11 Ways to Automate Your Life (and Get More Free Time Back)
We waste time in small increments. Simple daily tasks and chores may only take a few minutes, but those minutes add up and can have a serious impact on your stress levels. But don’t be discouraged: we live in the future, and you can easily automate a wide range of many everyday tasks, giving back precious minutes and even hours.
Automate your grocery shopping
If your shopping list is fairly consistent (you buy the same things in the same quantities every time you stock your pantry), you can automate it to a large extent. Amazon Fresh allows you to set up recurring items that will be added to your cart and automatically delivered to the window you select. You can create a standard weekly list and Amazon will deliver your groceries on the day you choose without you having to think about it. You can make changes at any time, so if you’re not eating your cornflakes as quickly as you thought you would, you can change the quantity or frequency of delivery.
If you don’t want to give Amazon any more of your money, most grocery chains offer similar services through their websites and apps. For example, Acme Markets offers a Schedule and Save feature that works the same way: you set up a “subscription” for items on a regular schedule, and items are delivered to you automatically until you make changes.
Start automatic saving
Saving money can be a challenge—most people couldn’t scrape together $1,000 if they had to, and it’s not an ideal place to be. If you’ve been trying to save money and have repeatedly failed to reach your savings goals, try automating it by simply adjusting your direct deposit or scheduling automatic transfers from one account to another. Changing your direct deposit is usually just a matter of filling out a form (you can even do it online through a portal if your employer has one), and you can set up automatic transfers at any time through your banking app. Even a relatively small translation will benefit you, and you won’t have to remind yourself of it.
Put your bills on an automatic payment schedule
If you currently spend some time each week paying your bills, it’s time to set up automatic payments for most things. Most companies and providers these days offer the ability to set up automatic payments, so setting one up for almost every bill you receive should be relatively easy.
Of course, you’ll still need to track these payments and check that they’re billed correctly, and make sure the provider offers an easy way to stop automatic payments if you ever change your mind. You can always revoke their access to your bank account if this proves difficult, but it’s best to check their policies before proceeding.
Use pharmacy services to automate prescription writing
If you have any regular prescriptions, you know that refilling can be time-consuming. Many pharmacy chains like CVS and online pharmacies like Express Scripts make it easy for you to set up automatic refills—when you run out of medication, they’ll process the next refill and automatically get you a fresh supply (and even contact your doctor if you’re low on supplies).
Ask a robot to clean the floors
If you hate cleaning your place, you may have already hired professional cleaners to come to your place regularly and make it seem like a civilized person lives there. If not, you can automate some of your cleaning by installing not just a robot vacuum, but a robot vacuum and mop (like this one or this one ). It will patrol your floors, sucking up sand and dust, and when it detects a spill or stain, it will spray the surface with a cleaning solution and wipe the floor while you do other things in your free time.
Automate your pool maintenance
If you have a pool, you know that keeping it clean can take several hours a week. You can automate a lot of this by investing in a robotic pool cleaner that will do all the dirty work for you, leaving you more time to truly enjoy your pool.
But wait! And that’s not all: you can automate almost every aspect of pool maintenance, from monitoring (and adjusting ) chemical and water levels to skimming . Once you have everything set up, you can simply enjoy your pool.
Let the robot mow your lawn
If you have a lawn, you probably spend about eight hours a year mowing it. That might not seem like much, but imagine what you could do with an extra eight hours—that’s about half an hour each week when you get back. Installing a robotic lawn mower along with a timed sprinkler system automates the bulk of your lawn care, giving you the opportunity to finally lay out your hammock.
Use AI-powered tools to find a job
Looking for a new job is perhaps the biggest waste of time known to mankind. Sifting through hundreds of advertisements, tweaking your resume, filling out applications, writing mission statements and cover letters is exhausting work. And this is before you even go to the interview.
Using AI-powered tools like Sonara , Massive , LazyApply and LoopCV work the same way: you upload your resume and set some parameters, and then they scour the internet for relevant job descriptions. They then automatically fill out applications and send your resume while you do other things. While your job search still won’t be a set-it-and-forget-it affair, you can automate tedious steps to give yourself back some free time (and reduce job search stress).
Install smart window coverings
Carve out some time each day by installing smart window coverings (like these automatic shades ) that can be programmed to rise and fall on a set schedule, so you no longer have to worry about maximizing the light.
Set up a food delivery service
Cooking can take up a lot of your day, even if it doesn’t include grocery shopping. Installing an automated oven- ready meal service like Home Chef means ready-to-eat meals are delivered to your home in their own oven-safe jar. All you have to do is put them in the oven, take them out and eat them.
Take advantage of the laundry service
If you spend a lot of time washing (and folding) laundry, you can automate it by finding a laundromat in your area that will pick up, clean, and deliver your items—many dry cleaners and laundromats offer this service. If you can’t find a place to do this, you can check to see if there’s a national service like Poplin in your area. Most will pick up your dirty clothes and return them to you – washed and folded – within a day. What you do in your free time from doing laundry is entirely up to you.