5 Dating Tips for Busy People

Whether you are a grad student, a busy executive or a divorced mom, it seems as each year goes by more responsibilities are piled on and the faster time flies. You are starting to wonder whether you will ever find love, and your mom doesn't seem to help matters by reminding you that your biological clock is tiiiiccking. Before you cringe at the thought of fitting in another item on your already over-booked schedule, here is a list that you might find handy when it comes to scheduling time for dating.

1. Follow your bliss—no matter where you are. We know you have free time somewhere in your busy week—the best way to use it is to turn off the tube and get involved in a club or activity group. If you are traveling on business, don't get out of work till late or have to take care of your kids, try to do an activity that you love every day—even if it is for only 30 minutes. Go to a restaurant that makes your favorite cuisine, go to the gym, to the tennis courts or to the library. You never know who you are going to meet while doing your everyday things, and it's an even bigger plus if they're into the same things you are.

2. Go out! Every opportunity for free time that you do have, take advantage of it and get out there! Even if you're tired, go to your new co-worker's birthday party that's on the other side of town. Read at a café rather than in your living room. You never know who you might bump into and have a life-changing conversation with.

3. Consolidate. Choose events where people you might be interested in would also go. For example, let's say you are invited to two events the same night, but you don't have time to go to both. You know one will be rife with artists, and you like dating artists, so choose that one. If you like dating bankers, choose the happy hour in the financial district.

4. Try online dating. You might have tried online dating before and didn't like it, but keep in mind that it has worked for many people! Right timing, as in most cases, is usually the trick. Plus there are a lot more sites than there once were. You can now find one according to your lifestyle. For example, if you are tired of filling out profiles with the same time-consuming questions, there is now ge.la,to, which brings the life-streaming concept—like that of Facebook—into the world of online dating. Users are matched not by their typed responses, but through similar social networks.

5. Sign up with a matchmaker. You might be thinking "WHAT! In this century?" However, matchmakers are not just relics from the past, says Lisa Clampitt, author of Make Me a Match: The 21st Century Guide to Finding and Using a Matchmaker. She explains that in today's fast-paced world, we engage experts to help us complete our tax forms, find homes and to keep our bodies in shape. So why not seek professional guidance from someone with a broad range of experience when it comes to finding our life partners? Maybe she has a point.

Published in YourTango.com