Everyday tasks you can automate, outsource, or simplify as a new school year starts
It’s August, which probably means one of two things:
- Summer is over and you’re getting back into the swing of things, or
- Summer is nearly over and you’re starting to think about what it’ll be to be getting back in the swing of things.
I’m someone who likes rhythm and routine, so I welcome the change to cooler temperatures and slightly less chaotic schedules.
But, whether you’re a routine girl or not, something that we call can benefit from is the fact that fall is a tiny little reset button.
It’s not as loud (or demanding) as New Year’s Day, but it’s a chance to shape and mold our habits just a little bit more than they were last year.
And, as James Clear famously said, “The process of building habits is actually the process of becoming yourself.”
So this fall is a chance to make a little more space for the person you want to be and the things you want to define you- and make a little less time for the things that suck those things away from you.
When we talk about finding more time, there are 3 main ways to do it (and still get the life/adulting stuff done that you need to get done): Automating, outsourcing, and simplifying. Let’s explore each of them and how you might apply these concepts as you reimagine your life in little ways this fall.
Automate
Automating, at a basic level, means that you take something that you’re used to giving time, attention, an energy to, and you make it happen automatically.
This might mean literally making something happen automatically- for example, subscribing to Amazon subscribe and save for the essentials you know you buy every month.
But it might also look like creating a new simple routine or habit which helps you get something done, without having to spend a lot of time and energy planning when you’ll do it. This might look like deciding that, for this fall you’ll always stop for gas at the same gas station on your way home from work, so you don’t have to think about it or spend time searching for a cheaper one.
Another way you can automate something is by building a template or repeatable process for something you do a lot. For example, if you find yourself writing the same kind of email over and over again, make a template where you can switch out the relevant information and save yourself some time, in the process!
If you’re trying to find more time to do the things you truly care about, one good question to ask yourself is, “Are there any tasks that I have to get done that are taking up more brain space than they should?”
Chances are, you can probably think of a couple! Once you’ve identified them, figure out how to make them take less of your thoughts and energy.
And, if you still want to find a little more time, let’s try the next strategy:
Outsource
This word feels a little corporate to me, if I’m being quite honest.
But outsourcing isn’t a bad thing when it comes to your life- the only person you’re putting out of a job when you outsource tasks is you, and you’re only going to be outsourcing things you don’t care about anyway.
Outsourcing comes in 2 related flavors.
First flavor: get a service to do something for you. For example, you could get one of those meal-prep kits to deliver a planned menu,recipes and the exact amount of fresh produce you need to your door.
Second, related flavor: hire someone else to do it for you. For example, if something that takes up your precious time every weekend is cleaning your house, you can hire someone to come in a couple of times a month and clean for you.
Outsourcing is often (but doesn’t have to be) more expensive than automating, but it also allows you to get a larger variety of tasks off your plate.
Another good question to ask if you’re trying to create more time for yourself is, “Is there anything that I’m doing that someone or something else could do for me?” If the answer is yes, you’ve found something you can outsource.
You may think these two strategies are enough, but I’ve actually saved my favorite one for last. 🙂
Simplify
Simplicity is a bit of a buzzword these days, but it’s one that I totally understand.
From the clean lines of Scandinavian home design, to the beauty of a succinct answer, I see beauty in simplicity. With the pace of our lives, I think it’s something we crave.
Simplifying is, at its core, an approach where instead of asking yourself, “How can I get all these things done more efficiently?” you take a step back and ask yourself, “Do I really need to be doing this at all?”
Sometimes, the answer will be yes. Sadly, we do need to keep doing the laundry if we want to look presentable and have our houses not stink.
But when the answer is no?
When the answer is no, you get to stop doing the thing.
✨ m a g i c ✨
I don’t care whether it’s something that takes you five minutes or five hours– whatever time you spent on that thing is now time that you can spend doing something that you actually want to be doing.
But, because lots of things don’t fall into the “no” category, a follow-up question can also be helpful when you’re trying to find things to simplify:
“What am I doing right now that I don’t need to be doing?”
It’s a subtle shift, sure, but a helpful one.
For example, crossing laundry off the list may not be an option. But maybe meticulously folding your shirts using the Marie-Kondo method isn’t really sparking joy for you. Maybe, instead, you should just hang them up. Who knows?
You do.
You know what you don’t need to be doing right now, because this is your life and you get to make the rules.
So go out there and make them! 🙌