Anything you do repetitively on a computer can be automated. Not everything should be automated, but there are plenty of low
For small business owners, administrative activities take away time you could be using to make more money. Copying and pasting from one application to another. Updating notes in multiple systems. Pulling notes from emails and project management tools into reports.
Stop doing these things!
Anything you do repetitively on a computer can be automated. Not everything should be automated, but there are plenty of low hanging fruits that can increase your productivity 10x. And you don’t even need to be a coding expert to build these automations!
Now that we’ve made this incredible claim, let us show you exactly how it’s done. Ever heard of tools like Zapier, Make, Shortcuts (iOS) or Automator (macOS)? The first three can be used on any computer or phone, the last two you’ll need Apple specific products. These tools let you build automations without coding knowledge (although you can definitely use it if you know it).
But that’s not the best part. You don’t need to build any automations with these platforms in the first place. They have libraries full of common automations that other people have built and tested. You just have to copy them and put in your own details (like login info). Zapier has pre-built automations like:
- Adding Facebook Ads Leads directly to Mailchimp subscriber lists
- Copying Stripe or Shopify transactions into Xero, Quickbooks, or FreshBooks
- Create Google Calendar events from new Trello cards (great for time boxing your to-do lists)
- Email summaries of new lines added to Google Sheets over the past day
- Automatically share content across platforms. For example, post a blog post on WordPress and have it shared to LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and more.
These are automations that will save you hours per week. That adds up to weeks of work over a year. Imagine what you can accomplish now that you’re not doing administrative tasks. And they’re so easy to implement!
But what if these pre-built workflows don’t quite cut it? You can build your own automations! Each of these platforms lets you choose which app you’d like to have trigger the automation, and the action that is taken once the trigger takes place. The learning curve is nearly non-existent and the time invested gives you multiples on what you put in.
Take advantage of these platforms and don’t be afraid to just jump in and build things.
