A simple method to automate work

Work is becoming more complex by the day. There are multiple software tools you have to use, more people you have to communicate with, and higher expectations.

If you're not prepared for everything that entails then you can quickly fall behind. There's one thing you can do that'll have an outsized impact on your ability to get work done - automate.

While it can be difficult to start the automation process, it's well worth it in the long run. This guide will give you a primer on how to get started.

Find your time consuming or repetitive tasks

As with any role, there are certain tasks that consume more time or that are repetitive. For example, data entry is both time consuming and repetitive. The worst part is that it's error-prone.

Spend a week auditing what you spend time on. Take note of all the processes that you spend more than one hour a day on. Those are the biggest areas for potential automation.

If you don’t have any processes that take longer than one hour, focus on the ones that have the most accumulated time over the course of the week.

Once you have the biggest areas for automation, think about whether or not those are the tasks that take advantage of your skills. If they are, there may be limited opportunities for automation. If they’re not, add them to your automation shortlist. These are the things you’ll want to tackle first and most aggressively because it’s usually administrative work.

Break them down into component parts

More often than not, the tasks you perform on a daily basis or that consume a lot of time have multiple parts. For example, if you want to sign a document electronically, you need to use a signature creator, upload your document, edit your document, add recipients, send the document to those recipients for signing, and follow up to make sure they sign.

There are multiple tasks there but you may only list them as getting documents signed. For the time-consuming tasks you identified, are there multiple tasks that make it up, or is it just one long activity? If it’s the former then list out the individual tasks.

Listing out the tasks that make up a larger chunk of work makes it possible for you to find opportunities for optimization.

Search for automation tools

Not every part of larger tasks can be automated but many pieces can be – thus saving you a lot of time. For example, it may be possible to automate the process of compiling data from one place to another using connector apps like Zapier. From there, you can use another app to pull the data and create reports.

When looking for automation tools, it may be helpful to do it in two phases. Look for tools that will automate the entire task or process for you. These can create the most time savings but it’s not always possible to do things that way.

If the search for complete automation fails, look for tools that can automate portions of a process. For example, a tool may be able to automate sending out emails in bulk for you but fail when it comes to replying to those emails.

Even if complete automation is possible, I recommend taking it slow.

Automate the steps individually

This is especially important if it’s your first time trying to automate a complex process. There are bound to be mistakes and if the task is important then you may create more problems than you solve.

Instead of setting up everything at once, automate each component of the process one at a time. Start with the most time-consuming and automate it. How much time does that save you? How does that impact your ability to perform? Does it fundamentally change the way you work?

If you don’t notice any or only notice a few negative side effects, automate the next step. Repeat this sequence until you’ve automated your entire process.

Conclusion

In the modern workplace, automation is no longer optional – it’s necessary for the average worker to remain engaged and keep their sanity. With that being said, it’s something that needs to be carefully considered and implemented. Take as much time as you need so you can get it right the first time.