Busy?

How long is your To Do list?

Is everything really on your list?

There's probably more, isn't there?

How are you going to get it all done without hiring a personal assistant? And wouldn't that be nice?

To have an easier life, try putting some tasks on autopilot. Here are a few ideas, with more to come.

Bill Paying
This works. I do it. Especially with important bills that can't be missed like your mortgage payment. Works beautifully, especially when you are out of town. And, best I can tell, it is safe. Perhaps safer than sending a check through the mail these days.

What you could do is set up a checking account just for paying bills. This is what I have. I always keep just the minimum in the account, usually around $100. Then, before I pay my bills I transfer money in and viola, bills are paid. This is not a spending account where you grab money out of the ATM for a quick dinner somewhere.

There are companies you can hire that will pay all your bills for you. I just haven't got to this level yet. Another option is to pay your bills once during the year. Yes, just once. I have a friend who pays her bills in January for the entire year. No muss, no fuss. She gets confirmations each month on what has been paid, but otherwise, everything is taken care of. This is what I am ultimately shooting for because I like it and it is a cool way to go.

As a psychologist and coach, I often work with disorganized people. One of the first things we do is automate their bill paying. Typically they are late in paying or forgetting to pay bills. This works and people love it.

Yard and Housework
I hate doing yard work, so I hire this out. Inside the house you can hire a housekeeper or get one of those automatic vacuum cleaners. My brother has two and loves them. You just stick it in a room, set it to go and forget about it. The vacuum just goes about its business with no attention needed from you. I believe you can even set a schedule on this so you can be away from home and it will start up, do its job, then turn off. That sounds a little creepy to me, if you ask.

My thought is to delegate or hire out for all tasks I don't like doing. Why spend time on something you don't like and can easily outsource?

Information
I use Evernote (www.evernote.com) to grab clips of info off web pages, or jot quick ideas that pop into my head. Entering anywhere in my system automatically updates all other pieces in my system. So, I'm surfing along on my desktop, find a cool quote, pop it into Evernote. Evernote then synchs it automatically, via it's server, with my laptop, my work desktop and my iTouch. Pretty cool isn't it? You can probably do your schedule this way, but I'm not there yet. You can definitely manage a to do list this way and it is always updated everywhere. You can even grabs pictures with your phone and synch them up. The application is easy to use and works.

Videos
I love watching movies. Now I automate my movie watching. I use Blockbuster since I have a brick and mortar store one mile away. Many use Netflix. If you haven't signed up, do yourself a favor and get on board. They usually run free trials to get you in their program. Once you sign up, you will wonder what took you so long. The beauty is you manage this a lot or little, depending on your preferences. You set up a list online of the movies you want in the order you want them shipped. When it is time for a movie to be shipped it happens automatically. Shipping times are usually fast. Amazingly fast. They have warehouses strategically placed around the country so you are fairly close to one. So, watch a movie, pop it into the mail, get your next movie a few days later. Easy.

Your Life Is Easy Coach,

Jeffrey A. Betman, Ph.D.

Copyright 2009 LifeIsEasyCoaching.com