I used to spend 3-4 hours every day on repetitive tasks. Responding to emails, scheduling social media posts, tracking expenses, backing up files, and managing my calendar felt like a full-time job on top of my actual work. Then I discovered automation, and everything changed.

Today, I’m sharing the exact tools and workflows that have given me back 15+ hours every week. This isn’t theoretical advice – these are the actual systems I use daily, complete with honest pros and cons of each tool.

Why I Built an Automation Stack

Two years ago, I hit a breaking point. I was working 12-hour days but felt like I wasn’t making real progress on anything that mattered. Most of my time disappeared into administrative tasks: copying data between apps, sending follow-up emails, organizing files, and updating spreadsheets.

I realized I had two choices: hire an assistant or automate everything I could. I chose automation, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made. Not only did it save money, but automated systems work 24/7 without breaks, sick days, or training periods.

Before diving into specific tools, here’s my approach to automation:

Automate the boring stuff first. I started with tasks I did most frequently – email responses, file organization, and data entry. These gave me immediate time savings and motivation to continue.

Keep it simple. Complex automations break more often and are harder to maintain. I prefer five simple automations over one complicated workflow that does everything.

Test thoroughly before relying on it. I always run new automations manually for at least a week before trusting them completely. This prevents embarrassing mistakes like sending the wrong email to clients or deleting important files.

Document everything. Six months from now, I won’t remember why I set up an automation a certain way. I keep simple notes about what each automation does and why I built it that way.

The Core Tools in My Stack

1. Zapier – The Central Hub

What it does: Connects different apps and automates workflows between them without coding.

Why I use it: Zapier is the backbone of my automation stack. It has integrations with over 5,000 apps, which means I can connect almost anything to anything else.

My favorite automations:

• When I get a new email with an attachment, Zapier automatically saves it to the right folder in Google Drive and logs the details in a spreadsheet
• Every time I publish a blog post, it automatically shares it across Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook with customized messages for each platform
• When someone fills out my contact form, Zapier creates a new contact in my CRM, sends them a welcome email, and notifies me on Slack

Cost: I’m on the Professional plan at $49/month, which gives me multi-step workflows and unlimited tasks. The free plan is great for starting out but limits you to single-step automations.

Honest drawbacks: Sometimes automations fail without clear error messages. The interface can feel overwhelming at first with so many options. Some app integrations are better than others.

2. IFTTT – For Personal Life Automation

What it does: Creates simple “if this, then that” automations, especially good for smart home and personal productivity.

Why I use it alongside Zapier: IFTTT excels at consumer apps and IoT devices that Zapier doesn’t support as well. It’s also simpler for basic automations.

My favorite automations:

• When I arrive home, my smart lights turn on automatically
• Every article I save in Pocket gets automatically added to a reading list in Notion
• If rain is forecasted, I get a notification the night before so I remember to bring an umbrella
• When I post a new Instagram photo, it’s automatically saved to my Google Photos backup

Cost: Free plan works for most of my needs. Pro plan is $3.33/month if you need faster automation speeds and more advanced features.

Honest drawbacks: Limited to simple, single-step automations. Can’t handle complex workflows. Some app integrations are slow to trigger.

3. TextExpander – Typing Shortcuts

What it does: Expands short abbreviations into full text snippets.

Why I use it: I type the same things dozens of times per day – my email signature, common responses, addresses, meeting links. TextExpander saves me from typing them over and over.

My most-used snippets:

• “@@” expands to my full email address
• “sig” expands to my complete email signature with formatting
• “meet” expands to my calendar scheduling link
• “addr” expands to my full mailing address
• “thanks” expands to a polite email closing paragraph

Cost: $3.33/month for individuals. They also have team plans.

Honest drawbacks: Requires installation on each device. Sometimes expands when you don’t want it to (though you can undo quickly). Not as powerful as automation tools but serves a different purpose.

4. Keyboard Maestro (Mac Only)

What it does: Automates tasks on your Mac computer through keyboard shortcuts, triggers, and macros.

Why I use it: Some tasks can’t be automated through cloud services because they happen on my local computer. Keyboard Maestro fills that gap.

My favorite macros:

• Pressing Ctrl+Cmd+N opens all my morning apps in the right arrangement (email in one window, calendar in another, Slack on a second monitor)
• A macro that resizes and positions screenshots automatically for my blog posts
• Automated text formatting that converts plain text into properly formatted markdown
• A “focus mode” that closes distracting apps and websites with one keyboard shortcut

Cost: One-time purchase of $36. Well worth it.

Honest drawbacks: Mac only. Steep learning curve. Sometimes macros break after system updates. Requires more technical knowledge than cloud automation tools.

5. Hazel – Smart File Organization

What it does: Automatically organizes files on your computer based on rules you set.

Why I use it: My Downloads folder used to be a disaster zone with hundreds of random files. Hazel keeps everything organized without me thinking about it.

