(Everyone’s favorite automated machines, R2D2 and C3PO)
Everyone has a certain amount of things on which they are able to concentrate. This keeps the human mind limited to a certain number of tasks that we can perform during the day. Robots also have a finite amount of computing power. They use automated tasks and systems and only run the essential scripts in order to save memory and processing capability.
In order to keep more of your ability to concentrate, mundane tasks can be automated or even eliminated. After eliminating pointless tasks, automation is the key to accomplish more with the same amount of work. There are many different ways to automate tasks but I will save the examples for next week.
I, myself, am forgetful and if I didn’t have a system in place to take care of my daily tasks, I forget just about everything. I am able to sleep at night solely because of the automated systems I have put in place. My bills are paid automatically, Google Reader collects all of my favorite blog posts and Netflix sends me movies that I enjoy without me having to remember to return them on time.
A simple tactic that is used in order to keep enough concentration is to reduce the amount of things requiring your concentration. There is an entire movement behind reducing possessions, responsibilities and even points of stimulation. One of the leaders in this movement is Leo Babauta. His main blog is called Zen Habits but he has started a new blog called mnmlist that speaks about just this topic.
Tim Ferriss at 4 Hour Work Week talks about automation as one of the core values in lifestyle design. This is where I started thinking about automation, after reading his blog and his book. He goes to extremes with his automation, like using virtual assistants, only answering emails twice a day and creating auto replies. He has done plenty of research into the subject and has it down to a science.
When your abilities are focused, you can perform better on the tasks that you feel are most important to you. Have you been able to automate parts of your life? What else have you been able to accomplish due to your automation?
Stay tuned next week, I will be posting part two of this series that will detail several ways that you can automate your own life. As always, if you enjoyed this post, you can sign up to the RSS feed here or connect with me on Twitter to recieve article updates.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the idea of automation. We’re in an age of easy to access information and we have the technology to ease the pain of mundane tasks.
It’s funny because I am very much the kind of person that enjoys the process. Maybe I’m naive but for now, I love to still hand write all my tasks instead of automating them. I do really well with post-its and I haven’t really put together processes or new-school thought to automate everything. Just recently did I enviro-green my bills by autopay online (hah). As tech savvy as I am, I think I move slow to automate things. I like the old fashioned way. But what I think I should remember (and you’re helping me with this post) is that cut corners when you can, bring more time in your life instead of taking 2 hours for something, get it done in 30 minutes, etc.
Good post!
There are definitely a lot of ways to automate your life, and I plan on hitting a lot of different levels of automation next week. It is a great thing to have errands take care of themselves, without having to think about it. Another great positive that you touch on is the green aspect of online bill pay. Many things can be done online without using paper and the post office burning gas to bring you the paper.
I also achieve better concentration by writing lists. It sounds like that is what you are talking about when you say that you like the old fashioned way. By simply writing down ideas bouncing around your head, you can achieve the same result of automation. Once those ideas are out of your head and on to paper, you can concentrate on other things. I write everything down that I am thinking about, whether it is new blog posts, errands I need to run or songs that I want to download. I might have too many lists, but it is much better to have it written down than in the back of my mind.
Thanks for the comment, Grace, I am glad you liked the post!
Um, yes please?!
I look forward to the series…Brazen had a contest when alice.com went live looking for ways people automate their lives. Not sure where it is exactly but might be some good ideas there for your follow up.
Ha, well it looks like I have missed the bus by about a month on this one. I will work with the automation techniques that I had in mind for the next post, but maybe after next week I could go back and search Brazen for some additional tips.
Thanks for the heads up, Elisa! Hopefully there will be a few tips you haven’t thought of next week.