Let’s face it: The speed of life has no doubt accelerated since the days when our parents were single. With the current state of the economy, many people are working longer hours than ever before. Throw in the advent of smart phones and the ability to be in constant contact – which often extends the workday well into the evening – and people are busier than ever before. Trying to balance your work-life with friends, family and online dating can be challenging. However, it’s not impossible.

Struggling to balance a demanding work life and online dating? The trick is to be very intentional about it. Here’s a few things to keep in mind –

1. Set aside time for online dating –

When you’re trying to do everything all at once, all the time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed – and fast. If you’re serious about meeting someone, it’s important that you add online dating to your list of priorities. It doesn’t have to be your number one on your list, but it needs to be on there.

To avoid being overwhelmed, one of the best things you can do is set aside specific time(s) during the week where you just focus on online dating: reviewing profiles, responding to messages, setting up dates. Just like how you’d plan the rest of your week around certain activities (for example, maybe Wednesdays are “leg day” at the gym), do the same for online dating. Maybe Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings are the days when you have free time. Block those times out and make a commitment like, “On these days I’m going to spend an hour online. I’m going to do my thing – talk to people, respond to messages etc. and then get offline.” You can even make it fun: grab a glass of wine or your favorite caffeinated beverage and relax. You’d be surprised how much you can get done and what can happen in a couple of hours when you set aside the time.

2. Use mobile apps to your advantage –

One of the great things about online dating in 2015 is all of the fun, useful mobile apps that you have at your disposal. Whereas in the past you had to be physically sitting in front of a computer in order to connect with other singles online, now you can do everything from the comfort of your smartphone. If setting aside an hour or two per week to just focus on online dating isn’t possible (or the thought of it bores you to tears) but you still want to meet people, mobile dating apps are your best friend. Luckily major online dating sites like Match.com and eHarmony have awesome online dating apps that allow you to find matches, answer messages and date whenever and whereever you are. For singles who are always on the go, a dating app like Zoosk that allows you to find and interact with singles based on their proximity, is a fun, useful option. If you have a couple of spare minutes on your lunch break or while you’re in the line at Starbucks, why not send a message or two?

3. Have a game plan –

Online dating can be really time consuming, but only if you let it be. If you have a demanding schedule and time isn’t on your side, it’s important that you’re really intentional with the time you spend online dating. Instead of logging on and “grazing” randomly for an hour – ie. just looking through profiles with no endgame in sight – go into every online dating session with a plan. For example, before you log on tell yourself, “I’m going to spend 10 minutes replying to messages. The rest of the time I’ll look at profiles and before I log off I’m going to make sure I message three new people.” Not only are you going to feel more in control of your time, setting these kinds of intentions in your online dating life forces you to take action and action leads to results.

4. Be selective –

This one will probably ruffle a few feathers, but I firmly believe in being highly selective when it comes to online dating. Think of the world of online dating as a buffet of singles: just because the food is there doesn’t mean you have to try everything. In fact, if you already know that you hate baron of beef, it’s totally OK to pass on it and instead, hit up the dessert table. Just saying. In other words, you’re not required to answer everyone who messages you. Bypassing people who you can tell right away won’t be a good fit doesn’t make you a bad person – it makes you smart with your time. Instead, focus your time on interacting and getting to know people that actually interest you – because, at the end of the day, that’s who you want to meet! If someone doesn’t excite you, it’s totally OK to move on, guilt free.