Intentional Living

Benefits of Automatic Routines

I’ll be honest. I resisted automating routines for a long time. My resistance stemmed more from my need to control than a lack of trust that they work or that I will be charged for things I don’t want or need. Now, after automating much of my personal and work life, I realize that I have gained more control; Control of my time, and some financial control. There are a million ways to automate your life: calendars, apps, online services, automatic reordering, etc. Here are three of my favorites that have saved me time, money, and a lot of headaches!

Subscribe and Save. I use subscribe and save for a large number of products that my family orders online. These items include both personal and business products that we can’t get locally. I have determined over the course of time about how often we need to reorder and how much. The business automatically generates an order fulfillment at my requested time, and it ships to my door. In every single case, I save between 5-15% by setting up automatic orders.

Bill Pay Services. Bill pay services abound. Many banks have bill pay services connected to your checking account. Nearly all other accounts can set up auto-pay for monthly bills on their website. Bonus—never have late fees again!

Menu Planning. I have come to realize that menu planning is a must. I’m currently in the process of automating this. How am I doing this? I am making menus for each week of this year, based on what is in season. At the end of the year, I will have 52 different weeks of menus that I can mix and match depending on how I feel that week. The menus are set up in printable form with a theme each week. The themes help to alleviate leftovers and waste. Win on time! Win on saving money!

As I mentioned, the number of ways to automate life increase each day. Do what works for you, but be sure that whatever you are doing gives you more freedom and control, rather than less. If it causes anxiety or added weight to your to-do list, maybe its not the right fit.

What ways have you automated your routine? We would love to hear about any resources you have used successfully!

Contributed by Liz Hunt

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