How to Automate Repetitive Tasks

Repetitive tasks are everywhere. Copy this data into that spreadsheet. Send the same follow-up email again. Update the status field nobody looks at. The work isn’t hard. It’s just expensive in a way that’s easy to ignore until you actually add it up.

McKinsey research puts it plainly: over 40% of workers spend more than a quarter of their workday on tasks that could be automated. Zapier found that 94% of companies regularly perform repetitive work they haven’t gotten around to automating. That’s nearly every company. Doing manual work that a system could handle instead.

This guide is for closing that gap. We’ll walk through how to identify which tasks are worth automating, a practical process for getting started, and a detailed look at the tools that handle different kinds of automation. Skip to whatever section applies to you. If you’ve never set up an automation before, the identification and process sections are worth five minutes of your time before you jump to tools.

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What is task automation?

Task automation is using software to handle actions that would otherwise require a person to do them manually. The scope ranges from tiny (an abbreviation expands into a full email) to large (a multi-step workflow that touches six apps automatically after a form submission). The underlying logic is always the same: define a trigger, define what should happen next, and let the system run it.

The categories that come up most often:

Text automation: Short abbreviations expand into full phrases, templates, or formatted blocks. Works in every app, no switching required.

Workflow automation: An event in App A automatically triggers an action in App B. A new form submission creates a CRM record, a Slack message fires when a deal closes.

Process automation: Multi-step business processes with defined stages, rules, and handoffs: onboarding workflows, approval chains, procurement requests.

Robotic process automation (RPA): Software that mimics human clicks and keystrokes in desktop apps. The go-to approach for legacy software without an API.

AI-assisted automation: Using language models to generate content or make judgment calls inside a workflow.

Most practical automation stacks use more than one of these. Text expansion and workflow automation play well together; RPA and process tools often sit side by side in enterprise environments.

Which tasks should you automate?

Not every task worth simplifying is worth automating. Setup takes time. If you only do a task twice a month, the setup cost might never pay off. Before you build anything, run it through three questions.

Is it rule-based? Does the task follow the same pattern every time, or does it require judgment that changes by situation? If it’s predictable enough to write as a rule (“when X happens, do Y”), it’s a good candidate. If it’s full of “it depends,” probably not.

Is it high-volume? How often do you, or someone on your team, actually do this? Higher frequency means faster ROI on setup time.

Is it decomposable? Can you break it into a clear sequence of steps? “Develop our marketing strategy” can’t be automated. “Send a follow-up email two days after a demo call” can.

Three out of three? Automate it. Two out of three? A template or checklist gets you most of the way there with less overhead.

Tasks most teams automate first

Email responses and follow-ups

Data entry between systems

Report generation and formatting

Status update notifications

File organization and naming

Meeting notes distribution

Customer onboarding sequences

Invoice and billing reminders

For one of the most common pain points specifically, see our guide to how to automate data entry.

How to automate repetitive tasks: A step-by-step process

Automation projects fail in a predictable pattern: teams pick a tool before they understand what they’re automating or why, end up with something half-working, and quietly stop using it. Here’s the process that skips that failure mode.

Step 1: Audit your time first

Before touching any software, track where your time actually goes for a week. Write down every task that feels mechanical, the ones you do on autopilot. Add rough time estimates. Most people underestimate how much scattered repetitive tasks consume. The tasks that feel small (formatting a report, routing a ticket, sending a status update) often add up to hours per week once you tally them.

Step 2: Score by impact and effort

Not every automatable task should be your first project. Use a simple grid:

| Low effort to automate | High effort to automate
High time savings | Start here | Plan for later
Low time savings | Optional | Skip

Pick one high-impact, low-effort task as your first automation. Email templates, text expansion, or a simple two-app connection are all good first moves. Don’t start with the complicated one.

