How to Create Automatic Systems to Simplify Your Life

How to identify repetitive tasks in your life and use automated systems to give you more mental space.

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Simplifying tasks and creating efficient systems sparks joy for me.  I realized (you know- during these past few months were we’ve been at home focusing on the minutia of our daily life) there were several tasks I kept doing that I knew could be automated. And I’ll bet you have some too.

Just like with people who have a daily “uniform”, or choose to eat similar breakfasts each morning, or create routines, creating automatic systems eliminates decision making so you can have more mental space to focus on what matters. As humans, we make hundreds of decisions every day. Why take time on things you don’t need to (or don’t enjoy)?

As someone who uses a pen to paper to-do list, I found myself writing and re-writing the same things every so often. While I do like technology, I’m very much not an early adopter of electronics or computerization that I deem unnecessary (we are an Alexa/Google Home-free house). But with that said, Chris and I love companies that innovate to streamline a process or product. And this absolutely fits within our personal philosophy of ‘additive wellness’. So I knew it was time to look into more of those to improve our household efficiency.

And let me be clear- this is not to give you more time to be “Productive” or to “Do More Work”. This is to give you time to enjoy your life.

Evaluate:

What repetitive tasks do you spend your time doing? Or within those repetitive tasks (eg. grocery shopping), is there a linchpin item that triggers the need for these tasks to happen? For example: if you really find yourself ‘needing’ to go to the store because you’re out of pet food, is there a way to specifically automate the pet food purchase? Is there a better method than what you’re currently doing?

Research Options:

Does the product offer automatic shipments or is there a secondary company that can accomplish this service for you? Is there a better brand/company that can accomplish the same thing with an automatic option (look up “auto-ship ‘Insert Product’” or “subscription ‘Insert Product’”)? If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I hate to say it (and we don’t current use this service) but Amazon and Target also provide a “subscribe and save” function.

As a side note, some of these larger multi-purchase stores still have problematic shipment methods that are wasteful (shipping products in boxes that are too large with tons of packaging, or are shipped in multiple boxes over a few days).

Set It Up and Track It:

Auto-ship and subscriptions may take a little adjusting the first few times. On the plus side, it will help you understand your household’s usage and you can schedule these subscriptions to be delivered a little before they run out (stress free) but not too early (space saving). Most subscriptions allow for easy changes, be it moving the amount of time between deliveries, skipping a delivery, or adjusting product amount between shipments.

Why you should consider auto-subscription system services:

-For smaller companies, this can help create a stable income stream that can help fund growth. For example, flower subscriptions help fund the up front purchase cost of seeds/bulbs and planting without ability to sell product for months until it’s ready. 

-It also can be cost saving. Some services offer a 5-10% or so discount for auto-shipping.

-Your product availability is the priority. In the event of a product shortage, subscribers are the priority customer (although this may have happened after public outcry recently). Chewy for example, has recently made sure their auto-ship members had their products set aside and shipped them first before opening up availability to non-subscription shoppers. 

-It frees up brain space/task list space. If you know it’s taken care of, you can direct your mental energy elsewhere. With that said, please remember to keep a note in your calendar so you know you’re paying for product and will need to cancel it if at any point you stop using the product. It’s not helpful if you don’t use it. 

-DO NOT misinterpret this advice for ‘subscription boxes’ which- to generalize- are full of things you absolutely do not need and add clutter to your house (yes, even Barkbox). 

Example Services We have use:

-Instacart: While this is not overtly scheduled/automated, the lists of ‘your items’ within this grocery delivery app make repurchasing typical groceries extremely fast. Instacart is a service we use because of the nature of our work (recipe development/food styling and photography) so during the pandemic, we would spend an extreme amount of time at the store in comparison to an average person, increasing our risk. (As another side note/justification I feel I have to make, we also need to be careful about any contact for family medical reasons)

-Quip: toothbrush head replacements (they also offer other dental items)

-Billie: Razor head replacements

-ByHumanKind: Multiple personal care products

-Soda Stream: Carbonation to create sodas/tonics/sparkling water-this has drastically reduced our recycling output as well as our grocery list (and therefore our eco footprint). We use the 2 cartridge refill service- get 20% off here

-Chewy: Pet food/supplies (note: they also have a pet pharmacy)

-Nespresso: coffee and a pre-paid mailer to return the pods for responsible composting and recycling  

-A CSA membership (Community Supported Agriculture): for rotating seasonal produce, poultry, eggs, and dry goods from May-November

-Ritual: vitamins. FYI you can also get $15 off your first order

Additional Examples:

-Old Westminster Winery and Walsh Family Wine club subscriptions: for more unusual wine varieties that remind us of Copenhagen

-Composting pick ups: for reducing what goes in the trash and getting compost in return. In Loudoun County: Food Loop

-Wild for Wildflowers: Seasonal flower subscriptions in Northern Virginia 

-Sitka Salmon Shares: A Community Supported Fishery that delivers sustainable seafood nationwide

-Diapers.com/Amazon: diaper subscriptions

-Myro or Humankind: deodorant

-The Grove Collaborative: eco-conscious/”clean” cleaning supplies

I would love to hear any suggestions or service you currently use for automating tasks!