My favorite rules:

• PDFs with “invoice” in the name automatically move to my Invoices folder and get renamed with the date
• Screenshots older than 30 days get automatically deleted
• Documents that haven’t been opened in 6 months get archived to external storage
• Video files automatically move to my Media folder and get tagged by date

Cost: $42 one-time purchase.

Honest drawbacks: Mac only. Can’t automate files in cloud storage (only local files). Rules can conflict if you’re not careful.

6. Calendly – Meeting Scheduling

What it does: Lets people book meetings with you without the back-and-forth email chains.

Why I use it: Scheduling meetings used to take 5-7 emails on average. Now it takes zero emails – I just send my Calendly link.

How I’ve configured it:

• Different meeting types (15-minute calls, 30-minute consultations, 60-minute deep dives)
• Buffer time before and after meetings so I’m not back-to-back all day
• Automatic Zoom links generated for each meeting
• Confirmation emails and reminder emails sent automatically
• Integration with my Google Calendar to prevent double-booking

Cost: Free plan covers basic needs. I use the Essentials plan at $10/month for multiple event types and integrations.

Honest drawbacks: Some people find it impersonal. Doesn’t work well for group meetings with multiple attendees. Requires you to keep your calendar updated.

7. Notion – Database and Workflow Management

What it does: All-in-one workspace for notes, databases, tasks, and wikis.

Why I use it: Notion is where all my automated data flows into. It’s my single source of truth for everything.

How automation fits in:

• Zapier automatically creates new database entries from various sources
• Templates that auto-populate with today’s date and predefined fields
• Recurring tasks that automatically recreate themselves when completed
• Database relations that automatically link related information

Cost: Personal Pro plan is $5/month. The free plan works for basic use.

Honest drawbacks: Can become overwhelming with too many features. Mobile app is slower than desktop. Learning curve to use effectively.

8. Mailchimp – Email Marketing Automation

What it does: Sends automated email sequences and newsletters.

Why I use it: I wanted to stay in touch with readers without manually sending individual emails.

My automations:

• Welcome series that sends 5 emails over 2 weeks to new subscribers
• Abandoned cart emails for my digital products (converted 12% of abandoned carts)
• Birthday emails with a special discount code
• Re-engagement campaigns for subscribers who haven’t opened emails in 90 days

Cost: Free up to 500 contacts. I’m on the Essentials plan at $13/month for 1,000 contacts.

Honest drawbacks: More expensive as your list grows. Reporting can be confusing. Some features are locked behind higher tiers.

9. LastPass – Password Management

What it does: Stores and auto-fills passwords securely.

Why I use it: Not having to remember or type passwords saves time and improves security. It also auto-generates strong passwords.

Time saved: About 30 minutes per week from not searching for passwords, resetting forgotten ones, or typing them manually.

Cost: Free plan is solid. Premium is $3/month for advanced features.

Honest drawbacks: You’re trusting one company with all your passwords. Sometimes doesn’t recognize login forms on unusual websites.

10. Grammarly – Writing Assistant

What it does: Automatically checks grammar, spelling, and writing style as you type.

Why I use it: Proofreading takes time, and I still miss mistakes. Grammarly catches them in real-time.

Where it helps most:

• Email replies (prevents embarrassing typos before sending)
• Blog post drafts (catches repetitive words and unclear sentences)
• Social media posts (ensures professional tone)

Cost: Free version catches basic mistakes. Premium is $12/month for advanced suggestions.

Honest drawbacks: Can be overly aggressive with suggestions. Premium is expensive for what you get. Doesn’t understand context perfectly.

Specialized Automations by Category

Email Management

I receive 50-100 emails per day. Without automation, I’d spend hours managing my inbox.

SaneBox: Automatically filters unimportant emails into folders I can review later. It learns which emails are important to me over time. Saves me about 45 minutes daily. Costs $7/month.

Email filters and rules: I’ve set up 23 Gmail filters that automatically label, archive, or forward emails based on sender or content. For example, newsletters automatically skip the inbox and go to a “Read Later” folder.

Unroll.Me: Unsubscribes me from unwanted mailing lists and rolls up subscriptions I want into one daily digest. Free to use.

Social Media Management

Posting consistently on social media used to take an hour every day. Now it’s automated.

Buffer: I schedule social media posts in batches once per week. Buffer automatically posts them at optimal times. Costs $6/month for 2,000 scheduled posts.

Content recycling: Zapier automatically reshares my evergreen blog posts on social media every 3 months, ensuring my best content gets seen by new followers.

Engagement monitoring: I use IFTTT to get notified when specific keywords are mentioned on Twitter, so I can join conversations without constantly monitoring.

Financial Management

YNAB (You Need A Budget): Automatically imports transactions from my bank accounts and categorizes them. I review once per week instead of daily. Costs $99/year.

Receipt tracking: I forward receipt emails to a specific address, and Zapier automatically adds them to a spreadsheet and saves attachments to Dropbox. This makes tax time much easier.

Invoice reminders: Zapier sends automatic reminders when invoices are overdue, without me having to track payment dates manually.

