ELIMINATE…REDUCE…AUTOMATE…SCHEDULE…EXTERNALISE ©

Part 1 and Part 2 can be found here.

AUTOMATE

Automate is actually the easy one.

It is exactly what it sounds like. Anything that can be automated, ought to be. Anything that you spend money or have to pay regularly you want to automate. You can eliminate unnecessary trips, late fees because you forgot to pay the bill or just stop doing and paying the same thing every 2 weeks, monthly etc. When you are able to set it up or organise just once to last till eternity if you wish.

This is especially useful for financial targets. Starting here consider some of the following in relation to your own home and life as examples and build from there….

  • Increasing your savings.
  • Making credit card and loan payments.
  • Paying bills. Rates. Water. Electricity. Insurance etc
  • School Fees. Day Care. Sport / Gym fees
  •  A regular grocery, bread, meat or fruit and vegetable order.
  • Vitamins.
  • Magazines. Papers or Industry journals you buy

The perfect partner to this for when Automation isn’t an option is Scheduling.

SCHEDULING

Now I have an absolute, undeniable and ongoing adoration for Scheduling. This one thing, in my opinion, is the one that enables you to put your life as close as is possible to set and forget. With the aid of a Calendar, Planner or Word document, whatever your personal preference is, write down everything that needs doing and give it a place in your year or life. Out of your head onto paper and then filed in your home manual. You can schedule basically any part of your life and have multiple schedules for different aspects of your life, although for the sake of simplicity and ease I’d keep them to a minimum. It may sound regimented and it is but the effect of that is actually increased ease, productivity, brain space and decreased stress, forgotten or not gotten to jobs, appointments or projects.

There are lots of jobs that may only need to be done a few times a year and scheduling is just as perfect for those as it is for the things we need to do regularly. The schedules or events and jobs I usually have in my home manual include the following

  • Home Maintenance Schedule
  • Cleaning Schedule
  • Menu. Groceries. Shopping
  • Personal / Family
  • Weekly. Fortnightly. Monthly
  • Financial
  • Business
  • Goals
  • Birthdays
  • Christmas Cards and Shopping.
  • Clean Gutters
  • Service Car
  • Service Airconditioner
  • Financials
  • Menus  [3 months worth]
  • Dental / Doctor visits
  • Windows.  Dooners. Skirting boards. Curtains/ Blinds [Cleaning of]
  • Washing. Clean the Washing Machine. Dryer. Drains
  • Lawns. Garden. Weeding ~Yard/Farm maintenance
  • Shopping ~Food. Clothes. Back to School. Christmas
  • Goals ~ Personal. Business. Financial. Home. Family/ Friends.

These actually boil down into only a few pages it’s not as unwieldy as it sounds

Screenshot (3)   Screenshot (4)

Screenshot (5)

These are just a couple of examples of very basic documents which is what mine are most of the time. You can make them prettier and more detailed but it is just about usability and getting it done. I always had 2 months of menus planned out and on rotation and was about to implement a third which allows you to just keep rotating without worrying you’ll become bored with the meals. You could also do it seasonally if you wanted to incorporate the heavier or lighter meals of summer and winter. You’ll notice not all the week is filled. This is because we always left at least one day but usually 2 free per week where we were using up left overs or had been invited out. There was always at least 1 super easy meal as well .. eg cheese toasties that we might put a salad with or not. Once you get this in place meal time and shopping becomes easy. What’s on the menu ?? … then put whatever you don’t have on hand on the shopping list. Done. Always make extra if you can for lunches or leftovers.

The above yearly calendar again is just an example of some of the things that can be put on it and how it can be used. The yearly calendar is one of my favourites. I never have to remember a thing. If something new comes up onto the calendar it goes and it makes sure you, your family including all pets get scheduled dental and medical visits and that machines (cars / aircon/ mowers etc) are also maintained which in the long run saves you time and money as well as getting better performance and helping to eliminate any problems or catch them before they get too big. Check it regularly, book in anything you need to and those appointment times go into your planner. The jobs you fit into your month either at a set time or when you can. Car cleaning and pet washing/clipping were always the first Saturday of the month for me. Financials the first of the month.. you get the idea. I programmed everything. My cleaning schedule I had on a weekly list that included family commitments etc. Sports. Meetings etc. The cleaning list was tacked on the end. I had a birthday list so I knew whose was coming up and planned ahead. Your life can pretty much be on remote control. Nothing forgotten. Everything planned for, done or checks in place, maintained. This in turns gives you the time and head space to start improving any areas you want to improve and/or giving you more free time and importantly working towards any goals you have.

We’ll finish off with the nice quick one Externalise in a couple of weeks.

Ever x

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,