Are you one of the millions of us who are strapped for time?  These days there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.

One way to put more time into your day is to turn downtime into productive time.  And technology can help us achieve this goal.

Whether you’re waiting for your car to be repaired, a plane flight or a doctor’s appointment, the following methods will put some extra time into your life, so let’s get started.

As far as equipment goes you will need to have a Smartphone.  This article will focus on using a Smartphone with either the Palm or Windows Mobile operating system.  The reason for this is the wide array of software available.  A PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) could be used to help with some of the tasks outlined below, but not all.

The second item is broadband access.  This can be either on a per KB basis or unlimited data.  Text messaging is also a worthwhile addition.

For software you will need a package similar to Documents To Go.  This software allows you to transfer documents and spreadsheets from your PC to your Smartphone.  Additionally you will need an email program.

Now that we have the basics covered, we can explore how the Smartphone can help to get more time out of the day.

Is there a book you’ve been trying to read for a while but just haven’t had the time?  Many books are now offered in electronic versions.  There “e-Books” can be downloaded onto a Smartphone and read whenever you have the time.  The following Websites offer books which can be downloaded: ebooks.com, ereader.com and manybooks.net.

Do you have a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) at home?  If so, with the proper hardware and wireless plan, you can catch up on the shows you have tapped.  You can even use this to schedule shows you would like to tape in the future.

Are there asks in your Smartphone which can be accomplished where you are?  Even if you are only able to add notes, this could help you move the task along.  This may be a good time to review all upcoming tasks.

Microsoft Word documents can be worked on and when you get back to the office the changes can be uploaded to your computer.  The same is true of spreadsheets, although the small screen size hampers much productive work with spreadsheets.

Review your calendar.  Did you make any noted from a previous meeting which you forgot to set as a task?  Reviewing your calendar at quiet times might create a new thought.

Texting gives you the ability to communicate with other while at the same time, not disturbing people around you and keeping the communication private.

There are just a few ways a Smartphone can help us.