9 things you’re doing every day that can be automated

If you’re feeling the strain of an endless to-do list, it’s time to let technology do some heavy lifting for you. There’s a massive range of web-based tools out there that you can use to automate your processes and boost your productivity. Here are 12 things that you can automate to make the most out of your workday:

Create polished presentations

Studies suggest that over 35 million PowerPoint presentations are given each day. While there are as many options for creating presentations with the software, it can turn into a major time sink. With all that copy/pasting, rewriting and formatting… you are probably wasting your time. MindMeister offers a unique method of creating good-looking, dynamic presentations from your mind maps with just a few clicks. Here’s why you should give it a try:

1. It’s faster. Presenting in 10 minutes? With MindMeister, you’re ready in one. Go from brainstorming your ideas to presenting, all in one place.

2. It’s easier: No realigning, no fiddly edits. Presentations are automatically generated, so you can begin with a single click.

3. It looks better. Mind map themes can be instantly applied to make your presentation look polished and professional. No extra design input required. 

Set up and manage tasks

Managing your tasks manually is a recipe for disaster. It’s impossible to keep an overview, important tasks get forgotten, and everything ends up taking much longer than it should. Task management tools like MeisterTask help you stay on top of your workload and save time via simple but effective automations. 

With your tasks centralized in Kanban-style project boards in MeisterTask, you can apply native automations like Recurring Tasks. Automatically create a task to appear on your board according to your schedule. It could be weekly, monthly, or a custom time frame of your choice. Set up your task to include predefined checklists, assignees, and more. This way, nothing slips through the net.  You can spend less time on repetitive administrative work, and more time on the work that counts.

Get task updates via Slack

Chances are, a lot of your work-based communication is happening via Slack. It’s a great tool for quick conversations with colleagues and clients, as you can align on daily work and get answers fast. But did you know you can also automate parts of your workflow with Slack? For example, you can connect MeisterTask with Slack to receive notifications every time you’re assigned a task or tagged in a comment. You can also choose to receive a daily MeisterTask summary, including upcoming and overdue tasks, via Slack each morning. So, you get a quick overview of the tasks that need your attention while sipping your coffee and planning the day ahead.

Get on top of your inbox

Spending too much time managing emails? Automatically set up your email client to create email templates (aka "Canned Responses" if you’re using Gmail) and customized signatures so you won’t have to write emails from scratch every single time. You can also use MeisterTask to turn these types of emails into tasks and assign tasks to your calendar. Time blocking via task management helps organize your time and keeps your inbox decluttered.

• Improved focus and productivity. Being bombarded with countless emails is distracting, especially if you get a notification every time you receive a new email. Instead, use MeisterTask to organize your emails so that you can improve your focus and productivity.

• Find important emails and communicate transparently. Losing a critical email in a sea of communications makes you late to respond to essential messages. By maintaining an organized inbox, you can promptly reply to emails that matter without delay.

• Reduce stress and improve time management. An overloaded inbox creates stress. Stress creates anxiousness and reduces focus, creating a cascading effect on team productivity. Keep your inbox organized so that you can make the most efficient and effective use of your time.

Maintain a regular social posting schedule

Keeping your brand active on social media is  a full-time job. Tools like Buffer or Hootsuite or even editorial calendars like CoSchedule let you schedule and automate your social media posts well in advance so that you don’t need to sit at your desk every time you need to post something. You can also manage dozens of social media accounts in one place, assign certain accounts to a colleague, or monitor what people say about your brand.

Back up your work

Start scheduling your computer back-ups automatically. This way you will never forget to do it, your data is safe, and you won’t get any interruptions or slowdowns to your daily working routine. Remember to regularly check that your backups are working by restoring some files. This way, you ensure they’re accessible and haven’t been corrupted.

Proofread your documents

Unless you’re a writer yourself, or you’ve already got one hired, editing and proofreading documents can be a hassle, especially if the clock is ticking on that particular project. There are a few apps out there, such as Grammarly, an online platform that corrects grammar mistakes, catches contextual spelling errors and poor vocabulary usage. Simply upload your document onto their site or download a browser extension to make proofreading of any text automatic.

Generate and refine your ideas with AI

There is plenty of discussion around how AI is transforming workplace operations. Companies shouldn’t become overly reliant on AI technology, but these solutions can assist with the planning and iterative phases of project management. Specifically, platforms like ChatGPT help structure outlines for creative briefs that will be shared with teammates. ChatGPT is also a great resource for research purposes, saving invaluable time learning about new subjects, industries, and competitive insights.

Save time with templates

Ok, so it’s not quite an automation – but working with templates will speed up your workflow and save you precious time. Think back on a time when you had to create a new workflow or project management schedule from scratch. Imagine how much faster that process would have been if you had a template as a guiding light? By using pre-built templates, you have an outline from which to base your new project. These are just some benefits that come from working with templates:

•  Help you work more efficiently and effectively

• Establishes a consistent style and a streamlined process

• Saves valuable working time and improves project quality