Designate a Space for "In Use" Cups

    Create a special spot on the kitchen counter where everyone can put half-filled coffee mugs that need to be reheated, water glasses to be used again later, or sippy cups that can be refilled. At the end of the day, put everything that's still out into the dishwasher. It cuts down on kitchen clutter, and it also avoids shouts across the house of "Are you done with that coffee yet?"

    Presort the Family Laundry

    Clean laundry is only half the battle―it still needs to be sorted and put away. Save those steps by keeping washer-and-dryer-safe mesh bags （27-by-36-inch mesh bag, $8, stacksandstacks.com） in each kid's room―one for lights, one for darks. Throw the bags directly into the washing machine and dryer, then hand them back to the kids. If they're old enough, they can do their own folding.

    Minimize Trips to the Garbage Can

    While preparing a meal, keep a big bowl on the counter. Put all your chopping, cutting, and peeling discards into it, then make one trip to the garbage instead of 10.

    Make a Quick Breakfast

    Put all your fruit, milk, silken tofu, or yogurt in the blender pitcher and store the pitcher in the refrigerator overnight. （You can even prechop a banana. It will brown, but that will not affect the flavor of the shake.） In the morning, set it on the blender and press the button.

    Put the Kids to Work

    Tired of hearing "What's for dinner?" and "That again?" Turn over the role of meal planner and cook to your family. Ask each person to choose a night that suits his or her schedule （some family members may need to make a few meals each week）, fill in a dinner menu, and add the needed ingredients to the grocery list. Make the rules simple: a different menu every night, and only one pasta dish per week. Everyone's food issues （allergies, picky taste buds） must be addressed. Every menu must be healthy and include vegetables. Include a dish-duty sign-up, too.

    Prepare Sandwiches for Dinner

    When in doubt, whip up a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich for dinner to save time. Make it with natural peanut butter, real fruit jam, and whole-grain bread. That way it's "real" food, unlike many of the additive-laden prepackaged meals so widely available now.

    Keep an Everything Datebook

    Buy a weekly calendar. Jot down all the traditional things―school events, birthdays, appointments. But use it to keep track of nontraditional things, too. Write down bills that come through the mail and mark their due dates six days ahead. Plan weekly dinner menus and write them on the calendar. Use it to also record the kids' long-term assignments. That helps prevent those evenings of racing around to do everything at the last second.

    Never Miss Another Birthday

    Send out birthday cards once a month. Receiving one early is better than not receiving one at all.

    Have a Shredder Ready

    Stow a small paper shredder near the mail to destroy credit-card offers and "checks."

    Try a Double-Duty Dustbin

    Empty your bathroom garbage can and use it as a bucket when you wash your bathroom and hardwood floors. Rinse it in the tub, then fill it with white vinegar and water. Both the floors and the garbage can are clean when you're done.

    Start a Recipe Chain Letter

    Planning menus and getting the ingredients together for a quick meal after work can be time-consuming. That's where the recipe-exchange "chain letter" comes in. Have friends send you their favorite easy-to-make recipes, then you forward them on. In addition, keep a few cookbooks at the office and download recipes from the Internet to a folder on the computer. Photocopy or print out the ingredients list while at work and then buy groceries during lunch or on the way home.

    Squeeze Now, Use Later

    If you have leftover lemons and limes from a cocktail party, squeeze them and freeze the juice in an ice-cube tray. Once they're frozen, store the cubes in zippered plastic bags and use them for recipes that call for fresh lemon or lime juice. （One cube equals about one tablespoon of juice.）

    Keep an Ongoing Shopping List

    Whoever unwraps the last bar of soap from the four-pack or scrapes the last spoonful of mayo out of the jar should be responsible for writing it down on the shopping list.

    Time-Stamp Your Photos

    When you get your photographs developed, label the envelopes before leaving the store. On the top of the envelope, jot down the date, subjects, or activity. It's easier than trying to remember the details later. Or take it one step further and throw out―right there in the store―any flattering, uninteresting, or unclear photographs.

    Get Ready for Morning the Night Before

    Set out everything you can―dry breakfast ingredients, clothes, backpacks and bags, and lunches―before going to bed. It means fewer things to think about when you wake up and you're getting ready to leave the house.

    Create a Beauty Station

    Hang a mirror by the door, along with a basket filled with last-minute primping tools. You won't have to run all over the house looking for brushes, barrettes, sunscreen, hand lotion, or various makeup essentials: It's all in the basket.

    Start a Day-by-Day Shelf System

    To get out the door more quickly each day, dedicate baskets or shelves to specific days of the week. When you remove things from your bag at night, place each item on the appropriate shelf or in the correct basket. Designate a certain spot for everyday items―like your wallet, transit card, and cell phone.

    Organize Your Hand-Me-Downs

    Keep a "future bin" in the kids' closets for hand-me-downs you get from others and anything that's too big for them right now. Purge their closets once a season. Put removed items in one of three places: a younger sibling's "future bin", the charity bin, or the trash. Many charities, such as Goodwill, call quarterly to let you know they will have a truck in the area, so you don't have to load your car and make an extra trip. When they call, leave the bin out front for pickup, and they'll hang the receipt （for tax purposes） on your doorknob. This is also a good time to get rid of any toys that the kids have outgrown.

