I have started to automate things in my life in the last few years. Why automate? I have found ways to automate my actions to free up more brain power. Why should I waste mental (or physical) energy on things I must do all the time, like buy toilet paper or buy toothpaste? I have automated my bill payments. (It really stinks to have a late payment and pay a fee, so why hazard this?) By automating my bills, I feel at ease that my bills will be paid on time even if life gets hectic and busy, and I won’t need to do mental gymnastics to remember to pay things before they are due.
I have also automated several of my purchases. Shopping can be fun, but it also can be draining. All of those decisions and steps to take can wear on your mental stamina, even if it is something you do every month or every week. But I have found automating my shopping has really helped free up mental bandwidth. I use Amazon Subscribe and Save and Target Subscriptions to automate things my household needs all the time – paper products, cleaning products, kid stuff that we need (e.g. pull ups), laundry supplies, etc. As something comes up on my shopping list that we need periodically, I start scouring Amazon or Target for options for subscription. Plus, subscribing has saved me money.
As technology has advanced, I have also found ways to automate my reminders on my “To Do” list and on my calendar. And I have discovered I can schedule emails to be sent in the future in Gmail. A huge savings, as I would sometimes wait, send myself a reminder to write an email, and write it then and there. Now, when a need or thought enters my mind that I need to email to someone else, I can draft it then and there and then schedule it in the future if needed.
I found that the methods in “Getting Things Done” has also helped unload my brain, and keep things fresh and open. In “Getting Things Done”, the author proposes setting up automatic ways to remind yourself of things, keep track of goals, and to break down those goals into smaller, more doable steps. By putting everything down in various To Do lists, I have freed my brain up. Instead of trying to hang on to dozens of different things I must do this day, this week, or this month, my brain feels at ease as I have everything in a logical place, waiting for a time/place to do them.
Something I hope to get better at in the future is using Evernote. There are a lot of ways to use this free online note keeper to track notes, emails, websites all in one place. I have tried categorizing and tagging things as well, so I can search for the tags that match up to the notes I want. I also hope to get better at using Alexa and Siri to use my voice to bring up apps or notes I need. I am using this here or there, but I am sure there are more ways I can use this to save me the time and aggravation of typing in what I want.
My brain definitely thanks me when it is free from clutter. I find I am able to think better and faster at work, am able to write clearer and more concisely, and overall feel more at peace. If I am starting to feel more stress or angst, I try to take a step back to see if I am doing my best to automate things. Technology is great. I admit I need to learn to use it more and have it complement my life to make my life easier. I am always eager to learn new hacks and ways to make life easier, and I will surely share any other tips and tricks I may find in the future. If you also know of any ideas, I’d love to hear them!