Automation is making a lot of things easier for people these days; it frees time, reduces errors, and lets you do what’s important. They are not that difficult to do on a day-to-day basis, but they take a good amount of time when you have to do them together. While most people think this needs to be taken care of through programming, that is not the case at all. The good news is you can lighten this burden without even learning any coding skills.
With the guide that we have mentioned below, anyone can automate tasks without coding and can set up workflows to handle repetitive tasks in the background.
Why Automation is Important
Before we dive into how to automate daily tasks, we need to understand why it is important-
Saves time- Automation saves you a lot of time as it takes care of repetitive tasks.
Reduces mistakes- Human error is a common thing, while automation is error-free.
Stay organized- Important files don’t get lost.
Focus on meaningful work- Since the entire process is taken care of using tools, meaningful work can be done in one’s spare time.
Whether or not you know how to automate daily tasks, you can do it easily with a few simple tricks.
Common Daily Tasks You Can Automate
Automation is a straightforward process; ensure you start with tasks that are repetitive. Here are some activities that you can easily automate.
Email management- With automation, automatically labelling, sorting, and moving emails is easier than doing it manually.
Calendar scheduling- You can easily send reminders and confirmations without even lifting a finger.
File organization- Automation can easily save attachments straight into cloud folders.
Reminders and follow-ups- You get notified when something is overdue.
Form responses- Maintains a spreadsheet and logs answers into it separately.
Once you set up all this, your work will become easier.
Tools That Make Automation Easy
The good news? You don’t have to have a developer’s toolkit, as ample of everyday automation tools are designed for non-technical users.
Zapier- Zapier can be used to connect thousands of apps, including Gmail, Slack, Google Drive, and Trello.
IFTTT- It is a good option for social media posts or controlling smart devices.
Microsoft Power Automate- This tool is a good option for offices or businesses running on Microsoft 365.
Google Workspace Automations- This lets you automate tasks directly. You can automate within Docs, Sheets, or Drive.
Task Automation Apps- Apps that keep your workflow smooth, like Todoist, Trello, and more, can be integrated with other tools.
Considering a business that handles client interfaces, these conversational AI platforms like Amelia are increasingly becoming popular. They offer large-scale automation, including inquiry handling and bookings. If you want to make your subscription more economical, platforms like CouponzGuru provide special offers and promo codes that can help you save on your purchase.
Step-by-Step Example: Automating Email Attachments
Here is a practical example that you can try on your own.
Trigger- You get a new email with a word invoice in the subject.
Action 1- The email is automatically moved to the Google Drive folder.
Action 2- The file is saved with the date and the name of the sender.
Action 3- A few details, like amount and vendor, are also added to the notes.
Notification- Your action is confirmed when you get a quick Slack or email notification.
Result- It saves you time and prevents important documents from getting lost.
Tips to Make Your Automations Work Smoothly
Here are a few tips that you can follow to make your creative automations work smoothly and efficiently.
Start slow, don’t overwhelm yourself. Automate with just one or two workflows.
Use templates- Use the pre-made templates to customize
Add filters- Use filters to avoid unwanted conditions.
Test carefully- Before automating fully, run a few trials before trusting the whole process.
Keep access limited- Don’t give permissions to every tool and see what they actually need.
Review occasionally- Keep checking for automation breaks and app updates.
Also, make sure to maintain the automation to run it more effectively and efficiently.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While automation can be done without any coding skills, there are a few common mistakes that one needs to avoid.
We have listed them below-
Automating everything- Make sure to set a priority level and automate those tasks first.
Not testing the flow- If you don’t test the flow thoroughly, it can lead to wrong messages or even missing files.
Forgetting to update- Your setups need to be reviewed regularly because apps keep updating.
Skipping documentation- Don’t forget to note down what each documentation does.
Follow these steps if you want your automation to be reliable.
Advanced Automation Ideas
If you want, you can experiment with more advanced workflows-
Chained automations- In this, one task triggers another and makes it easier for everyone.
Dashboards- Gather data from automations and slot them into Google Sheets or Airtable for fast insights.
AI-powered help- To generate quick replies, some tools use Artificial Intelligence.
Team workflows- Tasks can be assigned to teammates based on inputs.
These don’t require any coding skills, but you have to be willing to experiment.
Final Thoughts
To ease living, you need no coding or tech skills. Nowadays, basic workflow automation lets you build strong systems using drag-and-drop tools. Start small, keep it simple, learn, and grow.
Remember, automation is not to substitute anything you do but to alleviate the clutter so you can concentrate on the things that really matter. Once you realize how much time you can save, you will wonder why you didn’t start sooner.