Creating Systems, Punching “Drudgery” in the Ribs, Making Your Life Easier

A month ago I wrote a little about automating tasks. Yet, I realized there were still some things in my own world that needed to get done but seemed like drudgery and definitely not automate-able.

So how do I make doing the necessary drudgery a little more manageable?

We’re back to creating systems. And yes, some of this might just be straight up common sense, but I’m hoping some of this inspires you to create your own systems (feeding your goldfish Fido on a regular basis, getting those TPS reports into Lumberg on time, remembering and celebrating your partner’s birthday every year etc. ).

A few examples:

• I eat like crap when I get hungry and food isn’t readily available—so, I decided to prepare a few meals in advance of the week and blocked out time when I can prepare more easy meals. Calorie count is lower, proteins and health(-ier) fats are higher. My mental health is better because I’m not eating crap. And my pants continue to fit me. #woot
• I dislike exercising and know I won’t do it unless I make it really easy for myself to do it. So, I put running shoes, shorts, and a t-shirt beside my bed at night. When I wake up in the morning, those bad boys are staring me in the face and it’s easier for me to slip them on and run out the door. Otherwise, I’d be searching for clothes and give up halfway to getting my socks out of the drawer. And once again, we’re back to my mental health being a notch better because the exercise triggers those lovely chemical friends, endorphins.
• A few posts back I wrote about how I create systems for some of the work I do and then hire out to have that work completed. Otherwise, I’d be working 100 hour work weeks and would need corrective glasses for having double cross-eyes after sitting at the computer too long. FYI, out of these three examples I just gave, this one did take the most time and effort—two hours of replicating the work I’ve done in the past and written out in careful detail. These two hours, saved me roughly 5-10 hours per week for fifty-two weeks. 

Create systems only when you feel a little extra motivated and when you can give a small amount of time to the task at hand. Set yourself up for little wins that add up to something big. Trying to lose 30lbs in a week or get that promotion this afternoon with no plan is not going to make your life easier—it will make you give up your goal. Build on the little wins. This will help you to create long-term sustainable change (habits).

Punch drudgery in the ribs a few times before you go for the knockout.