Automate your life

I have automated as much as possible in my personal life to keep up with my obligations and allow my family to enjoy each other in our free time instead of ‘doing chores’. We have dog food automatically delivered to our house every six weeks. Blue Ribbon delivers and stocks our freezer with meat every three months. We use online billing from the bank and all our utilities are drafted from our checking account so we never miss a payment. I have a pre-determined amount automatically transferred from my ‘master account’ into our personal account each week. We have a lady clean our house every two weeks and my husband has his work shirts pressed and ironed from a dry cleaning service on a schedule.

I divided our house into separate areas and designated one child to be responsible for that area. We have checklists to ensure that everyone does their jobs to an agreed standard. Now there is no confusion about who is to do what. They check off the chores as they complete them. We have weekly and monthly chores as well. This helps us remember to change the air conditioner filters and defrag the computers.  Automating these chores and using checklists to ensure they are done protects one of my largest investments - my house.

It’s a good idea to have a maintenance schedule for you as well. When was the last time you bought a new pair of shoes to replace the old worn out pair? Six months ago? A year? I wear Crocs to work. I can stand on my feet eight hours pain free in a pair of Crocs – until they break down. I usually buy two pairs of Crocs and switch them out every other day. Unfortunately when they break down I am not aware until I come home in pain. I have a reminder on my personal quarterly checklist to buy new Crocs. Sometimes I think I don’t need to buy the new shoes – until I try on a new pair and then realize what I have been missing. Buy new shoes every six months – more often if you wear them every day. The same advice is good for bras and socks. It is amazing how good a new bra feels – if you’re a woman of course.

Schedule your haircuts, manicures and massages throughout the year. These appointments are not frivolous because you are investing in yourself so you can feel well and be healthy for work. Schedule a 'mental day off' every once in awhile to spend at home reading in bed or watching movies all day. You will be amazed at the vigor you will have after 24 hours of doing ‘nothing’.  However if you don't schedule it in advance you will probably never take the day off.

Do you exercise consistently? Do you work out two times a week - every week? It is important to schedule your workout and exercise periods as well. I find it ironic when people tell me they don’t have time in their day to schedule a workout. However they never miss a meal – and they don’t schedule their meal times. Working out every day will help you maintain your muscle mass, stress and health just like the food breaks that you take every day.

At the beginning of each year I make sure these things are scheduled in my monthly or quarterly checklists and I evaluate them at the beginning of each quarter. If you do not plan for these ‘self care’ appointments you will remember them too late -perhaps after you are already ‘in pain’.

Schedule your vacations in advance. I take three week vacations from the office. One of my dental friends commented to me at a meeting that this was a lot of time away from the office. To which I responded – ‘sure is- that is why when I am at the office I make that time counts’. My husband and I usually take one cruise a year because I absolutely love to cruise and then spend one week at our lake house having a ‘staycation’. We always take the last week of the year off at our office because the time between Christmas and New Years is very slow. What a better way to start the New Year being recharged and refreshed after a restful week off.

Give yourself a present on your birthday....


I will never forget waking up at 3am with the most excruciating toothache I had ever suffered. I did not remember childbirth being this severe. I made it into my dentist’s office at 1pm that day and was surprised to learn that it had been three years since my last checkup and cleaning. Three years? What? I am a dentist! I know better than this!

I am at the prime age to be susceptible to periodontal disease and oral cancer! I could not believe I had let three years go by. The hygienist told me they send reminder postcards every six months and although I did remember getting them in the mail I had always put them aside to call later.

Obviously much later – and now instead of a simple filling I needed a root canal for this painful tooth. One root canal and seven pain pills later I learned my lesson well. Today I maintain my health.

Every year on the month of my birthday I schedule annual checkups including a visit to my regular doctor, gynecologist, dermatologist, optometrist and dentist every year during the month of my birthday. This is the time of the year that I schedule a mammogram, bone density test and any other medical tests my doctors think are necessary to keep me at my best. This is easy to remember around the time of my birthday and this ensures that these matters are taken care of at least once a year.

During the month of my birthday I also evaluate my life, health, homeowners and disability insurance policies to ensure I have enough coverage. I also take this time to evaluate my retirement plan and investment accounts to make sure they do not need reallocated.

The month of October is a busy month for me every year due to all these appointments however I have the peace of mind the rest of the year knowing that I have taken care of myself this month and I am ready to welcome the next year of my life.

Welcome? Maybe that is not the best word but at least I know my body can make it another year!