Beginning the Process of Automation

As an entrepreneur and business owner, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. While there will always be plenty of work to do, it’s more important that you spend your time focusing on the right tasks and using the benefits of automation to simplify the rest. In order to figure out which tasks are which, you’ll need a process to identify them. Sometimes you may need to slow down to speed up later, but beginning the process of automation can really help your peace of mind, your workload, and your overall business. In this post, we’ll discuss what is automation, how to decide which tasks to automate, and how to begin setting up that automation.

Defining Automation:

Automation is about using technology to complete certain tasks automatically. These tasks are by necessity repeatable, follow specific steps or guidelines, but tend to take a significant amount of time to reproduce manually. If one or all of these elements are missing, chances are that it’s not a good task for automating, at least not yet. There may be ways to simplify the process or to outsource the task, but it’s a good idea to first understand what those tasks are, what they entail, and how much time they take to complete. Create a list of all your regular tasks and then add the details so that you can determine which of these tasks should be automated.

Play to Your Strengths:

Now that you have a list of all your regular tasks, you have to decide which of these tasks you prefer to handle and which you can see delegating elsewhere. Feel free to keep the tasks that add real value to your business or that you are passionate about completing yourself. Note that just because you can complete the task on your own, doesn’t mean you should. Be honest about those tasks that are adding real value to your business and seek advice to get an outside perspective. If a task is taking up too much of your valuable time, you have no interest in completing this task on a regular basis, or if there is a way to simplify the process so that you can focus on other projects, then you will want to consider automating these tasks. Some basic tasks that every business owner should consider automating are setting up email and calendar rules, creating content classification systems so that you always know where to look for your information, and setting up automated social media feeds. Each of these requires a different technology, and it’s important that you find the solution that’s right for you.

Setting Up Automation:

Once you have an idea of which tasks you want to automate, you’ll want to begin implementing some changes. This may require expert assistance to determine the best solution for you and your business. There are so many technological solutions out there that can simplify your task list, but determining the right technology will really depend on the task that you’re trying to complete.

Given that automation is about simplifying tasks, it may seem counterintuitive to spend time on deciding what to automate. However, you’ll find that once you’ve been able to put some of these tasks on auto-pilot, you will have a greater opportunity to improve the quality of your business.

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