Algorithms and Automation Started Long Before the Digital Age

Automation has been a buzzword within the tech industry for some time now, but the fundamentals are based on very old practices. Think about farming all the way back to when land cultivation was the ‘tech’ of the world. I’m talking ancient civilizations back in 6,000 BC all the way to today where crop rotation is implemented in order to replenish nutrients in soil while growing other crops in a systematic fashion. This process has long been proven to help farmers yield more from their land in a more efficient manner. In other words, they use the seasons and the crops to not only grow product, but to also replenish the land for the next product.

Maybe you’re saying to yourself, “That’s a cool tid-bit, but I’m not growing crops.”

“Automation is all about thinking about how you take the process you know needs to be done and figure out how you can never do that again. If there’s something you know you have to do continuously, why do it again and again? How do you automate that process?” – Liza Wisner

Hence the use of algorithms in the analog world. By building if-then statements for everything around you, you can free up time, painful decision making (like debating a run early in the morning), and create a little extra space in that noggin of yours for uninterrupted thought.

In your home – when you wake up in the morning you should have processes in place to make sure you’re getting to mediation, your workout – whatever it is.

“Because for as much decision-making you can avoid, you free up your brain for creativity.”

How many outfits did Steve Jobs of Apple or Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook wear over the last decade? One? Two?

Think about it.

No matter how hard you try to stay motivated on your own terms, if you don’t have algorithms built into your life, you’ll wake up one morning and it’s raining and suddenly you’re just not going to “feel like it”.

Measuring Success Through Your Eyes, Not Anyone Else’s

By defining your success based on outward metrics, you could be hurting your current strategy, but more importantly, your morale. The way to find your success (not according to anyone else) is by figuring out what your ‘pre-win’ measurements are. By that Liza means before the world sees what you’re up to.

Are you putting in an hour of work every night to fuel your side hustle?
Are you leaving valuable comments on social networks to improve your personal brand?
If you’re a content marketer, are you putting up one piece of great content on a consistent basis?

Success absolutely requires consistency.

“It’s about removing the importance of people seeing you as successful and keeping consistent with the work you need to do to stay focused on your mission. Sometimes we use other people to tell us how successful we are and that’s not the way to go.”

Give your strategy time to win.

Finding Your Dream Job Where You Already Are – Joy

As much as you’d love to find work that you’re passionate about, you’re always going to find areas of that work you’re not interested in.

Among many things, Liza is a keynote speaker – she loves public speaking and sharing her message (it’s glaringly obvious in her interview), but there are parts of that business she does not like at all including administrative duties, booking, negotiating, designing and ordering copies of her workbooks. However, she is aware these tasks have to be completed to get her on stage in front of her audience. Some people will look to outsource or hire someone to handle those jobs and others rather just do it themselves. But here’s Liza’s point:

“The point of powering up your work is for you to think about the aspects of your life/job right now that you love doing and how you can fit that into something that makes you money.”

If you like bookkeeping, start a business crunching numbers for entrepreneurs who hate it! If you hate speaking but love to write, be a freelance editor or a ghost writer. A callback from earlier in this article, more and more companies are hiring contractors over employees.

Find the things you love to do and create your dream job.

References and resources:

United States Small Business Administration

Kids Count Data Center

World Atlas

Why Successful People Wear the Same Thing Every Day

Hiring More Contractors Than Employees

About the Author

Jason Eisenberg is the Community Program Manager for Office Depot, specializing in small business and entrepreneurship. Based in one of the most exciting cities for startups — Austin, TX — Jason is plugged into the business community, often connecting with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and strategists to help identify and find solutions to common pain points all business owners share.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.

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How to Find Joy in Your Business and Your Life