Backup and File Management

Backblaze: Automatically backs up my entire computer to the cloud continuously. I never think about backups, but my data is always safe. Costs $7/month.

Google Drive sync: Critical work folders automatically sync to Google Drive, so I can access files from anywhere and they’re backed up redundantly.

Dropbox automation: Screenshots automatically save to Dropbox and create a shareable link that copies to my clipboard – perfect for quickly sharing images.

How I Built This Stack Over Time

I didn’t implement everything at once. That would have been overwhelming and probably would have led me to give up.

Month 1: Started with Zapier and created three simple automations for my most repetitive tasks. Saved about 2 hours per week.

Month 2: Added TextExpander for common typing. Noticed immediate benefits in email responses.

Month 3: Implemented Calendly to eliminate scheduling back-and-forth. This was a game-changer for my sanity.

Months 4-6: Gradually added IFTTT for personal automations, Hazel for file organization, and email management tools.

Months 7-12: Refined existing automations, added more complex workflows, and experimented with new tools.

Year 2: Added specialized tools for social media, finance, and content management. Started connecting tools together for more powerful workflows.

The key lesson: Start small with immediate pain points, then build from there.

Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t Have To)

Over-automation: I initially tried to automate everything, including things that took 30 seconds manually. Some tasks aren’t worth automating. I’ve since disabled about 15 automations that created more complexity than value.

No documentation: I created 20+ Zapier workflows without documenting what they did. Six months later, I had no idea what some of them were for and was afraid to turn them off. Now I document everything.

Ignoring errors: Early on, I didn’t set up proper error notifications. I had automations failing silently for weeks before I noticed. Now all critical automations send me alerts when they fail.

Too many tools: At one point, I was paying for 8 different automation tools that overlapped significantly. I consolidated to 4 core tools and use free options for everything else.

Set-it-and-forget-it mentality: Automations break when apps update, APIs change, or companies shut down features. I now review all automations quarterly to ensure they’re still working correctly.

The Real Results

After two years of building and refining my automation stack, here’s what’s changed:

Time saved: 15-20 hours per week (I tracked this for two months to get accurate numbers)

Fewer errors: Automated systems don’t forget steps or make typos

Reduced stress: No more nagging feeling that I’m forgetting something important

Better consistency: My content goes out on schedule, bills get paid on time, and follow-ups happen automatically

Monthly cost: About $120/month for all paid tools combined

ROI: If I value my time at $50/hour, I save $3,000-4,000 worth of time monthly for a $120 investment – a 25-33x return

Is Automation Right for You?

Automation isn’t for everyone. Here’s when it makes sense:

You should automate if:

• You do the same tasks repeatedly (daily or weekly)
• You spend more than 5 hours per week on administrative work
• You’re willing to invest 1-2 months setting up systems
• You’re comfortable with technology and learning new tools
• You have tasks that follow clear, predictable rules

You might not need automation if:

• Your tasks vary significantly each time
• You enjoy the manual work (some people find it meditative)
• You have an assistant who handles these tasks well
• Your workflows change constantly and automations would break frequently

Getting Started with Your Own Stack

If you’re convinced automation could help you, here’s where to start:

Step 1: Track your time for one week. Use a simple spreadsheet to record every task you do and how long it takes. Look for patterns and repetitive work.

Step 2: Identify your top three time-wasters. Focus on tasks that are frequent, time-consuming, and follow predictable patterns.

Step 3: Start with one tool. I recommend Zapier or IFTTT depending on whether you need business or personal automations. Sign up for the free plan.

Step 4: Create your first automation. Pick the simplest of your three time-wasters and automate just that one thing. Get it working perfectly before moving on.

Step 5: Monitor and adjust. Check your automation daily for the first week to catch any issues early.

Step 6: Gradually expand. Add one new automation every two weeks. This pace prevents overwhelm and lets you master each tool.

My Current Automation Wishlist

Even with everything I’ve automated, there are still things I wish I could automate but can’t (yet):

• Automatically screening phone calls and summarizing voicemails in text
• Smart email prioritization that actually understands urgency and importance
• Automatic meeting notes that capture action items and decisions
• Content creation assistance that maintains my personal writing voice
• Intelligent calendar management that suggests better meeting times based on my energy levels

Some of these are becoming possible with AI advancements, and I’m watching that space closely.

Final Thoughts

Building an automation stack has genuinely changed my life. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s given me back 15+ hours every week. That’s time I now spend on creative work, strategic thinking, learning new skills, and honestly, just relaxing.

The best part isn’t just the time savings – it’s the mental freedom. I don’t lie awake at night wondering if I forgot to send an important email or back up a critical file. The systems handle it, every single time, without fail.

If you’re drowning in repetitive tasks, I encourage you to start small with just one automation. You don’t need to build a comprehensive stack overnight. Start with whatever wastes the most time in your day, automate that one thing, and build from there.

Your future self will thank you.

What’s your biggest time-waster that you wish you could automate? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to help you figure out a solution.