Step 3: Map it in plain language before you build

Write out the trigger, the steps, and the end state in plain sentences before you open any tool. “When [X happens], do [Y], then [Z].” If you can’t write it that simply, the automation isn’t ready to build yet. There’s probably a judgment call buried in there that needs resolving first.

Step 4: Build a minimal version and test with real data

Build the simplest version that works. Skip edge cases until the core is running reliably. Test with actual data, not dummy data. Automations fail in production in ways they don’t fail in testing, especially when real inputs are messier than expected.

Step 5: Document it, then iterate

Once it’s running, write down what it does, what triggers it, and what to do if it breaks. Undocumented automations become knowledge silos. Everyone assumes someone else understands how it works, until nobody does. Set a reminder to review each automation quarterly. Has the process changed? Is it still saving time?

Best software to automate recurring tasks

There’s no single tool that handles every kind of automation. Here’s a breakdown of what each major tool does well and where it fits.

Zapier: Connect 3,000+ apps without writing code

Zapier is the most widely used workflow automation platform for non-developers. It works by connecting two apps: an event in App A (the trigger) causes an action in App B. These pairs are called Zaps.

Key features

Connects 3,000+ apps including Gmail, Slack, Salesforce, and HubSpot

Multi-step Zaps with filters, delays, and conditional logic

Pre-built Zap templates for common workflows

Team workspaces for shared automations

Pricing

Free tier (100 tasks/month, 5 Zaps). Paid plans from $19.99/month. Check zapier.com for current pricing.

Best use cases

Connecting SaaS tools that don’t talk to each other natively; routing data between apps; automating notifications.

Pros and cons

Pros | Cons
No code required | Gets expensive at volume
Huge app library | Complex logic requires paid plans
Well documented | Not suited for enterprise or self-hosted needs

TextExpander: Automate the text you type, everywhere you type it

TextExpander automates text. Every time you type a short abbreviation, it expands into the full phrase, email, template, or formatted block you’ve saved as a Snippet. That’s the core mechanic, and it works in every app you use, with no switching or copying from a template library.

What makes it work for teams is the sharing layer. When you save a Snippet to a shared group, your whole team gets it. When you update it, everyone’s version updates automatically. There’s one version of your approved language, and it’s always current.

Key features

Works in every app: TextExpander fires wherever you type: email, chat, help desk, EHR system, browser. No switching between apps.

Dynamic fields: A single Snippet can include fill-in fields, date macros, and dropdown menus. One template works across many situations.

Team Snippet sharing: Share approved Snippets across your whole team. Updates propagate automatically.

AI-assisted Snippets: AI surfaces the right Snippet based on what you’re writing, without searching or remembering abbreviations.

Pricing

See textexpander.com/pricing for current plans.

Best use cases

Customer support teams responding to the same questions repeatedly; healthcare professionals documenting patient interactions; sales teams maintaining consistent messaging; anyone who types the same things across multiple apps.

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ClickUp: Project management with automation built in

ClickUp combines project management with automation in one platform. Automations in ClickUp trigger off task changes, such as status updates, due date changes, and assignments, without needing a separate tool.

Key features

50+ pre-built automation templates

Custom trigger-action rules for task lifecycle events

Integrations with external tools via Zapier and native connectors

Automations scoped to Spaces, Folders, or Lists

Pricing

Free plan available. Paid from $7/member/month. See clickup.com.

Best use cases

Teams already in ClickUp who want automation without adding another tool to the stack.

Pros and cons

Pros | Cons
Automation lives inside your work | Real learning curve for new users
Generous free plan | Can feel overwhelming to set up
Strong template library | Less flexible than dedicated automation tools

Pipefy: Build and automate structured business processes

Where Zapier connects existing apps, Pipefy lets you design the process itself: stages, forms, rules, and handoffs, from a no-code interface. It’s built for operations teams managing repeatable, structured workflows.

