Start with foods that require more cooking time to save time. Use the right cooking method to get the right ingredients. Clean the sink and shelf while you cook. Whenever you follow a recipe, always use your discretion.
Remember that you know your oven best. Don't follow cooking times and temperatures blindly. Keep monitoring the cake or food in the oven, you can always stop the cooking process if you think it's ready even before the specified time. Similarly, you may need to bake for longer than specified.
If you feel like a cake is browning too quickly on the top and it's still raw on the bottom, you can cover it with aluminum foil for the rest of the cooking time. Look, the 40-watt bulb on your oven hood isn't going to work. Get a cheap clip light at a hardware store so you can see what you're doing. Toss the diced bread on a rimmed baking sheet with oil, salt, pepper, and anything else tasty you want.
Bake at 350, stirring once or twice, until golden brown. Now see if any actually make it to your salad.
