Improve Your Daily Productivity With These 4 Automation Tools!

Automating your life can make a HUGE difference in your day-to-day tasks.  I am often appalled by how many people don't utilize the wealth of automation tools available to them. These tools will allow them to increase their productivity, their reliability and essentially, their overall life efficiency. 

There are a tremendous amount of automation tools that exist, but I picked out 5 that I find very, very beneficial. 

These 5 things can ease much of your daily stress and leave more time to do things that really matter (like spend time with your family or go play that extra round of golf.)

I obviously recommend implementing all of these, but I also understand that money and resources are limited for most of us.. therefore, although all of these are doable, most of these  are very cheap (or already available - aka free). Meaning, it is simply up to you to take advantage of them. 

APPLE/ANDROID PAY

This is just one more awesome thing your phone can do, and we all know the convenience cell phones have provided (hence why everyone under the age of sixty has one). 

Long gone are the days of checks and even cash and soon cards will be obsolete too. 

Not to mention there are a huge stack of benefits associated with simplifying your wallet by utilizing your phone, including security. 

The vast majority of cell phone users either have an Apple or Android compatible phone and if you have any recent model (iPhone 6 or greater for Apple along with a larger variety of androids) you have the ability to use this feature, not to mention the new Apple watch is Apple Pay enabled and so are the new MacBook Pros.  Each allows you to input your credit card information (which is encrypted into your phone through the wallet app making payments more private then ever - and YOU DON'T HAVE TO ENTER YOUR INFORMATION MORE THEN ONCE) to be used for making payments instead of using a physical card which can be stolen, copied or lost (hint, hint.. apple pay is safer). 

It is such a handy tool, AND I am astounded by how many people have this technology and don't even realize they can use it.

But the best feature of all is the convenience of it.  My phone is my most accessible device. I alway have it on hand or ready to be on hand... digging through my purse to find my wallet to find the appropriate card isn't convenient.  I also LOVE that I don't have to deal with the credit card reader as my aged cards can be a pain in the butt to read, this saves me so much time and hassle when I'm waiting at the register.  

USE AUTOPAY

Apply Pay is for in person payments and autopay is for your monthly bills! If you never want to miss a bill again, use autopay. It’s the most effortless way to make sure you are always paid up.

Unlike the argument you can make with Apple and Android Pay, this one is pretty universal.  I can guarantee 99.9% of the banks and credit card agencies have some method of automatic payment and you have plenty of different options to choose from.  Gone are the days where you need to write out a hard check and send it in the mail (not a secure way to pay btw!) or manually transfer money.

Signing up for auto pay takes 5 minutes for most people. For example, simply log in to your bank website or credit card company and click on their bill pay option.

If you are worried that you won't be monitoring your finances enough then you should SIGN UP for mobile banking even if you still pay with check.  There is no better way to stay accountable then to check your statements weekly (or daily if you are like me) rather then monthly (for all of you wait till the paper statement shows up in the mail).   Plus you are saving trees.

I have everything automated our mortgage, vehicle lease, utilities, phone bill, tv service, direct deposit for both of our accounts, insurance and each of our retirement money being auto deposited. The best part? I don't have to worry about it or waste time with it, I don't have to account for it in spending because it’s gone before I do the budget and its convenient, secure and fool proof.  

AMAZON PRIME & SUBSCRIBE

How about getting all of your essentials delivered straight to your door, no gas, no inconvenience, no waste of time? Not to mention getting a discount for simply participating?

Well it is your dream come true... Hello Amazon Subscribe & Save and Amazon Prime Delivery Services. 

Amazon Prime at its core lets you shop for everything. 

Amazon Prime Pantry simply lets you shop for all of your household, cleaning, health, fitness, and non-perishable foods online AND they are delivered straight for your door in a big box with a discounted price, in bulk.  Prices are very competitive with most of the big box stores and wholesale stores. However, with the "clickable coupon" you can find options that are even better.   As a benefit, most of the time you receive free shipping when you fill up a Prime box with 5 qualifying items (like toilet paper, etc..) which is ridiculously easy to do.  

Also, for every subscription, you reap the benefits of a discount usually range 5% to 15% to nearly 20%. 

And ladies... or men, if you have a baby you get 20% off diapers (win! win!). You save money and don't have to lug them around a store. . 

You sign up at Amazon (if you are at all affiliated with an education service... please sign up for the student account! it will save you!).  Most memberships are $99; however, the student membership is $50.

Once you do this, you can explore the website and if the Prime Pantry link doesn't pop out at you, you can simply search for it in the main search bar at the home website and it will bring you right there.

Then you can start shopping! You should have already added your account and payment information during the sign up.  Once you have your address, billing etc completed.. you will never have to re-enter it.  You can even do a single click purchase if you wish (but I at least prefer having a second level of acknowledgement). 

Not only does Amazon have a significant amount of daily deals and free 2 day shipping, it has music, books, magazines, movies and so much more.  I use it for my everyday life and I LOVE it.  

IBOTTA & EBATES

Everyone should be using Ibotta or Ebates or any other coupon app to save you money easily. Why are you over paying?

Options include Ebates, Ibotta, RetailMeNot (for retail deals), and any highly rated coupon app you can find to download on your smartphone. Not only do these apps save you money. they are remarkably convenient compared to finding coupons, clipping coupons, storing coupons and then trying to find those coupons again when you are at the register.  This usually causes so much wasted time and probably a few annoyed customers behind you.

All of these are unique in their own right, but Ibotta and Ebates are double awesome.. because you get cash back for your everyday purchases!

All you need to do is scan the receipt and the product. 

THIS IS NOT A CREDIT CARD. No credit check, credit, or anything required.. except proof of your purchase after you've finished shopping.   

All you have to do is download the app in the App Store or Google Play (depending on if you have apple or android) and start shopping.

Each app has their own list of retailers and cash back option; therefore make sure to read up on each before deciding which one will work best for you.  

USE HOUSE AUTOMATION

Coolest invention ever...an entire house that responds to your voice. 

A voice activated house... Yes it is real, no you don't need a mansion or a million bucks, or even a brand new house for that matter..

You just need one of these cool devices and there (sorta, kinda costly) accessories. 

We have an Amazon Echo Dot (Alexa) and we LOVE it.  The device itself was $50.. not bad... but its super handy, convenient and fun accessories are very expensive.  The expense of all of these  (such as smart lights, thermostats, outlets, fans and much more to come) can get you into the thousands, but that still isn't bad considering the time and inconvenience it can save.  

I currently use my Echo Dot for radio, quick answers to common questions ("like when is this store open till?"), alarm, calendar check, and soon to be thermostat changer.  However, I have to say that one of my favorite features is radio station switching in the shower.  

There are multiple versions of "Alexa".  However, they all have the same primary features, the larger version (the Echo - not the dot) has a much improved sound quality.

The Amazon Echo (Alexa) responds to basic voice commands, plays the music you want (perfect for in the shower) and answers basic questions. Unfortunately, only a small fraction of people realize everything it can do... and the amount of time and hassle it can save when you start connecting it to your house and home stereo systems.  Not only can it turn off your lights, adjust your thermostat and control your outlets.. but its app has a feature that allows you to add a huge variety of voice commands and tasks, do your shopping (on Amazon), set up reminders, work with apps, websites and so much more. 

If you go to Amazon, you can search the compatible device list.  The thermostat I bought was under $150 and I can control it not only with my phone but with my voice! And voice recognition on these little tools are very responsive (you can teach it to respond better to your voice). 

How many of these automation tips do you use and which ones are you interested in?