Did you know that we now spend an average of nearly two-and-a-half hours a day on email as a part of our work? This is a whopping figure and it also means people are spending more time in their inboxes than ever before. And while this digital communication is often beneficial to businesses, it can also be a distraction from other tasks that are more productive.

To help combat this problem, many business owners choose to automate certain processes to save time, reduce stress, and increase efficiency. If you feel like your workday could use some streamlining, read on for tips about how you can automate processes in your business. These small changes will have a big impact on the productivity of your team and your own effectiveness as a leader.

Batch Process Emails

When we send or receive a ton of emails in a day, it’s not only frustrating but it also leads to poor decision-making. That’s because the more emails we process, the more our attention is divided and the less effective we become. When we process one email after the next, it’s impossible to stay on track with our work — and our productivity suffers as a result. To optimize your time and improve your productivity, try to batch process emails during the day. This means grouping emails together so you can take care of them at one time rather than processing one after the other.

For example, if you know you have a lot of emails coming in throughout the day, create a separate folder and move those emails into it as soon as you receive them. Then, batch process emails at a certain time during the day, such as during business hours when your inbox won’t be as full. This allows you to spend less time on email without missing out on important communications.

Time Blocking Your Calendar

Time blocking is another great way to automate your work and save time. This is an effective way to manage your day and prioritize tasks by organizing them into one-hour blocks of time. This technique can improve your focus, productivity, and efficiency. It can also help you finish important tasks more quickly, which means you’ll have more time for other projects. The best way to start time blocking is to map out your day and create a to-do list. You can do this with pen and paper or by using a tool like a productivity app. 

When mapping out your day, start with your most important, most challenging tasks. These are the ones that will move your business forward, so they should be high priority. Once you have your to-do list, organize your tasks into one-hour blocks of time and schedule each block in your calendar. This will help you stay focused and keep your energy levels high. Remember to schedule a break time to rest, stretch and walk away from your work for a few minutes. Studies show that getting out in nature even for just a few minutes can help reset your focus and raise your productivity.

Automate Repetitive Tasks

Let’s face it: not all tasks are created equal. Some will come up more often than others, which means they require more of your attention. A great way to automate repetitive tasks and free up time for more important ones is to use a tool like IFTTT (If This Then That). This program allows you to connect services that you use on a regular basis, like Google Assistant or Gmail, and create ‘recipes’. These recipes are triggered by a specific action, such as receiving an email in your inbox or a specific date and time.

Using IFTTT recipes allows you to automate certain actions and save time and energy. For example, you can use IFTTT to automate a task like sending a weekly newsletter. To do this, you would set up a recipe to send the newsletter using a blogging or content-creation platform, such as WordPress or Squarespace. You’d then select the date and time you want the newsletter to be sent.

Add Collaboration Tools

Finally, you can improve your workflow and increase the productivity of your team by adding tools that facilitate collaboration. These tools can be used to communicate with clients, manage projects, and break tasks down into smaller pieces. When you use collaboration tools, your team members can work together in real-time, which increases efficiency and eliminates miscommunication.

These tools can be used in almost every business function, from marketing to customer support. As you automate your work and put systems in place to streamline your business, you’ll free up more time for the important things in your life. Your team will be more efficient, you’ll get more done in less time, and you’ll have the space you need for your priorities.

Tools I love to use daily:

• Asana for project management and drilling down complex tasks into actionable steps with date deadlines.
• Slack for team communication. Make your channels specific to each area of your business.
• Ontraport (affiliate link) for email marketing, landing page, checkout pages, and membership portals. I’m a little biased being an Ontraport Certified Expert. It’s literally a tool I’ve got my hands in every single day for myself and clients.
• Writesonic (affiliate link) writer AI to help write blog posts, sales pages, and other text. Would you be shocked to learn that the bulk of this article was written by AI? I love it as a jump starting place. Their system is easy to use and with just a few clicks, I’ve got a great start that I just need to polish.
• Artful Agenda calendar tool. I love a pretty planner and I’m a sticker hoarder. This online calendar app gives me the best of both worlds – it syncs with my Google Calendar (and other calendars if you use something different), pulls it into a beautiful digital planner and allows me to draft my priorities as a check mark to-do list for each day. It will sync both desktop use and phone app, too. Check it out and use referral code RJ543813 to unlock a secret planner cover!
• Bonjoro (affiliate link) video creator. This handy little tool lets you send a personalized video with a call to action to a buyer or subscriber. It integrates with most CRM systems, including Ontraport. This is a great way to make a big impression with new buyers in your world.
• SocialBee (affiliate link) for social media scheduling and analyzing. The SocialBee platform is easy to use, schedule, and repurpose your social media content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Google My Business. I found it after looking for an alternative to MeetEdgar, which I loved but needed a more affordable solution.

Summing up

So, if you’re feeling like your inbox is taking over your day, it’s time to start implementing these tips. The first step is to batch process emails so you can take care of them all at once. Next, use time blocking to organize your day and focus on one task at a time. And finally, automate repetitive tasks and add collaboration tools to improve your workflow. With these small tweaks, you can save time, increase efficiency, and get more done in your business.