Two weeks ago, I launched Joyish. Creative, fun and mentally stimulating, I’m loving it…but, honestly, I’m also sleep deprived.

By day, I’m part of corporate America. I live in my office from 8:30 AM—6PM. And although it’s a really fab office with a killer view, it’s only after my 9-10 hour workday that I’m able to turn my attention to my infantile passion project. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but my body is kinda like, “Honey, baby, darling, sweetheart, we liked that whole 7 hours of sleep thing…what are you doing to me?”

Organizing life to make time for creativity, family, friends and fitness requires a certain finesse, one that I’m far from mastering. But already, I’ve identified a few practices that together literally add hours to my day:

1. Take at least 5 minutes to connect to Hashem daily, ideally first thing in the morning. Amazing what a few minutes can do. This time enables me to walk into the day centered. I more nimbly adapt to challenges. I feel more balanced and receptive. Rather than swim upstream, muscling everything myself, I create space for Hashem’s presence in everything I do.
2. The 1 minute rule. If you can do it in less than 1 minute, do it now. In the morning, this might show up as making my bed and putting clothes away. Before leaving work, it could be organizing my desk and cleaning my coffee mug. I grabbed this tip from Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project and I share it because it works! Tell yourself, “in 1 minute this could be done!” It’s a pretty compelling argument. Plus, I find that the more organized my environment is, the more organized my thinking is, so this tip that reminds me to “clean as I go” makes a big difference.
3. The To-Do List. Put it on paper and get your arms around it. I find putting pen to paper helps commit tasks to memory better than digital lists, but to each his own. I create a new list daily which keeps my goals in front of me, helps me prioritize, and prevents things from falling through the cracks. Once I see it laid out, I can schedule it, and cross it off.
4. DVR it. I have my shows, like we all do. I’m so happy “Once Upon a Time” is back, and I can’t wait for “Homeland” to start again; I love “Shark Tank” and my guilty pleasure is “Say Yes to the Dress.” But, I record them and reserve them for the weekends. This way they’re a treat instead of a distraction. I have more time for friends and accomplish waaaay more with the TV off.
5. Limit Social Media. Now, I can only dream here because my job requires I monitor social media throughout the day. But on my days off, I relish the escape from the infinite feed. Sure, it’s fun to see what friends are doing, but only for about 20 minutes, all platforms combined. After that, social media just becomes a time sucker that’s probably causing you to feel unduly crappy because your friends’ projected lives seem better than your actual one.
6. Become a Master Multi-Tasker. If you can do more than one thing at a time—without diluting the quality of either—do it. Examples of this include driving and making phone calls, working out while watching TV, or prepping healthy food for the week while doing laundry. In my case, multitasking would not include something like writing emails while on a conference call. Why? Because one distracts me from the other, and the quality of both suffer. So, this tip requires some self-awareness and discretion. No one should feel ignored thanks to your “efficiency.”
7. Discover what fills you up. What makes you feel happy? Is it gardening, soccer or a trip to the beach? Maybe it’s time with friends or a little pampering. Whatever it is, make it a priority. Filling yourself up ensures you have enough to give to others. Running on empty for an early burnout serves no one. Breathe. Take a walk. Remember there’s a great big world to enjoy beyond your computer screen and to-do list.

Striving and filling your life with friends and meaningful pursuits can be tiring in the moment, but ultimately, it’s energy generating. After all, what else would you be doing? Even “Homeland” can wait.

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