Interested in decreasing the number of hours spent at work, on work or getting to and from work?  Read on!

Try to flex your schedule--just a little.  The easiest way to reclaim some of the time back from your day is to take advantage of any sort of flex time that may be available to you.  For example, instead of working 8 to 5, see if you can work 7 to 4 or 9 to 6.  Sometimes just altering your schedule by even a half hour can keep you out of the kind of traffic that can add an hour or more onto your total daily commute.

Accept the traffic you're stuck in.  If there is no way around spending time in traffic, then do yourself a favor and make the most of it.  Consider it YOU time.  Turn off the radio and practice your faith.  Or take the time to THINK.  Purchase a book on tape and listen to that book you've been wanting to read.  Carry a small tape recorder in your car and dictate your to do list, your weekend plans, your menu plan, or anything else you don't want to forget.  Give in to the fact that you will be stuck in traffic and use the time to unwind from work so that when you get home, you can walk in the door refreshed and ready to go!

Stop volunteering!  I mean at work.  Too often we volunteer to be on the holiday party planning committee or the annual company picnic planning committee.  Or we volunteer to take on extra projects or tasks.  You may think you need to do this to get ahead.  If you work for a company that promotes based upon how many extra tasks, projects or committees you take on, then you don't work for a company worth working for.  The quality of your work should speak for itself and should be all that matters.  Think of it this way, every extra hour you spend at work, is an hour you take away from your faith and your family.  And you can never get it back again!

Limit email checks.  Do it 2 or 3 times a day--if you must.  Assign yourself times, perhaps in the morning, before OR after lunch, and before you leave for the day.  Stick to those times and do not check it in between.  Keep disciplined about this and you'll save oodles of time per day. 

Carefully plan refreshments.  All of us get up throughout the day to get coffee, tea, water, soda, snacks, etc.  If you're careful, though, about when you choose to do this, you can save time.  How?  Go for your refreshments when no one else is around.  For some reason most employees at most companies visit the lunchroom, snack room, cafeteria, or kitchen at around the same time every day.  If you go during those "peak" times, you're bound to run into someone you know and end of chatting.  If you go when no one else is around, you'll get what you want and get back to work.  No, it's not as enjoyable.  But again remember, every minute spent talking with someone at work is a minute you take away from your faith and your family.