Automate Good Habits and Create Templates Podcast Script

Automate Good Habits and Create Templates Podcast Script

Want to improve your health or personal finances?

The Automate Good Habits and Create Templates strategy can make it easier to achieve success by creating an easy path to follow.

Have you been procrastinating on taking action to improve your health and increase your wealth?

If so, there’s a simple solution to move forward: automation. That’s right, putting some of your health and financial practices on automatic pilot.

Automation is the perfect antidote for procrastination because it reduces the number of steps you need to take.As David Bach, author of The Automatic Millionaire, notes, “Do it once- the rest is automatic.”

In other words, you automate positive action when you are planning how to reach your health and wealth goals and then the new habit or arrangement works for you without the need for continuous thought and discipline.

Automated behaviors increase the likelihood of success because many people are simply too busy to constantly make health and financial decisions.A number of positive health practices can be automated by putting them on a regular schedule.

An example is a personal exercise routine where a certain amount of time is spent every day on physical activity.Block off dedicated time for exercise and consider it a normal part of your daily routine.Even better, encourage co-workers or family members to join you to make it more fun.

Another example of an automated health habit is the use of portion-controlled meals and snacks with a certain number of calories. Weight loss programs with point values for different types of foods are another automated health practice as are routine health screenings, such as an annual physical and various types of cancer screening exams.

Using a weekly meal planner can also be a great way to automate healthier eating. Meal planning templates are available from a variety of sources, or you can simply create your own.

The best example of financial automation is the concept “Pay Yourself First” (PYF).With Pay Yourself First, money is deducted automatically from your paycheck and placed into savings before you get a chance to spend it. Just like the government withholds money from workers’ gross income for taxes, you can choose to do the same with savings deposits.

With Pay Yourself First, you treat savings as an “expense” in your household budget that is paid automatically. Think of Pay Yourself First as a bill that you owe yourself and start saving some money today.If your employer offers a credit union, arrange to have deposits taken out of your paycheck.

You can also arrange purchases of stock and mutual fund shares through automatic withdrawals from your checking account and automatic bill-paying and checking account to savings account transfers.

Template worksheets for budgeting and other financial tasks are readily available online.

Ready to get started on the path to good health and increased wealth? Automate good habits and create templates.

For additional information, visit the Colorado State University Extension Small Steps to Health and Wealth™ Web site at