I did, here's how I managed to work full time as an obstetrician and full time as a triathlete:

• Bike commute to work 2-3 times a week, in all weather. Didn;t replace any workouts, really, but it sure did give me a good "base"
• Swam or lifted weights on the way to work the other two days a week
• Ran at least once a week at lunch time in the park near my office
• Laid out breakfast the night before, and made next day's lunch at that same time
• Kept a little IKEA closet in my office, with both work clothes and workout clothes, so I could ride the ten miles to/from in regular biking kit - much better at handling sweat than standard clothes. I never took a shower before work, didn't need to as al the stink was in the clothes, not on me.
• Did interval workouts at the track while my daughter had soccer practice
• On weekend days when I had to work, I would run into work, having left my bike or car there the night before (having driven one or the other home.) EG, Drive to work on Friday witch bike in car. Ride bike home Fri PM, run to work Sat AM, drive home. On rare occasions, I would run home, having left bike or car in hospital garage overnight.
• • I've been doing my workout washing once a week Sunday evening for several decades, ever since the cleaning lady shrank my shirts! I've had a hamper by my gear closet for at least 16 years, even got a new one for Christmas from my wife when it started to disintegrate. Pro tip: don't just throw stuff in there if it's sweaty wet - drap it over the edge to let it dry overnight before stuffing in. Greatly reduces the smell you need to wash out. 
  • I still swim 1-2 times a week with my wife, getting both SAUs and a workout all at once 

Note to Coach P - Hey, man, if you are doing workout laundry 3x per week, you need some more gear!!! 

Jacklyn Moore

One thing I do for getting a hot nutritious meal in me and my daughter is that we love fruit breads, banana, pumpkin,zucchini. I make a double batch add in hemp meal, flax meal and chia seed ( she has no idea). I bake one loaf for fresh eating then I portion out into mini muffin pans. Cover the pans with zeran wrap and place in the freezer. 1 or 2 mornings a week i grab a pan, frozen, out of the freezer go up and put in the over while it is pre heating. in 20 minutes I have a great breakfast. They will freeze for up to 4 months. 

Thanks to Mark Mauer, I have this great dimmer gizmo for a crock pot. I plug it in put the small crock on low and then dim to half power. I then load it up for oatmeal the night before. Oatmeal, water and dried fruit. In the morning I add pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and walnuts and serve. Kids love it. 

Great ideas guys.