No time for yourself? Follow these steps and find a few moments to spoil yourself. 

Your job is never done, which is why it’s hard to carve out an hour for gym and other seemingly non-essential life enhancements. Well, we say they’re pretty important. So we got time management expert Rivka Caroline to teach us how to end the day with extra hours.

1) Cultivate your To Don’t list. That’s right, she says to create a To-Don’t list.

“A To-Do list is overwhelming,” says Caroline. A To Don’t list is liberating.”

A few ideas for entries: Don’t check your Facebook, don’t answer your cell phone, don’t stop and talk to the PTA president who will rope you into organizing the fall dance.

“When you’re available 24/7 you’re taking care of someone else’s To-Do list,” says Caroline.

2) Decide what you must do and outsource the rest.

“Kids are your cheapest source of labor,” says Caroline. “Have them make their own lunches and beds.”

Don’t feel guilty for ordering your hard-to-find items (organic spelt flour anyone?) on-line. As for carpooling, well, Caroline considers that a good thing.

3) Create a system for every area of your life. Make a meal plan on Sunday so you don’t waste precious moments every evening deciding what to do for dinner, says Caroline. Organize laundry so it’s seamless (whites, darks, pastels, repeat) and save five 5 minutes in the afternoon to clear off your desk. You get the idea.

4) Manage your interruptions. You can help keep your email addition under control by turning off the pinging sound that alerts you to every message, including spam.