    為"正在使用"杯騰出空間

    在櫥柜上方留出一定空間，將需要再次加熱的半杯咖啡、會繼續使用的水杯或是還會用到的吸管杯都放在那里。一天結束后，將用過的杯子放入洗碗機里洗凈。這樣既減少廚房的零亂，又避免穿越整個房間的喊叫聲--"咖啡喝完了沒？"

    預先分類臟衣物

    洗完衣服才成功一半--衣服還需要分類和存放。要省去這些步驟，只需在每個孩子的房間里放兩個洗衣機-干衣機-安全網袋（長68.58cm、寬91.44cm,$8、stacksandstacks.com）--白天一個，晚上一個。直接將網袋放進洗衣機和干衣機里，然后交還給孩子們。孩子們夠大之后，可以讓他們自己折疊衣服。

    減少垃圾傾倒次數

    準備晚飯時，放一個大碗在櫥柜上存放垃圾，然后一次性倒掉所有垃圾。

    準備簡易早餐

    將水果、牛奶、嫩豆腐或酸奶全部放進大的攪拌杯里，并放進冰箱過夜。（還可以預先剝好一顆香蕉。香蕉會變成褐色，卻不會影響早餐的風味。）早晨，放好攪拌機，按下按鈕就好了。

    讓孩子們干家務活

    厭倦于聽到"晚飯吃什么呀？"、"又是那個呀？"這樣的話，那么把做晚飯的任務交給其他家庭成員吧。依照個人行程表（一些家庭成員每周可能就做那么幾次飯）,安排晚上有時間的人做飯；填寫一份晚餐菜單，并將需要的原材料寫進采購單。制定簡單的規則：每晚一份不同的菜單，每周最多做一次意大利面。個人飲食習慣（過敏反應、挑食蟲）需提前通告。每份菜單必須健康并包括蔬菜；簽下菜肴責任書。

    為晚餐準備三明治

    為了省時，快速搞定一份花生黃油果凍三明治當做晚餐。使用天然花生黃油、真正的水果醬和全麥面包。不同于現在隨處可見的滿是添加劑、預先包裝好的食物，自己做出來的食物才是"真的"食物。

    記錄每一件事

    買份周報表，略記所有的例行公事--學校事件、生日、約會、還有特別事務。寫下需要郵寄的賬單，并提前六天記下截止日期。計劃每周的晚餐菜單，記在行程表上。周報表也可用來記錄孩子們的長期任務。這樣呢，可有效避免"臨時抱佛腳".

    從不錯過下一次的生日

    每月定期寄出當月生日賀卡。提前收到賀卡總比從沒收到要好。

    準備一臺碎紙機

    買臺碎紙機，以便及時處理信用卡優惠單和"賬單".

    試試兩用垃圾箱

    兩用垃圾箱既可以用來清空浴室垃圾，也可在清洗浴室和硬木地板時充當水桶。使用完后，用白醋加水漂洗。然后，地板和垃圾桶都干凈了。

    創建食譜連鎖信

    臨時為一頓簡單的晚餐構想菜單、買原料是很耗費時間的。而交換食譜"連鎖信"在這點上就起作用了。向朋友們索要她們鐘愛的簡單易操作食譜，并不斷地改進食譜。另外，在辦公室里放置幾本烹飪書，從網上下載食譜并存放在電腦里。上班空閑時，打印出原材料單；吃午飯時或回家的路上順便采購。

    先榨取，后使用

    將雞尾酒會上剩下檸檬和酸橙，榨汁并冰凍在制冰格里。凍好后將冰塊存放在拉鏈塑膠袋里，需要新鮮檸檬或酸橙汁時就可拿出來使用。（一塊冰約等于一餐鑰果汁。）

    持續添加采購單

    打開四塊包裝的肥皂中的最后一塊或是舀出瓶中最后一匙蛋黃醬的人都有責任添加采購單。

    在相片上標記時間

    照片沖洗出來后，貼上標簽，然后存放。在信封封面，記下時間、主題或活動名稱。這樣有助于以后回憶細節。在儲存時，還可以放棄那些不真實的、無趣的或模糊的照片。

    為第二天早晨"綢繆"

    睡覺之前，盡可能準備好一切--早餐原料、衣物、背包、提包和午餐。如此這般，離開房間時就不會有后顧之憂。

    創建女人小站

    進門附近掛一面鏡子，旁邊放一個籃子。籃子里存放緊急補妝工具。這樣呢，你就無需為了找刷子、發夾、防曬霜、護手霜或是精華素而滿屋奔跑。

    系統化日常擱板

    為了每天快速出門，每周選定一個籃子或架子。晚上把挎包里的物件放在合適的架子上或籃子里。錢包、過境證和手機都放在固定的位置。

    整理舊衣服

    在孩子們的衣柜里騰出一個"未來儲藏柜",存放那些從別人那里得到的舊衣服和過大的衣服。每季清洗一次他們的衣柜。不要的物件放進較小兄弟姊妹的"未來儲存柜"、慈膳柜或者垃圾堆。許多慈善機構，例如Goodwill,會在每個季度打電話通知你，他們會來你所在區域裝運。這樣，你無須自己開車捐獻衣物。接到電話后，將舊衣物裝進箱子放在前門。他們會把收據（出于稅收目的）掛在你的門把手上。這也有利于處理被孩子們舍棄了的玩具。