By Laura Vanderkam | March 17, 2011
Theories on the male-female pay gap are bouncing around BNET these days. Is itsexism? Choices? All of the above?
Here’s something I do know: according to the American Time Use Survey, among full-time workers, men work 0.76 more hours per workday than women (46 minutes). There could be many reasons for this. Maybe women feel like they have less time to work because they spend a lot more time on housework. Lowering one’s standards there (or outsourcing chores) is always an option for freeing up time. But if you’re looking for more work time in pursuit of that next raise or promotion, another good source is the extra 0.27 hours (16 minutes) women spend on personal care each day.
Think about it: most men look reasonable. Yet they’ve got an extra 16 minutes to knock out that first memo while the average woman is still putting on her shoes. How much time could you save by getting dressed like a man? Here are a few ways to free up more than an hour each week:
Pare down your closet. When my husband and I recently lost our closet to some apartment renovations, we had to cram our stuff into two wardrobes each. To hit that goal, I had to send a lot more bags to Goodwill than he did, which was instructive. Men spend a lot less time shopping than women do (another way to free up 15 minutes), and that’s probably a good thing. There’s no point cluttering your closet with clothes you never wear — it keeps you from reaching the stuff you do wear in a hurry.
Start a rotation. Two weeks of work outfits, which you know make you look fabulous, should do. If you don’t know what works for you, consider hiring a personal shopper to save time and ward off fashion disasters. I have done this twice and it’s cost about $400 each time. You could also recruit a brutally honest friend, and some department stores offer this service for free if you purchase your suits at that store.
Don’t fight nature. I have never understood why people who are blessed with naturally curly hair spend half an hour each morning straightening it. Then again, I spend time curling my straight hair. Maybe we should all knock it off.
Keep it simple. Men don’t (usually) wear make-up, but they do have to shave, so we’re all facing face issues. But rather than coming up with a different product for every square inch of their facial hair, men stick to a few (shaving cream, razor, maybe moisturizer). It’s not a bad approach. Get enough sleep, eat well, don’t smoke and wear sunscreen and you’ll probably need less make-up anyway.
How do you streamline your mornings?
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