Key features

Visual process builder with drag-and-drop interface

Automated email notifications, task assignments, and routing

Integrations with Slack, Google Workspace, Zapier, and more

Templates for HR, finance, and operations processes

Pricing

Free for small teams. Business plans from $24/month. See pipefy.com.

Best use cases

Structured operational processes: employee onboarding, purchase approvals, expense requests, IT service tickets.

Wox: App launcher for Windows power users

Wox is an open-source Windows app launcher. Press a hotkey, start typing, and open apps, files, or websites without touching your mouse. Free and community-maintained.

Key features

Instant app and file search

Plugin system for extended functionality

Web search shortcuts from the launcher

Keyboard-first interface

Pricing

Free and open source. GitHub. Note: development has been sporadic since 2023. Flow Launcher (an active fork) or PowerToys Run are more actively maintained alternatives.

Best use cases

Windows users who want keyboard-driven app launching.

Make: Advanced workflow automation for complex tasks

Make (formerly Integromat) handles complexity that linear automation tools can’t. Instead of simple trigger-action chains, Make uses a flowchart interface where you build branching logic, loops, and parallel paths.

Key features

Visual drag-and-drop scenario builder

Routers, filters, iterators, and aggregators for complex logic

1,500+ app integrations

Data transformation without writing code

Detailed execution logs for debugging

Pricing

Free tier (1,000 operations/month). Paid from $9/month. See make.com.

Best use cases

Complex automations with branching logic; data transformation between apps; teams that have hit the limits of Zapier’s linear model.

Microsoft Power Automate: Automate workflows within the Microsoft ecosystem

Power Automate is Microsoft’s automation platform, built into Microsoft 365. If your team runs on Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, or Excel, Power Automate is the natural choice. It’s already there, and it connects everything natively.

Key features

Native integration with all Microsoft 365 apps

Desktop flows (RPA) for automating legacy desktop apps

Pre-built templates for common Microsoft workflows

AI Builder for adding AI-powered decisions to flows

Pricing

Included in many Microsoft 365 plans. Premium plans from $15/user/month. See powerautomate.microsoft.com.

Best use cases

Microsoft 365 enterprises; SharePoint document management; RPA for legacy desktop apps without APIs.

n8n: Open-source workflow automation for developers

n8n is a self-hostable, open-source automation tool. Run it on your own infrastructure, keep your data off third-party servers, and write custom JavaScript or Python directly in any workflow step.

Key features

300+ built-in integrations

Self-hostable with full source access

Code nodes for custom logic in any step

Visual workflow editor plus inline code editor

Free community edition; paid cloud hosting available

Pricing

Free to self-host. Cloud from $20/month. See n8n.io.

Best use cases

Developer teams; workflows involving sensitive data that can’t flow through third-party cloud; automations that need custom code.

IFTTT: Simple automation for everyday tasks

IFTTT (“If This, Then That”) is one of the original automation platforms, designed for simplicity. It works on a single-condition trigger model: one thing happens, one other thing happens. No multi-step logic, no branching.

Key features

Simple two-step applets

Consumer integrations: smart home devices, social media, weather triggers

Mobile app management

Large community applet library

Pricing

Free tier with limited applets. Pro from $2.50/month. See ifttt.com.

Best use cases

Personal automations; smart home integrations; simple social media triggers. Not suited for business process automation.

Trello Automation: Built-in automation for Trello workflows

Trello’s built-in automation (formerly called Butler, now Trello Automation) builds rules, scheduled commands, and card buttons directly into Trello boards. No additional tool required.

Key features

Rule-based automation triggered by card moves, due dates, and member actions

Calendar and due-date commands for recurring tasks

Custom buttons on cards and boards

Email triggers and third-party integrations

Pricing

Basic automation included on all plans. Advanced automation on paid plans. See trello.com.

Best use cases

Teams already using Trello who want lightweight automation without adding another tool.

How to automate repetitive tasks in Chrome and other web browsers

Browser automation covers tasks that live in web apps: form filling, data extraction from pages, multi-step click sequences in a web interface.

