Because your to-do list shouldn't require its own assistant
Let’s be honest: half the things on your plate each week could be done faster, better, and more accurately… by a robot.
No offense. You’re amazing. But you’re also a human, which means you occasionally:
- Forget things
- Get distracted
- Open 17 browser tabs to “check on something real quick” and end up buying lightbulbs on Amazon
Which is exactly why automation exists—to take the repetitive, mind-numbing tasks and send them into the digital abyss, never to bother you again. You don’t need a team of engineers or a full-blown app to get started. You need the right tools and a willingness to stop doing things the hard way out of habit.
So here it is: how to automate your business life (without accidentally creating Skynet).
1. Start With the “Ugh” List
You know the one. The list of things that make you roll your eyes every time:
- Manually sending reminder emails
- Copying customer info from one system to another
- Updating spreadsheets that look like they belong in a NASA control room
These tasks are automation gold.
Ask yourself:
“Is this repeatable?”
“Is it predictable?”
“Do I hate doing it?”
If yes x3: automate it.
2. Let Zapier Be Your Personal Digital Intern
If you haven’t met Zapier yet, allow me to introduce your new favorite coworker. Zapier connects your apps (like Gmail, Slack, Google Sheets, QuickBooks, Trello, etc.) and gets them talking to each other—without you lifting a finger.
Examples:
- New customer fills out a form → Zapier adds them to your CRM AND sends a welcome email
- You post a new blog → Zapier shares it to your social media
-
Someone buys from your online store → Zapier sends you a Slack message AND updates inventory
It’s duct tape for your tech stack, if duct tape could also send invoices.
3. Inbox Rules Are the Unsung Heroes of Sanity
Email is where productivity goes to die.
But a few inbox rules can bring peace to the chaos:
- Automatically archive newsletters (you’ll never read them, let’s be real)
- Forward invoices to accounting without touching them
- Flag messages from VIP clients so you don’t miss them in a sea of reply-alls
Set them once. Enjoy the silence forever.
4. Schedule It and Forget It (Mostly)
Social media, newsletters, recurring reports, you don’t have to remember to post every Tuesday at 9 am like a robot.
Tools like Buffer, Hootsuite, or Mailchimp let you batch content when your brain is fresh, and schedule it out like a pro. One solid afternoon of writing = two weeks of marketing on autopilot.
Now you can focus on actual work instead of “oh no, I forgot to post something again” panic spirals.
5. Recurring Tasks = Recurring Automation
If you’re doing the same task weekly or monthly, stop pretending it’s new every time.
Set up:
- Recurring invoices
- Auto-bill payments
- Auto-generated reports
-
Task reminders for your team (or your future forgetful self)
It’s like giving your future self a high five. But less awkward.
6. Don’t Automate What You Don’t Understand
Quick warning: automation is not magic—it’s just obedient.
If you set up a system wrong, it will very efficiently do the wrong thing. Forever. Without complaining.
So test your automations. Double-check your workflows. Make sure your “customer welcome email” doesn’t go to your mother-in-law.
Build it right once, and it pays off for months (or years) to come.
Final Thought: Automate Like a Human Who Wants Their Life Back
Automation isn’t about replacing people—it’s about removing the repetitive stuff that gets in the way of creative, valuable work.
You don’t need to be tech-savvy. You need to be tired of spending 30 minutes on something a bot could do in 3 seconds.
So pick one thing today, just one, that you can automate.
Then go do something that moves your business forward…
...or take a nap. You’ve earned it.