š¤ Post 14: How to Automate the FIRE Engine
(So Youāre Not Babysitting It All Week)
Letās be honest:
You didnāt start this strategy because you wanted another job.
You started it because you wanted freedom. Passive income. Simplicity.
So hereās the good news:
The FIRE Engine doesnāt need to be micromanaged.
You can automate 90% of it with a few simple habits.
Letās break it down.
šļø Step 1: Set a Weekly Check-In Time
Pick one day a week to do your FIRE Engine maintenance.
- I useĀ Friday morningsĀ (before options expire)
- You could useĀ Thursday nights, orĀ Monday openingsĀ ā whatever works for your rhythm
Put it on your calendar as:
š§ FIRE Engine Check-In ā 15 Minutes
Youāll use this time to:
- Check if your current call is in-the-money
- Decide whether to let it ride, close it, or roll it
- Sell your next contract if the last one expired
Thatās it. Fifteen minutes a week. Done.
š Step 2: Use Reminders or Automations
You can set this up however you want:
- Google Calendar reminder
- Phone alarm
- Sticky note on your monitor
- Weekly task in your to-do app
The key is to make it part of your routine ā like brushing your teeth, but more profitable.
š Step 3: Create a Rolling Rule of Thumb
Rolling decisions can stress people out ā but they donāt have to.
Hereās a super simple rule I use:
āIf the stock is close to my strike on Thursday or Friday, I look to roll. If not, I let it expire and sell a new one.ā
Easy.
No panic. No emotion. No overthinking.
Just stick to the plan.
š Step 4: Use a Tracker (That Doesnāt Suck)
If youāve been following along since Post 10, you know I track:
- Premiums earned
- Contracts sold
- Share count
- ROI over time
This helps me know:
- When to scale up
- Whatās working
- And how much Iām actually earning
Use my template or build your own ā just make sure it doesnāt become spreadsheet jail.
š§ Why This Works
People fail at covered calls not because the strategy is hardā¦
ā¦but because they treat it like a guessing game instead of a rhythm.
When you:
- Set a weekly check-in
- Follow a repeatable system
- Avoid emotional trades
You take 90% of the stress out of it ā and leave 100% of the profit in.
š§ Bottom Line
Covered calls shouldnāt take over your life.
Build a weekly rhythm. Automate what you can.
Let the FIRE Engine do the heavy lifting.
Youāre not a trader.
Youāre a builder.
š Up Next: [Post 15: How This Strategy Fits Into the Bigger Picture (FIRE, Freedom & Long-Term Wealth)]
Want to see what my weekly check-ins look like? Follow the FIRE Engine blog.