Make Automation a Habit: Small Steps That Save Huge Time
Automation isn’t about building complex stuff or writing code—it’s about noticing the small, repeatable things that quietly eat up your time and deciding to fix them once instead of forever. When you make automation a habit, the savings compound fast. The goal isn’t a perfect system or a magic “set it and forget it” switch; it’s building awareness, capturing simple processes, and turning them into small, steady wins that free up your focus for better work.
Why the automation mindset matters
Getting in the habit of automating (or at least keeping automation in mind) compounds savings over time. The trick isn’t finding a mythical one-button solution — it’s noticing repetition, writing down the process, and chipping away at it.
“Getting in the habit of automating or at least having automation in your mind is a great way to save a ton of time and energy over time.”
We live in an era where “AI” and tools can help a lot, but there’s no universal “make everything automated” switch yet. What helps more is a steady habit of looking for repeatable tasks and thinking, “Can this be improved, templated, partially automated, or handed off?”
Start by noticing and documenting recurring work
If you don’t look for automation opportunities, you’ll miss them entirely. Make it part of a regular review — weekly, monthly, or quarterly — and ask: am I doing this repeatedly?
When you find something, capture a basic process. Don’t worry about being perfect. I often start with a rough note in Rome Research or wherever I’m keeping process notes.
- Be specific about each step. Example: “Create new Google Doc → add heading → add subheading with date → insert sections A/B/C.”
- Note where files should live and any naming conventions.
- Decide what the desired end result looks like.
That simple act of documenting turns vague repetition into something you can actually automate or hand off.
The meeting-document example: small task, big payoff
Here’s a concrete example from my work: I used the same meeting template for seven years. Creating that doc took a minute or two each week. It felt small, but over months and years it added up.
Once I automated it with Zapier, that tiny weekly task disappeared from my routine and ran quietly in the background. I could have used many tools — Zapier was just what I picked at the time.
Start simple — match the tool to your background
If you’re a developer, go deeper with code and more complex integrations. If you’re not, start with straightforward tools and small automations.
Consider LLMs for templating text or generating drafts, but pair them with simple process rules you’ve written down.
Don’t try to automate the hardest, messiest tasks first.
Use basic automators (Zapier, Make, or similar) for triggers like new calendar events, new rows in a spreadsheet, or template creation.
Delegate where it makes sense — aim for partial automation
Automation doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. One good pattern: automate the 80% and delegate the 20% that needs human judgment.
- Create a template or pre-filled draft with automation.
- Have someone — a VA, teammate, or contractor — finish the last mile (quality check, minor edits, personalization).
- Document the process and the expected end result so delegation is smooth.
This hybrid approach gets work off your plate quickly while still keeping quality high.
Practical checklist: how to turn repetition into automation
- Notice repetition during your weekly or monthly review.
- Write a simple step-by-step process where you currently have none.
- Decide the minimum viable automation (script, Zap, template, LLM prompt).
- Choose a tool that fits your skill level.
- Automate the easy part; delegate or keep the small manual step if needed.
- Iterate: improve the automation as you learn.
Keep it habitual—make automation part of your rhythm
The biggest win is consistency. Add automation checks to a recurring review, and make documenting processes a habit. Start small, build skills, and expand gradually.
Over time, those tiny improvements add up to big savings in time and energy. That’s the payoff I care about — quiet, steady returns that free up attention for the work that actually needs you.
Parting thought
Don’t wait for perfect tools. Start with a mindset shift: notice, document, automate a little, delegate a little. That’s what actually moves the needle.
If you want a simple place to start today: pick one repeatable task you spend under five minutes on regularly. Write the steps down. Automate the first obvious part. See how much time you reclaim in a month.
