We all one way or another live a busy life. Take a typical day for example. After a long day of work, you come home and all you want to do is relax.

But you’ll be surprised how many distractions you have to deal with once you’re home.

By the time you’re ready to wind down and really relax, you look at the clock and it’s already bedtime. You’re an adult now and you know how miserable you’ll be at work the next morning if you don’t get enough sleep.

With all that, you wonder where you’re going to find the time to earn an additional income on the side. You can’t quit your day job because that’s your security. Without it, you will not be able to maintain.

The good thing is that you can start slow and keep the comfort of your current job at the same time.

After you’ve taken action, you can re-evaluate your situation and make a sound decision.

Then you will know if working online is something that is for you. If not you can just go back to your normal routine.

If you are patient, do your research, and make well-educated decisions you will without a doubt be wealthier. I can honestly say this because I’m a prime example of what’s possible.

I’ve gone through ups and downs and struggled until I started earning commissions online all while working a full-time job.

But, Where and How Do You Find Extra Time?

If you take the example of a typical person. The day basically consists of waking up early, enduring a morning commute, arriving at work barely on time, repeating the process after work, and arrive home practically late.

Once you’re home you have your family and friends to be with. Being a father of three and soon-to-be four I know how hard it is to find that extra free time you can devote to working on an online business.

At the time I’m writing this post it’s 11:30 PM and my youngest just finally went to sleep.

My parents have taught me that sometimes in order to reach your goals you must sacrifice a few things and be determined.

I can’t speak for everyone as we all have our own situations but here are a few helpful tips that will help you find some extra time.

1. Acknowledge Your Free Time – Yes we live busy lives but I’ve found times that I consider free and believe these can apply to you as well. In my case I wake up an hour before I have to leave for work, there is the morning drive, morning break, lunch break, afternoon break, the drive home, and after the kids fall asleep.

2. Consolidate Your Activities – I like to do things in batches. When I tend to the dishes, I prepare the coffee for the following morning, prepare the clothes I’ll wear the next day, and maybe take out the trash all while listening to a podcast. For the record, podcasts are what I listen to the most to get better educated about running an online business.

Think about your activities, there are some you can combine and do in batches that will save you a lot of time. One thing I know that is universal when it comes to acquiring a new skill is that you need to learn and for that reason I listen to podcasts about things I’m passionate about.

3. Stop your obsession with TV – I hate just sitting there just to watch TV. It’s such an unproductive activity if you would even consider it an activity. Also, my couch is very comfortable and once I sit on it it’s hard to get up.

Get things done first. I understand you may want to turn on the tv to unwind but maybe you would want to set a time limit so you can get things done.

Yes, I used an unsexy term… time limit. When you’re trying to better your life you should create a discipline to follow. Don’t worry your soap operas are not going anywhere. I’m a huge sci-fi geek and when I first discovered one of my favorite series Stargate, I quickly learned that If I wanted to I can watch every season, every episode online and in high-definition… and I did.

All your shows, for the most part, are readily available online for you to watch. Download your favorite channel’s app to view the shows online or better yet you could get a HULU account.

I invite you to do the same thing. Set some time on the weekends maybe to watch your favorite show online (this can actually reduce your cable bill). You can watch your favorite shows online by going to the network’s website, or by going to sites like Hulu.com.

Now to let practicality set in think about this, If you watch an average of 3 hours of tv a day, that’s 21 hours of tv a week or 84 hours a month ( you can practically finish a college course in 84 hours), or 1092 hours a year.

Watching TV is not going to improve your life (unless you watch instructional shows but really who does that?). Get your priorities in order!

These tips can help you save up a lot of time. You then need to put that time to good use and start taking action toward your goals.

I think a good practice is to emulate someone who has reached a goal or lifestyle you want to achieve. It would be very advantageous to you to save time and money by getting yourself a mentor.

One who has your best interest in mind and will help you stay focused so that you can achieve your goals.

Do you have any time-saving tips you would like to share? I surely hope you don’t save time by cooking in the shower, that’s just weird!