Automate Yourself

Times they is a-changing. It seems that a generation ago (or two? Exactly where do generations stop and start, anyway?), work was a necessary evil. You were lucky to bring home a paycheck and breadwinners often endured jobs they hated, living only for the evening paper and weekend BBQs.

Now human resource experts recommend doing what you love. Such are the benefits of a free market society. Adam Smith's invisible hand letting self interest (go ahead and call it greed if you want) guide the economy toward efficiency, growth, endless choices - in short: the pursuit of happiness.

For insights and strong arguments in favor of this assertion, start with Hank Pfeffer's article "Danger: High Voltage" at Too Many Aptitudes.com, then read Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman's Next, Discover Your Strengths.

But it doesn't stop there. 's The Four Hour Workweek outlines the steps by which you can automate your daily routine and eventually outsource your life completely. That frees you up to roam the world and act like a millionaire.

I'm listening. Right now I'm working on automating my UVU English classes (assuming the newly-designated university has a shortfall of instructors and I get hired on again this fall). Students will submit all assignments online. The web page will automatically stop accepting submissions after the deadline. Backend PHP code will count up points and assign grades. Students will even grade each others' papers in many cases.

I'll still be stuck with teaching the classes, but that's the part I enjoy. In the afternoons, I'll be free to run along the river, write, ride my motorcycle up the canyon, sail on the lake, and live - if not like a millionaire - at least like a free, happy man.