Chrome extension options worth knowing:

Wildfire AI: Records your browser actions and plays them back. Useful for repetitive sequences in web apps without an API.

iMacros: Script-based browser automation for more controlled sequences.

For basic text automation in the browser, TextExpander works across all web apps without any additional setup. For heavier form-filling automation, see our guide to auto form filling software.

How to automate repetitive tasks in Microsoft Windows and Excel

Windows has more automation capability built in than most people realize.

Windows Task Scheduler: Runs scripts, programs, and batch files on a schedule. Good for maintenance tasks and file management that doesn’t need user interaction.

Power Automate Desktop: Microsoft’s free RPA tool (included with Windows 11) records mouse clicks and keystrokes and replays them in desktop apps. Go-to for automating legacy software.

Excel macros and VBA: For Excel-specific work, such as formatting, transformations, and repetitive calculations, recording a macro is often the fastest path. VBA handles more complex scripting.

PowerToys: Microsoft’s free utility suite includes PowerToys Run (keyboard-driven app launcher), FancyZones (window layout manager), and keyboard shortcut remapping.

For a broader look at macro tools across platforms, see best macros software.

How AI changes task automation (and where TextExpander fits in)

Something shifted in 2024 and 2025: AI got good enough to handle judgment at the content level. Not just “move this file when a form is submitted.” Now it can “write a first draft of this response based on the context of the conversation.” That’s a genuinely different kind of automation than what workflow tools do.

This is useful. But it creates a problem most teams haven’t fully solved.

Every time you run the same AI prompt, you get a different output. The tone varies. The structure changes. Your teammate running the same prompt gets something different again. You can generate excellent content, but deploying it consistently, at scale, across a team is a separate challenge from generating it.

This is where TextExpander fits into an AI-powered workflow. The model is straightforward:

AI is the generation layer. It drafts, summarizes, and creates new content. Use it to build a first version of a response, get a head start on documentation, or pull together information you’d otherwise have to assemble manually.

TextExpander is the deployment layer. Once you have great content, whether you wrote it or AI helped, TextExpander gets it everywhere you type, instantly, consistently, for your whole team. Same Snippet, same output, for everyone.

In practice: use AI to write the first draft, review and refine it, save it as a Snippet, and deploy it with a short abbreviation from anywhere. The prompt runs once. The approved content runs reliably from then on.

TextExpander’s AI features also work the other direction. As you start typing, AI surfaces the most relevant Snippet from your library based on context. You don’t have to remember abbreviations or search for the right template. The right content comes up when you need it.

For teams exploring how AI tools fit into their broader workflows, see our guide to agentic AI tools.

Starting small with task automation

The teams that get the most out of automation aren’t the ones who built the most ambitious system first. They’re the ones who picked one small thing, made it work, and built from there.

A useful heuristic: if you do something three times, make a template. If you do it three times a day, automate it.

Steps to start small with automation

Pick one task, not three, not a department. One task that happens regularly.

Set it up with the simplest tool that handles it. Don’t overbuild.

Run it for two weeks. Does it work? Does it save real time? What edge cases came up?

Adjust for what broke. Simplify what’s overcomplicated.

Add a second automation once the first is stable.

Why starting small matters

Automation fails when people don’t trust it. A small automation that works reliably builds trust. A complex system with unexplained failures destroys it, and you’ll spend more time debugging than the task ever would have taken manually. Start with business automation tools that have short setup times and wide compatibility. Build from there.

Training teams for successful automation

Individual automation is manageable. Team automation, where multiple people use and maintain the same workflows, is where it gets complicated.

The biggest risk isn’t technical. It’s that one person builds an automation nobody else understands. When that person leaves, you’re left with either a sacred mystery nobody wants to touch, or a broken thing nobody knows how to fix.

