Listen below for the entire episode on The Systemize Your Life Podcast

Why You Should Move Away From Chronic List-Making into Manageable Automated Tasks

This desire to always want to write things down is because you are holding everything in your head and not automating things. It’s a lot to think about and hold. Here are 12 super important reasons why you should move away from this nonrepeatable and chronic list-making. I’ve written about this a few times on the blog but not in this way. I think it’s important for you to understand why getting out of the weeds of your life is absolutely nonnegotiable.

So much of what you are experiencing with chaos, overwhelmed, exhausted, and flustered is avoidable in many ways. Not in all the ways; we do have to work very hard. You will be working your tail off no matter how we go about this, especially if you are a mom or working in any capacity. It is a lot to manage a home. It is a lot to support people and yourself through that process. 

But I promise it is possible to find a different pattern and set up and establish something super concrete. 

Reason #1 For Why You Should Automate: Become More Efficient

Creating systems for tasks that you are doing over and over again allows you to be able to streamline in ways that you didn’t know were possible. Following an established process can make you complete more tasks more efficiently. This opens up more time for more important activities and the personal time you are looking for to do all the other things. Imagine having time to read a book, take a bath, shave your legs, put your makeup on, sleep a bit more or have coffee uninterrupted. Those things become possible when you are more efficient.

Reason #2 For Why You Should Automate: Reduce Decision Fatigue

The drain that decision fatigue has in your life is nuts. You shouldn’t be thinking about any of this stuff. Systemizing reduces the amount of mental capacity and energy you need to be able to decide what to do next. With predefined steps in place, you’ll be able to focus your cognitive resources on things much higher up on the priority list. You’ll be able to prioritize decisions that need to be made, be more creative, more fun, or have more boundaries in place.

Reason #3 For Why You Should Automate: Consistency

Having a specific automation system in place for how you are managing your tasks will open up an ability for you to become consistent in a way that you haven’t been able to before. When you are able to focus on the thing you are doing instead of what you are supposed to be doing, you are so much more consistent. I do this with the women I work with in systemizing their business all the time because there is so much decision fatigue that it makes it so hard to show up and be consistent. 

We start with their time blocks, and they know when their work blocks are going to be so we can get their home management set up. Then, we can go all in and systemize their business. Consistency is important to be able to get things done regularly, like meal planning, cleaning, organizing and making sure that you aren’t dropping balls.

Reason #4 For Why You Should Automate: Reduce Your Stress

When you have a very clear plan or system in place for how things are going to repeat every single week, you are going to reduce your anxiety, those rushes in and out the door, that deep sadness, guilt, shame and fear. Those things are going to go away when you have predictability and structure. You know where you’re dropping the ball right now. That stress dramatically reduces. Are you still going to have moments and days? Absolutely, but we can still get it under control.

Reason #5 For Why You Should Automate: Task Delegation

Here is one of the coolest things that happen when you start to automate. You will have so much more ability to delegate. You don’t even have the option right now to assume that your husband and children won’t help, but you don’t know the drill, so how could they know? With nothing systematic in place, you change things, it’s willy-nilly and doesn’t make sense, and then you are frustrated that nothing is getting done. But the people in your home ride a rollercoaster and don’t know how to get on board. It is so important for you to be able to delegate tasks, but you have to have something in place. Task delegation is a huge benefit to creating automation within your to-dos every single week.

Reason #6 For Why You Should Automate: Becoming Adaptable

By becoming adaptable, you’ll be able to ebb and flow so much easier. You’ll be able, not only within yourself but everything and everyone else, to adapt. Instead of just feeling like constant curve balls are coming at you, you’ll feel like you can tweak things and adapt because you have systems in place. It’s so much better suited for everyone else’s success, let alone yourself. No matter the circumstances, you can make sure that everything you’re supposed to do is flowing and not getting held up because you’ve created something adaptable.

Reason #7 For Why You Should Automate: Focus on Priorities

When you start to create a systematic and automated approach to what you do every day, you’ll allocate more time and energy to the tasks that matter. I immediately watch women have these light bulbs go off in their heads when they start to digest this and chunk it out. You can remove this weight from your shoulders, you have more time with your children, or you have time to pursue your personal interests. Whatever it is that you are looking for outside of your home and motherhood, it becomes possible.

Reason #8 For Why You Should Automate: Self Care 

Self-care is not even a thing that we do. I know that when I do not use automation, self-care goes to the side. You will have to push the automate button in your life, and what does that actually mean to us – because there is not an actual button. Every once in a while, we get people in the community that are struggling. They have a hard time wrapping their brains around the concepts I teach. I know we’ve been conditioned for so long to think that there isn’t enough time. But there is no better time to get your act together now. This is the time to do this so that the hustle and the bustle doesn’t make it even more complicated. This is a complicated season. Everything that school, friends, holidays, germs bring. Everything comes on like a freight train from September to January 1st. 

It is an expectation that you’ll be a hot mess, but it doesn’t have to be like that. From budgeting to how you eat to caring for your body and keeping everyone together. Having the time to be able to do that and have self-care on top of it, without guilt. Put automations in place and mark out 15 minutes daily for yourself. You give so much more time to Instagram than to yourself. Instead of scrolling, let’s do something for yourself. We will systematically put this in place so you don’t even have to think about it, and it will actually get done. 

“It is an expectation that you’ll be a hot mess, but it doesn’t have to be like that. By putting automation in place, you can mark out 15 minutes daily for yourself.”

Reason #9 For Why You Should Automate: Model behaviour

Implementing automation and systems for everything that must be done allows you to start setting positive examples for your children. You’re going to be up with your bed made, dressed, teeth brushed, hair done, and not be a hot mess. You will show them what it looks like to sit down and eat a meal and not rush out the door to where you need to be. You get to set that example for them as they are learning these things, and they get to model that from you. If nothing else, what a beautiful reason for you to finally give up everything that has to be done and automate it instead.

Reason #10 For Why You Should Automate: Accomplishment and Satisfaction

Being able to checkmark something off because it has been done (like done, done), and you don’t have to touch it again, leads to the most insane and intense accomplishment and satisfaction that you have not felt in a long time. Seeing that kind of progress in your routines will boost your endorphins. You are going to have chemical changes happen in your brain, your body and your relationships. It is on a whole other level, and I truly believe that it compounds over time, and it is what has allowed me to be so successful outside of my home, in my business, and in my marriage. 

This is all because of what I am able to accomplish routinely, over and over again, without even thinking about it. I do not bear the burden of these things in my brain ever. I do have to show up and work to ensure things are where they need to be. But I know what that is without thinking about it, and we just do it. Everyone does it, and if I’m not there to uphold it, it doesn’t work as it should, but that is my job. My job is to show up and not be scattered, frustrated and feel guilty because I was loud, aggressive, or whatever your coping mechanism is. You will feel accomplished and satisfied when you switch over and start automating things.