Sometimes, at the end of a long, hard day there’s only one thing on your mind: ‘If only I had a spare 20 minutes, then I wouldn’t be feeling so rushed’. And maybe then: ‘I can’t wait to just hurry up and get to sleep so I’m ready and rested for another hectic day’.

What if there were a few, very simple, things you could do throughout the day to reclaim that lost ‘me time’?

To get back that spare third of an hour to have a bit of breather, put yourself first or maybe just get something done?

It's much easier than you think. Trust us. Here's how you can do it:

1. Take a nap.

You might be thinking 'there's too much to do - I don't have time for sleep!', but taking a quick 20-minute snooze is not the lazy way out.

It's all about napping smarter, not longer; research has actually shown that a 20-minute power-nap is the perfect amount of sleep to refresh your brain and keep yourself alert for the rest of the day.

Those minutes between finishing errands and waiting to leave the house to pick up the kids from school? Perfect for slotting in a quick snooze. Waiting for the load of washing to finish its spin cycle? Grab a pillow, curl up and close your eyes.

Make sure you limit yourself to a 20 minute snooze only. Sleep any longer and you could be hanging out with a groggy feeling for the rest of your day, so make sure you set an alarm first.

2. Re-invent your lunch break.

If you've been working away at your desk through each and every lunch break, it's time to stop. Put away that sad tuna salad, step away from your keyboard and get outside.

Taking a brisk walk around the block and giving your eyes, ears and body a change of scenery will do wonders for your productivity levels. Not to mention, it keeps your body moving and gives your legs a chance to stretch our after being hunched over a computer for most of the day.

If you don't have time on your lunch break, try and schedule your 20 minute walk for another time during the day, like right before an important meeting to clear your head and de-stress, or after a brainstorm to let important information soak in.

3. Upgrade your technology.

You'd be surprised at how much time is wasted each work day trying to find the documents that you need to get things done. It's especially important if you happen to run a small business or work from home, because time is money, right?

Trying to find an important work document, access that client presentation or keep a track of your business expenses? Using a cloud-based service provider so all of your important files are kept in the one, easy-to-use spot can give you back this wasted time.

Life is way too short to waste time trying to find the right file and to sort through mounds of physical paper, so being able to quickly access important business data in the cloud - like time-sheets and account information - underpinned by access to a good broadband connection via  the nbn™ network means more of your time is saved each and every day.

And if you’re on the run? Having access to cloud computing means you don’t need to travel to and from the office to find an important file - it’s all there are your fingertips.

4. Call a friend to catch up.

In the age of social media, it's easy to feel like commenting on a Facebook status, liking an Instagram photo or even sending a quick text just to say 'hey' counts as real, human connection.

When was the last time you called a friend, and got so involved in catching up with what's going on in their life, that you almost forgot how much time had passed?

Sometimes, sharing a good laugh with a friend, talking a problem through or even sharing an issue you might be going through with someone you trust can do wonders to refocus your mind and lift weight off your shoulders.

5. Skip through the ads of your favourite TV show.

We've all been faced with this dilemma: a new episode of your favourite TV show is going to air tonight, and you don't want to miss it.

You're also a busy person and, of course, have to work late/go to a parent-teacher interview/spend some romantic time with a partner.

So here's an easy way to save 20 minutes: record the show while you're out so you don't miss it, and watch it back later while skipping through the ads!

Suddenly a one hour program becomes just 40 minutes and voila! An extra 20 minutes is all yours.

Enjoy it. You deserve it.

What is your time saving trick?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner nbn.