Delegate, Automate, and Dominate

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Thought

You ever feel like your day is nothing but a string of tasks that have zero relevance to anything you actually care about? I’m talking about the real stuff—the people, projects, and experiences that actually make life worth living. Instead, you’re stuck doing laundry, grocery shopping, answering emails, and trying to remember what that meeting at 3 p.m. is even for.

Scoop

Here’s the deal. You can’t avoid doing the dishes, answering emails, or dealing with the 100 other little things that pile up every day. But you can automate, delegate, and simplify them so they don’t suck all your time and energy.

Think of it like this: every small decision, every minor task, it’s like a tax on your brain. A little here, a little there, and suddenly, you’ve got nothing left for the stuff you really care about. By ruthlessly automating what you can, handing off the stuff you don’t need to do, and simplifying everything else, you get that energy back. Here’s how.

Automate

1. Recurring Reminders: Why are you still manually paying bills or remembering to re-order dog food? Set up automatic payments and subscriptions for things that are predictable. You can use your calendar or even a simple reminder app to handle these for you. You shouldn’t have to think about things like paying the water bill ever again.

The goal is simple: remove as much of the routine from your brain as possible.

2. Batch Your Work: Instead of bouncing from task to task like a pinball, group similar tasks together and knock them out in one focused session. Answer emails at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and ignore your inbox the rest of the day. Same with calls, meetings, or any other task that eats up your day in little chunks.

Block out time for it, do it, and move on.

3. Routinize Your Day: Successful people don’t waste brainpower on things like what to wear or when to exercise. Create set routines—whether it’s prepping your breakfast the night before or sticking to the same workout schedule.

The more you can put on autopilot, the more mental energy you have for bigger, more important things.

Once you’ve covered those tips:

👉 Speaking of automation, streamlining your finances is just as important as your daily tasks. Betterment’s IRA offers a way to automate your retirement planning so you can focus on the present while your money works behind the scenes. With tools like recurring deposits and location-based planning, it’s effortless to set up your dream future.

Your IRA, made to order

Choose where and when you want to retire, and a Betterment IRA can help make your money hustle all the way there.

Learn more

Delegate

4. Share the Load at Home: You’re not a superhero. If you’re living with a partner, kids, or even roommates, divide up the work. Make it clear who’s responsible for what, and stick to it. This goes for everything from doing laundry to grocery shopping.

If everyone’s sharing the load, you’re less likely to burn out.

5. Outsource the Errands: If you can, outsource errands that don’t require your personal attention. Grocery delivery, dry cleaning pick-up, or even getting someone else to run to the post office for you—it’s all time you can reclaim.

Even if you do it once a month, that’s hours of your life back. Think of it like investing in yourself.

6. Work Delegation: Same goes for your job. If there’s something you’re not great at, and someone else on the team is, why not swap tasks? This isn’t about passing the buck; it’s about playing to strengths.

You’ll both end up happier, more productive, and less stressed.

Simplify

7. Make Default Decisions: Decision fatigue is real. Reduce the number of choices you have to make by setting defaults. For example, have a few go-to meals that you rotate during the week. Simplify your wardrobe by creating a uniform of sorts—like Steve Jobs with his black turtlenecks.

The less you have to think about these things, the more brainpower you save for real decisions.

8. Create an End-of-Day Ritual: I used to let my workday bleed into my personal time because I never had a clear stopping point. Now, I have a ritual—something small but intentional—that tells my brain “work’s done, time to switch off.”

Whether it’s closing your laptop, going for a quick walk, or even just lighting a candle, it signals that you’re done for the day.

9. Declutter Your Life: Physical clutter equals mental clutter. Start by cleaning up your workspace. A clean desk makes for a clearer head. But don’t stop there—simplify the tools you use every day. If your inbox has 50 folders, cut that down to five. If your kitchen is full of gadgets you never use, get rid of them.

The fewer distractions you have, the easier it is to focus.

10. Set Boundaries for Mindless Habits: We all have those activities that eat up our time but give us nothing in return. For me, it was constantly checking Twitter. For you, it might be scrolling Instagram or binge-watching Netflix. Whatever it is, put a time limit on it.

For example, give yourself 30 minutes to scroll your social feed, then get back to something more valuable.

Resources

Book Recommendation: The One Thing by Gary Keller – This book highlights the power of focusing on what matters most, helping you recognize which tasks are truly worth your time and which ones you can delegate or automate.

Thought Experiment: The “Decision Filter” – Every time you’re about to take on a task, ask yourself: Does this have to be done by me? If not, pass it on. This simple mental filter can change the way you approach your daily activities.

Last Word

At the end of the day, it’s about freeing up space—space for the stuff that makes you feel alive, space for things that move the needle in your life. Automate the small stuff, delegate what you can, and simplify the rest.

It’s not about doing more; it’s about making the stuff you have to do take up less room in your life.

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