Being a working parent means multitasking, squeezing every minute from a day, pleading with our bodies to fall asleep fast so we can wake up early and find that extra hour. But hold on there, warns Samantha Ettus, mom of two, author and TV correspondent. It isn’t about working harder, it’s about working smarter. The trick is to decrease time spent on what’s mandatory and increase time spent on what’s enjoyable. “Seizing more from life isn’t just about saving time,” she writes, “it’s about using it to our advantage.” The tricks and tips adapted from her latest book, The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster, will help you glide through life’s to-do list, so you can get on with, well, life.

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How to…Make Amends
Holding on to guilt or grudges is unhealthy, not to mention exhausting. Find freedom by recognizing real guilt and then letting it go. First, decide whether or not you’ve done anything wrong. Did you actually steal something from someone, whether property, time, an idea or trust? That’s real guilt. If, however, the way you live your life offends someone, like your controlling mother, that’s referred guilt. It’s coming from somewhere else. If you’ve done something that leaves you with real guilt, apologize immediately: “I planned to call you when you were sick, but I didn’t. I was distracted by work, but you mean so much more to me. I’m sorry.” If you are the victim of referred guilt, explain but don’t justify: “I understand that you want me to call you every day, but some days my schedule is too full.” Then move on. You’ve done what you could.

Keith Ablow, psychiatrist and founder of Living the Truth, a self-help network