6 Ways to Find More Time for Yourself

6. Lower Your Standards

If you can't afford a cleaning service -- and actually even if you can -- you can also save a lot of housekeeping time by giving your kids some responsibilities. "A lot of parents are really lax in terms of sharing the load, but even small kids can pitch in," says Stack. But this means accepting that your 7-year-old probably won't make the bed with the crisp hospital corners that you do. "I use the 80 percent rule. If someone else can do it 80 percent as well as I can, then that's fine," says Stack. "My 5-year-old sets the table at night. She may not be perfect, but if it gives me time to relax, I don't mind having the fork on the wrong side of the plate once in a while."

Originally published on FitnessMagazine.com, June 2006