Dear Savvy Friend,

Timing is everything. Heard that expression before? Well's it's true - and here are some great tips to prove it:
 
Pay bills or do a crossword: The best time to do tasks that require the most "brain power" is between 10 and 11am or 8 and 9pm. According to your circadian rhythms, that's when you're maximally alert. But don't waste time - the brain boost lasts only for about an hour.
 
To take a vitamin: After a meal. Your body absorbs vitamins better when you take them with food.
 
Take birth control or heart pills: Before bed. If you take blood pressure medication before bed, it will still be working by early morning, which is the time associated with a 30 to 50% increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Taking oral contraception at night means you'll sleep through any nausea, a common side effect.
 
Fill your prescription: Midmonth. Pharmacies are busy at the beginning of the month. And you're not just saving yourself from a longer queue: Fatalities due to pharmacy-related medication errors rise by as much as 25% at the beginning of the month.
 
Learn or practise a skill sport: Between 4 and 6pm. Hand-eye coordination is highest then.
 
Start your diet: November. The start of summer is the easiest time to drop a few kilograms. Often, you'll naturally lose a kilogram when the weather warms up.
 
Have root canal treatment: After 2pm. Pain medications used in dentistry typically last 8 to 10 hours, so you'll still be comfortably numb by bedtime.
 
Go to the doctor: First thing in the morning. Get the first appointment of the day and your doctor won't yet be distracted by a backlog of patients.
 
Have a mammogram: The week after your period. Your breasts will be least tender then, which will make the procedure less painful. The scan will also be more accurate.
 
Get a Pap test: The week before or after ovulation. The cervical opening is widest then, making it easier to sample the cells, and the cervical mucous is thinnest, which can improve the test's accuracy.
 
Have a skin exam: In July. You're less likely to be tanned, so the higher contrast between your skin and pigmented lesions will make it easier for physicians to spot anything suspicious.

Undergo surgery: Midmorning. By this time the doctor has performed one or two procedures. This means they are operating at their peak energy levels. Late afternoon is too late - he may be tired by then.
 
Go to an emergency room: Between 8am and 12pm on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. The emergency room is less crowded then.
 
Go to the bank: Midweek - 30 minutes after the doors open.
 
Buy groceries: Between 9:30am and 2pm on a Tuesday or Wednesday. The crowds are minimal and the shelves are freshly stocked.
 
Buy fresh fish: Tuesday and Friday afternoons. That's when you'll have the freshest selection. Fish-sellers get shipments for the week on Tuesday morning and the for weekend on Friday.
 
Buy shoes: Late afternoon. Wait for your feet to swell a bit to get a more comfortable fit.
 
Ask for a raise: Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday - early morning. The idea is to get your boss during a lull in work schedule so he/she can concentrate on you.
 
Work late: Tuesday between 6pm and 9pm. You're the least productive on Mondays and Fridays. Tuesday is best because if you still need to put in more work - you'll still have Thursday (with Wednesday as a break in between).
 
Buy a car: At the end of the month or at the end of the model year. In the first instance a sales manager will have committed to selling a certain number of new and used vehicles in a given month. Which means that during the last few days of the month the sales manager and the salespeople will be looking to put together as many deals as they can. And in the second instance: When new models of a car are rolling in, car dealers desperately want to get rid of their leftover models as soon as possible.  That's when they're likely to accept almost a good deal on a vehicle.