Three years ago I spent about 2 hours setting up automatic transfers and haven't had to think hard about money since.

Here's my setup: paycheck hits checking account, then 15% goes to my Roth IRA (auto-invested into VTI), $500 goes to HYSA, $300 to my brokerage, and the rest stays in checking for bills and spending. Every bill is on autopay. My credit card is paid in full automatically each month.

The result is that I save a consistent percentage of income without relying on willpower. I do a quarterly check-in to adjust numbers but that's it. Automation is the single biggest productivity win in my financial life.