Automate with a Vengeance

One really dynamic speaker at a conference I was at last week used the phrase "automate with a vengeance" to describe one of the principles that would/should/could revolutionize healthcare. 

And I thought, of course, "That's it!" That's what I'm trying to do with my home/kid/life-management.  I'm trying to get the routine things down to being really routine...if I know they're coming up every day, why do I manage them like they're a big surprise?  Also, I've been spending a lot of time trying to systematize some of the things I'd like to be more routine but really aren't (like doing thoughtful things for friends).

Basically, this is all about getting the things that can be automated to take up less time in my life so that I can focus on the things that are really important to me.  I want to make conscious choices about how I spend my time, whether that's doing an art project with Q, or baking fresh bread, or just sitting on the couch with my husband to watch a movie.  I find it's easier to make those choices when my conscious thought processes aren't taken up with, "Do I have anything to make for dinner?"

Automate with a vengeance... and then move on to the fun stuff.