Reading time: 2 min | Productivity

What is My Automatic Decision System?

A few months ago, I detailed a system I implemented into my life to reduce unnecessary decision making, to save time and mental energy for work and decisions that actually matter.

I called it my Decision Autopilot System.

Any regular decision I make is either automatized, made irrelevant, or randomised.

I recently went through a period of overburdening with many important, stacked commitments, all occuring within the same month:

• Work during daytime
• Job applications
• Drafting recommendation letters
• Study during night time
• Further education applications
• Pharmacy board exams
• Finding a new place to live, getting new furniture, and moving

I had no free time at all (and this was evident by my lack of writing/posting, and lack of exercise, again). I stopped journaling. (Now, I realise journaling and daily writing is truly a luxury.)

What I Added to My Decision Autopilot System

To help me overcome this lack-of-time challenge, I took my Decision Autopilot System to a new level with a 5th module:

I used an AI to automate my calendar/task timeblocking decisions.

I used reclaim.ai for this.

• I set my working hours (i.e. my non-sleeping hours)
• It extracted my tasks from Todoist
• It made time blocks on my calendar for each task (more or less according to priority and due date)
• It made time blocks for mandatory daily habits (like eating, showering, cleaning) at approximately similar times every day
• It automatically ticks things as finished unless I specify otherwise
• If I'm not done with a task, I can extend my time block and it'll re-arrange all my other time blocks
• Anything not done is carried over to the next day

So, I spent 0 time thinking about what task to do next, how long I should do it for, and when I should do it.

I just did it, strictly according to my calendar. Like a robot.

Well, it certainly helped me get through the past few months.

Related:

• Work off a calendar for efficient work
• Looking back on this, I certainly had more time during the pandemic years: Time Tracking - 10% of my time is unproductive consuming time