Stop Doing the Same Thing Twice
You wake up. Open your email. Copy a few things into a spreadsheet. Send a confirmation message to a client. Remind yourself to follow up later. Post something on social media. Check a form someone filled out overnight.
Sound familiar? Now imagine someone else doing all of that for you — quietly, in the background, while you sleep.
That's what automations do.
So, what exactly is an automation?
An automation is simply a set of instructions that a computer follows automatically — so you don't have to do it by hand, every single time.
You don't need to be a developer or know a single line of code. Think of it this way:
"When this happens… do that."
That's the whole idea. You teach the system once, and it keeps doing the job — every time, without forgetting, without complaining, without needing a lunch break.
When a new customer fills out your contact form → they get a welcome email automatically.
When someone pays an invoice → it's marked as paid in your spreadsheet automatically.
When you get a new follower → their info is saved to your database automatically.
Every "when this → do that" is an automation.
Real-life examples (that aren't scary)
🛍️ Online store owner New order comes in → the customer gets a confirmation email, your inventory updates, and you get a notification — all at once.
📅 Freelancer or consultant A client books a meeting → they get a reminder the day before, and your calendar blocks off the time automatically.
🏢 Small business owner A new lead fills out a form → it goes into your CRM, your team is notified on Slack, and a follow-up email is sent within the hour.
📲 Content creator You publish a blog post → it's automatically shared to Twitter, LinkedIn, and added to your newsletter draft.
What your week looks like — before and after
Without automations:
Copying data between apps by hand
Manually sending follow-up emails
Forgetting to update the spreadsheet
Repeating the same task every single day
Working late just to catch up on admin
With automations:
Data flows between apps instantly
Follow-ups go out at the right time, every time
Everything stays updated automatically
Tasks run in the background while you focus elsewhere
You spend your time on what actually moves the needle
Why this matters more than ever
Time is the one thing you can never get back. Every hour you spend on repetitive tasks is an hour you're not spending on growing your business, serving your clients better, or just living your life.
And here's the good news: automations aren't just for big companies with IT departments anymore. Tools like Zapier, Make, and n8n let anyone — a solo freelancer, a small team, a family business — set up powerful automations without writing a single line of code.
The businesses that grow fastest aren't the ones working the most hours. They're the ones who've figured out what not to do themselves.
How do you get started?
1. Spot your repetitive tasks Write down the 3–5 things you do the same way every week. Copy-paste tasks, manual emails, status updates — those are your targets.
2. Pick one to automate first Start small. One automation done well is worth more than ten half-finished ones.
3. Choose the right tool For most people, Zapier or Make is the easiest starting point. No code, tons of templates, and they connect to almost every app you already use.
4. Test it, then let it run Set it up, test it a couple of times, then forget about it. That's the whole point.
You don't need to automate everything at once. One well-placed automation can save you 2–3 hours a week — and that adds up to over 100 hours a year.
That's more than two full work weeks handed back to you.
Every week on kennethchevez.com we break down simple automations you can set up today — for your business, your workflow, and your life. Stay tuned.