Is there anything one can do now to reduce their time in purgatory?

  1. Be kind to the poor, for "almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness" (Tobit 4:10), and "almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin" (Tobit 12:9).
  2. Take advantage of the indulgences granted by the Church. People often think indulgences are just some scandalous medieval scam that they heard about once in history class, but the Council of Trent actually anathematised the proposition that indulgences are useless or the Church lacks the power to grant them. EWTN's document library contains an article by Jimmy Akin explaining the theology behind indulgences, with practical information near the bottom under the heading "How to Gain an Indulgence". Some of the works for which you can gain a plenary indulgence include devoutly reading the Bible for at least half an hour; adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour; visiting a church on the day of its titular feast, and saying the Creed and an Our Father while there; devoutly assisting at (i.e., hearing) a priest's first Mass; or participating in recitation of the rosary public or as a family (five decades will do).
/r/Catholicism Thread