Reflective analysis of activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living

¶ … routine, I see that the majority of my time is spent in routine activities such as dressing, feeding myself, basic hygiene, grooming etc. There are certainly ways that I can reduce the amount of time spent in this area and Einstein did just that by often sleeping in his clothes and possessing a limited amount of suits for he thought the time to change into another suit of clothes too time-consuming and unnecessary. Similarly, time goes into food preparation and there are various strategies here to eliminate a good chunk of that time. Food can be cooked and frozen in advance; meals can be simplified; I can eat out on a regular schedule (but that would be costly, arguable time-consuming too, as well as, perhaps, unhealthy); I can buy convenience food (unhealthy); I can subsist on a simple diet such as sandwiches day-after-day (unrealistic). The practical thing to do would, however, be to simplify my meals, eat them at a specific hour, refrain from lingering over them, and rarely, if ever socialize (unless I need to). If developed around healthy food, this program may even allow me to lose weight. Time spent over grooming can certainly be reduced, particularly if I am given to pandering myself with lengthy showers and baths. As to the rest, there are certainly strategies that can reduce time needed for personal hygiene, but I do not want to loiter around wearing a diaper.

The next largest chunk of my time was reducible to 'secondary important tasks' -- also routine -- such as housework, computer, caring for pets etc. Whilst necessary, these activities are less necessary than the aforementioned category and the amount of time spent in their absorption and preparation can certainly be reduced.

Housework, for instance, can be delegated to a maid. This may, however, be costly so a more intelligent strategy would be to adopt Tom Sawyer's method and allow others to pay me for doing my housework whilst I indicate the benefits (such as exercise) that the 'merited' individuals receive from it. Joking aside, housework can be reduced in various ways and a plethora of housework books provide details on haw one can do as much. Tips range from cutting laundry time to special ways of eliminating ironing (aside from employing the dry-cleaner) to, in the worst case, putting on the oven, putting on music (so that visitors think you have a lovely smell and seem so relaxed, consequently your lodging must be tidy), to sweeping all under the bed (or in a certain corner). Shopping too can be reduced by (a) shopping for less, (b) using a list, (c) shopping once a week for all. And certainly not browsing whilst I shop. Time spent caring for pets can, likewise, be reduced by donating those pets to charity. In a more serious vein -- being that I am dedicated to my pets -- I can regulate their feeding so that less time is spent on the activity. Important, too, is that all apparatus and utensils are kept in a consistent, close-at-hand spot so that time is not wasted by searching for the equipment. Time spent on computer (and similar technology) can be reduced by using it just for that which is important and solely when necessary. Employment of chat groups, social sites (such as FaceBook), games, YouTube and so forth -- Internet has numerous distractions -- can all be eliminated (unless necessary to my work or useful as incentive). Ditto with the telephone where calls can be kept to a bare minimum with voice-mail serving as my trusty assistant and 'chatty' individuals excluded from my company.