Steps to train teams on automation

Document before you deploy. Write a plain-language description of what each automation does, what triggers it, and what to do when it breaks. Two paragraphs is enough for simple automations.

Assign an owner. At minimum, one person per automation should understand it well enough to modify or disable it.

Teach principles, not just tools. Teams that understand the trigger, action, result model can adapt when tools change. Teams that only know which buttons to click get stuck when the interface updates.

Build a shared text library. Shared TextExpander Snippet groups give everyone access to approved language, not just the person who originally wrote it.

Review automations regularly. Processes change. Automations built for last year’s workflow may not fit this year’s process. Quarterly review keeps things current.

Why team training matters

The ROI of automation compounds when it spreads across a team. A single person automating their email templates saves a few hours per week. The same Snippets deployed to a 20-person team multiplies that value 20x, but only if everyone uses them. For customer-facing teams, see customer service automation software. For healthcare teams, automation in healthcare covers the compliance and documentation angle.

Project management automation: Streamlining workflows for efficiency

Project management is a high-leverage area for automation because so much of it is mechanical: moving tasks to the next stage, notifying the right person when something changes, creating recurring tasks on schedule, compiling status reports that nobody wants to compile manually.

Key project management automation tools

Tool | Best for | Automation depth
Asana | Team task management | Rules based on status, assignments, due dates
Jira | Engineering/sprint workflows | Complex conditional logic, advanced rules
Monday.com | Visual project management | Broad trigger options, accessible UI
ClickUp | All-in-one productivity | Strong lifecycle automation
Trello | Lightweight boards | Simple rules, included on all plans

Benefits of project management automation

Tasks advance through stages without manual status updates

The right person gets notified at the right time, automatically

Recurring tasks appear on schedule without anyone creating them

Status reports come together without manual compilation

The less-obvious benefit: when the mechanical parts of project management run automatically, project managers can focus on judgment: decisions, tradeoffs, and team coordination, instead of administrative overhead. That’s the real payoff.

TextExpander is free. Your time isn’t.

Create shortcuts for the things you type most and start saving time everywhere you type. Use it solo or build a shared library with your team.

Free forever, no credit card required.

Get TextExpander

FAQs

What is the easiest way to start automating repetitive tasks?

Text automation is the lowest-friction entry point. Save your most-used phrases, responses, and templates as TextExpander Snippets, and expand them anywhere you type. Setup takes minutes and you see the time savings immediately. From there, a simple two-app Zapier connection is the natural next step.

Which tasks are poor candidates for automation?

Tasks that require significant judgment, creativity, or relationship context. Writing strategic recommendations, navigating a difficult client conversation, deciding which candidate to hire. These need human thinking. Automation handles the mechanical work around those decisions, not the decisions themselves. If you can write a complete, unambiguous rule (“when X happens, always do Y”), you can automate it. If there are “it depends” situations throughout, automate with caution or not at all.

Will automating tasks replace jobs?

Not for most professional work. Automation replaces the mechanical repetition inside jobs, the formatting, the routing, the data entry, not the judgment, relationships, and decisions. Most teams find that automation makes their work better: less time on mechanical tasks, more time on things that actually require a person. Globally, 170 million new job roles are expected to be created by 2030 even as automation handles a larger share of routine tasks.

How do I know if an automation is working?

Track two things: time saved and error rate. Time saved is easy to estimate if you recorded how long the task took manually. Error rate matters because a broken automation can create more cleanup work than it saves. Watch for exceptions: cases where the automation fires when it shouldn’t, or doesn’t fire when it should. A working automation produces fewer exceptions and less manual intervention over time.

Can TextExpander work alongside tools like Zapier and Make?

Yes, they do different jobs. Zapier and Make connect apps and move data between systems. TextExpander automates the text you type within any app. Most teams use both. A common setup: Zapier routes incoming leads to a CRM automatically, and TextExpander ensures every sales rep responds with consistent, approved language. They’re complementary parts of a broader business productivity software setup.