Automating Repetitive Tasks
Learn how to identify tasks worth automating and use beginner-friendly tools to reclaim your time.
📘 Reading Lesson
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
Real-World Scenario
Every Monday morning at TOR Tech, you sit down and manually send the same status update email to 6 clients — copying names, updating dates, and hitting send one by one. It takes 45 minutes. Your manager notices and says: "There has to be a better way." There is.
What to Automate — and What to Leave to a Human
Task automation means setting up a system to handle a repetitive action so you do not have to do it manually each time. The key skill is knowing which tasks are worth automating.
- Zapier — connects apps and automates workflows without code (e.g., when a form is submitted, automatically add a row in a spreadsheet and send a notification email)
- Make (formerly Integromat) — similar to Zapier but with more advanced logic for complex multi-step automations
- Google Apps Script — free scripting tool built into Google Workspace; great for automating repetitive Sheets or Gmail tasks with basic code
- Email filters and rules — automatically sort, label, forward, or archive incoming emails based on sender or keywords
- Calendar automation — set recurring events, automatic reminders, and meeting buffers so routine scheduling runs itself
- Tasks worth automating: weekly status emails, meeting reminders, form-to-spreadsheet data entry, and file organization
- Tasks that still need a human: anything requiring judgment, sensitive client communication, or decisions that depend on context
AI Assist
💡 AI Task: Ask ChatGPT — "I manually send a weekly status update email to 6 clients every Monday. How could I automate this using free tools?" Review the suggestions and note which tool seems most beginner-friendly for your situation.
Knowledge Check
Which of the following tasks is the best candidate for automation?
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Identify 3 repetitive tasks that exist in your current job, internship, or a realistic future office role. For each task, describe: what the task is, how often it happens, how you could automate or semi-automate it, and which tool you would use to do it.